HOW WE PRACTICED II (WEEK ONE)

We made rapid-fire, practice exhibits to help us think about themes, grouping images, and writing text.

Using postcards as representatives of pieces of art or objects we might use in our exhibit, we practiced making curatorial decisions. Should we include all the images? How should we arrange them? What is the title of this exhibit? Why should this exhibit exist? What should it tell the public?

We made two of them, each in 10 minutes flat or less. We thought fast, and created two mini exhibits, sitting at a table.

HOW WE PRACTICED (WEEK ONE)

We wrote on the walls.


We covered our entire empty gallery in butcher paper. We looked at it blank, it's dimensions, it's possibilities. And then, we decided to ask ourselves questions and make statements, too. We put all of this on the walls, writing in crayons of different colors. "How is an exhibit built?" "Are children slaves?" and "I'm excited to find out what our exhibit will look like" were the kinds of things we expressed. Here's a detail from the walls:




What do you think an exhibit is? How would you talk about slavery in an exhibit? This is what we've had on our minds.

WE EMBARK ON AN ADVENTURE (WEEK ONE)

The gallery space (before).

We're here to tell you the story of how we produced an exhibit. Our exhibit. But, it's for you, too. And, it's about something important.

We are three students, one museum person, and a small host of supportive parents.

Our objective is to learn about, and then communicate about in exhibit form, the phenomenon of slavery. But not slavery that went extinct in the modern mind in the 19th-century: we want to highlight the fact that slavery is going on today. Right now, in 2009. As we speak, as we eat, as we sleep. The slavery you can still find in the threads of our clothes, the packages of food we consume, and in the books we don't read in school.

We'll be posting pictures, talking about our process, and sharing things about ourselves along the way. When we're done, we'll host an opening. You're invited, of course!

We're on our way, and thanks for following along. You could build an exhibit too. Anyone can. Whether you have museum walls or not.