Curating Exhibitions as Undergraduate Research

Abstract

Librarians and museum curators are knowledge experts who can collaborate with faculty and serve as exemplary mentors to undergraduate researchers. This article discusses three exhibitions curated by undergraduates that resulted from classroom-based activities. The students engaged in original research to mount the exhibitions-an atypical form of dissemination for undergraduate research projects. One exhibition was housed in the campus art museum; another physical exhibition focused on manuscripts and early printed books from a library's special collections. A third digital exhibition is permanently hosted on the library's website. Each curating activity and exhibition is described, including the process and collaboration with colleagues in the library and art museum.w w w . c u r . o r g uarterly COUNCIL ON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 13 Professor Alexa Sand and a student work with an early book.

Predicting undergraduate career goal change in a research‐intensive community

“…In contrast to apprenticeship and course‐based programs, cocurricular, team‐based programs can provide a hybrid approach. By using a “one‐to‐many” team mentoring structure, these programs can scale up the number of research opportunities like course‐based programs while also remaining situated in the workplace and its culture like apprenticeship programs (Adedokun et al, 2014; Carter et al, 2016; Strand & Jansen, 2013; Sturner et al, 2017). A large‐scale cocurricular program can be achieved with low‐cost infrastructure that enables undergraduates, graduates, and faculty to connect and organize into communities of project teams (Desai et al, 2008).…”

STEAM Education Using Sericulture <i>Ukiyo-e</i>: Object-Based Learning through Original Artworks Collected at a Science University Museum in Japan

“…Thus, the meaning of the ancient writing has not been deciphered in detail. The participating students scrutinized, touched, interpreted, and ultimately deliberated on this sericulture ukiyo-e through the scope of their individual knowledge and organized a student exhibition to showcase the achievements they obtained through the experiential workshop activities of interdisciplinary learning (Allen, 2004;Sand, 2017;Semper, 1990). Students represented not only accomplishments of the interpretation of ancient writing but also contents of the advanced research on sericulture (Figure 2).…”

Partners in showcasing history: Activating the land-grant engagement mission through collaborative exhibits

“…The reasons they cite for curating exhibits range from the goal to engage with the public to promote collections, attract new users, inspire research projects, drive donor support, promote themselves as producers of research and not just collectors and to educate the public by providing context for archival materials (Brannock, 2009: 32; Chen et al, 2015: 63, 70; Keith et al, 2017: 392; Shankweiler and Seguin, 2018: 306). In addition, many specifically note the experiential learning opportunities exhibit curation can offer undergraduate and graduate students to develop their research skills sets (Prendergast and Totleben, 2018: 134, 138, 149; Sand et al, 2017: 12; Swanick et al, 2015: 19). Not surprisingly, the intended audiences for a university special collections exhibit include students, faculty and researchers, as well as the broader community of local residents and visitors (Brannock, 2009: 32; Rakityanskaya and Rukhelman, 2018: 202).…”

“…There are both benefits and challenges to the collaborative curation of exhibits, but ultimately, within the literature there is a consistent emphasis on the benefit of ensuring the afterlife of a physical exhibit in order for the exhibit content to reach beyond its initial audience. Collaboration benefits tie in to the purpose and audience of an exhibit, with a strong emphasis on relationship building with collaborators, both personal and institutional, especially other library departments, faculty, university programs and community members (Rakityanskaya and Rukhelman, 2018: 202; Sand et al, 2017: 14). As Taylor notes, ‘[e]ven after an exhibit has ended, it is likely the people it brought together will continue to seek each other out well into the future’ (2018: 129), potentially leading to more collaborative endeavors.…”