Exhibition Development @ MICA

Last evening I attended a presentation at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum by Maryland Institute College of Art students, who are part of George Ciscle’s Exhibition Development Seminar. The proposed exhibit, At Freedom’s Door: Challenging Slavery in Maryland, "will examine Maryland’s integral relationship to the history of slavery in the United States.”

The presenting students were divided into five teams: Writing, Historical Curatorial, Contemporary Curatorial, Art Education, and Public Programs. Using a PowerPoint program, the teams discussed the exhibit content and items to be displayed, gallery flow patterns, and Web site design for the exhibit.

This is a very thorough and consuming project, starting in the Summer of 2005 with discussions, museum and gallery tours, field trips, and workshops with assigned mentors and professionals. The exhibit will be presented jointly by the Maryland Historical Society and the Lewis, opening in February of 2007 and running through January 2008. Throughout, the students will report on their progress of designing exhibits, securing commissioned and borrowed works, and hosting several workshops on installation, art handling, and lighting.

The students were impressive, very committed to the project. It’s amazing to see just how much work and coordination can go into an exhibit. I’ll post a follow-up as the project continues.