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Intern InsightsStories Behind the Stones
During her LYNK internship at MHCAM this summer, Architectural Studies major and Religion minor Priscilla (Qizhen) Zhang ’19 studied a group of Tibetan Mani stones in the Museum’s collection. Zhang was especially intrigued by the religious stories present in the carved images and inscriptions on these stones, which she describes in this enlightening blog post. The Museum is grateful for her terrific work, and the important contributions of all of our brilliant interns–contributions that have inspired this new blog series, Intern Insights.
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Intern Insights, Objects of Our AffectionFor the Love of (Artists’) Books
Curatorial Intern Juliana Cordero ’18 is a book lover. Her affinity for books is so strong, in fact, that she hopes to pursue a career as a book conservator. Here, she shares her favorite books from a collection of nearly 70 artists’ books by women recently gifted to MHCAM by Marjorie (Jerry) Cohn ’60. Cohn, a long-time conservator and curator at the Fogg Museum, amassed this wondrous collection over 25 years. Feminist themes abound in these books, through comedy, tragedy, and the commonplace. Read on…Cordero’s picks are laugh-out-loud funny!
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UncategorizedArt in Translation
On December 7, the Museum hosted a poetry reading and open mic in the Harriet L. and Paul M. Weissman Gallery. Co-sponsored by the Department of English, the event saw marvelous readings by students and faculty alike. Several students presented poems and prose written in response to exhibitions and works of art on view at MHCAM. Thank you to Becca Mullen ‘18, Ben Sambrook ‘18, Anisha Pai ‘19, and Henna Joshi ‘18 for sharing those poems with us for the first blog post of 2018. Happy reading!
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Intern InsightsMHCAM, meet LYNK
This summer, the Museum was honored to host three Mount Holyoke undergraduate interns who chose to use their LYNK internship funding to gain museum experience. Associate Curator of Visual and Material Culture Aaron Miller highlights the summer work experiences of Jamie Collings ’18, Cassie Peltier ’18, and Emily Tarantini ’18.
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Intern Insights, Objects of Our AffectionSmall Wonder: A 16th-Century German Pomander
Curatorial Intern Madeline Ketley ’17 recently catalogued materials from the Fellows Collection of Silver and Snuff Bottles, a gift to MHCAM in 1986 from Josephine Purtscher Fellows (Class of 1924). In the newest installment of the blog series Objects of Our Affection, Ketley reveals the history and allure of a tiny silver pomander from this collection. Read on to discover the secrets contained in this delicate 16th-century object.
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Intern Insights, Teaching with ArtConstructing Narratives from Vernacular Photographs
Recent Mount Holyoke graduate Emma Kennedy ’16 reflects on her work with a collection of photographs gifted to MHCAM by Ann Zelle ’65. During her curatorial internship at the Museum, and in her research for a final paper, Kennedy contemplated the mysteries of these compelling vernacular images.
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UncategorizedAfricana Studies at the Art Museum
On April 20, 2016, MHCAM hosted “Africana Studies at the Art Museum,” an event organized by Aladrianne Young ’16. An Africana Studies major and a receptionist at the Museum for three years, Aladrianne became interested in representations of diversity in academia and the art world. She conceived of this brilliantly successful event in order to explore issues of racial and gender identity, oppression, and history through artworks drawn almost exclusively from the MHCAM collection. Aladrianne recruited six student presenters to share their research, poetry, and personal anecdotes about works by Faith Ringgold, Kehinde Wiley, Alison Saar, and Shirin Neshat.
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Storage SegmentsA Collective Experience
Art History and English major Emily Ewen ’16 discusses a major project she undertook this spring reorganizing more than 550 Japanese ukiyo-e prints in the MHCAM collection. The vast collection inspired Ewen to pursue an independent study through the Art History department, allowing her to complement her tireless physical work on the collection with academic research.
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Teaching with ArtConfessions of a Museum Guide
Medieval studies major and public history minor Kristina Bush ’17 shares her experience as a participant in MHCAM’s new Student Guide Program. Reflecting on two semesters of weekly meetings at the Museum, field trips, research, and tour training, Kristina writes, “I feel as if I have found my place at Mount Holyoke in the Student Guide Program.”
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UncategorizedBeautiful Cacophonies
Professor Jim Coleman describes a recent student dance performance at the Museum inspired by the artworks of Judy Pfaff. Three art majors, three experienced dance improvisers, and 20 beginning dance students participated in the performance.