In spring 2023, the students in Heather McGuire’s ARTH 595 class researched, developed, and installed a contemporary art exhibition in GMU’s Gillespie Gallery. The exhibition, “Reclaim, Rebirth, Reconsider: Narratives of Transformation,” featured three artists: Sandy Williams IV, Page Carter, and Steven Luu. Students banded together to interview the artists, research topics, condition-report artwork, design and install the exhibition, and write scholarly essays. They created a marketing campaign, led exhibition programs, and produced video interviews that are available on the Mason Exhibitions website https://www.masonexhibitions.org/exhibitions/reclaim-rebirth-reconsider.
Dr. McGuire’s class was the latest version of ARTH 595, which is taught each year by a different instructor. The class emerged out of a need to offer more hands-on experience to our Art History majors and graduate students. The course covers a new topic every time it is taught. In the past, instructors and students have worked not only with the George Mason University Art Collection but with various local museums, and have organized shows on topics ranging from modern Latin American art to plaster casts of Ancient Greek and Roman, medieval, renaissance, and Southeast Asian sculpture. The course provides a rare opportunity for students to work with real objects and undertake original research and material analysis. The class therefore provides valuable experience for students who wish to pursue careers in museum and gallery settings.
October 13, 2023