Smart Move
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The professors and students involved in the projects combed through the museum’s holdings to find most of the objects for their shows, though in each case the budget allowed for one or two key objects to be included on loan from other museums. Graduate students penned almost all of the catalog essays, usually receiving course credit for their work. Because the professors and students had little or no curatorial experience, they worked closely with Smart Museum curator Elizabeth Rodini. “Elizabeth was key in helping us figure out what was actually possible,” says professor Linda Seidel, “as well as whether the objects we were considering would in fact grab a viewer.” Seidel, who teaches art history, thinks her students gained a great deal from the project: “I think the immediacy of coming into contact with the art itself really empowers the students.” And the participants also learned a lesson in museum administration; as Rorschach explains, “Everyone who’s worked on one of these exhibitions now knows how much time it takes to organize all the details.”
Dancing for Dollars
