Emily Timmerman
Editor-in-Chief
The College of Wooster Art Museum (CWAM) is concluding the academic year with a final exhibition show titled “Object Lessons” in the Burton D. Morgan Gallery. The exhibit, curated by Professor Jay Gates’ Museum Studies’ students, strives to illustrate the necessity of the analysis of material culture as a part of the curatorial practice.
Each student in the class selected an object from the CWAM’s permanent collection, which culminated in a representation of five of the collection’s primary art concentrations – African, Ancient, Asian, “Curiosities” (referring to late-nineteenth century practice of bringing back objects from abroad to create a “Cabinet of Curiosities”) and Prints.
The resulting exhibit illustrates the breadth of the CWAM collection, with prints placed next to vases, hanging tapestries and staged antique chairs. Erin Behn ’13 and Eric Hubbard ’16 both chose from the African collection; Anna Mazin ’14 and Blair Heidkamp ’15 chose from the Ancient collection; Melissa Hackett ’15 and Kelsey Williams ’14 chose from the Asian collection; Phu Nguyen Thien ’14 and Seung Ryong Riew ’14 chose from the “Curiosities” collection; and Karin Barend ’13 and Betsy Elderbrock ’13 both chose from the collection’s prints.
The show will run until May 13. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., and is closed on Mondays. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
The Sussel Gallery is empty for the time being in anticipation of the senior studio art major’s I.S. Symposium exhibition that will be open from April 26 until the end of the year.
For more information on the museum or the Object Lessons exhibit specifically, go to wooster.edu/cwam, or visit The College of Wooster Art Museum’s Facebook page.