During the fall 2024 semester, George Mason University art history students had the unique opportunity to apply their classroom curriculum to a real-world museum environment. Led by Art History Professor Robert DeCaroli, students worked directly with objects in the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Asian Art as part of the ARTH 495/595: Curating an Exhibit course.
Through a partnership with the National Museum of Asian Art and the generosity of the Curator for South and Southeast Asian Art, Debra Diamond, DeCaroli’s students studied painted miniatures and manuscript pages dated 1500-1800 from India’s Rajput and Pahari Courts. While engaging with the museum’s collection, students began the process of curating their own online exhibit to display the paintings they hand-selected. Additionally, students designed all the museum-related materials necessary for their display, including labels, wall texts, catalog entries, educational programming, gallery talks and more.
Senior Charmaine Mapp explains that museum curation begins with the intention of education. “You need to know what this culture is and what story you're trying to tell. From there, we proposed what we wanted to do based on the fourteen paintings we selected out of the initial twenty. We considered the stories presented in these paintings. What did we want to say with our exhibition? What did we want our theme to be, and how would everything connect?”
DeCaroli’s class ultimately settled on the theme of “Loving Krishna” A title which has a double meaning, referring to the Hindu deity as both a loving god and the object of his followers’ love. As the exhibit’s subheading articulates, the collection spans four centuries of Indian art. It will remain on view until February 15.
For DeCaroli, the course is just as rewarding for the professor as it is for the students. “It has been a joy watching the students feel connected to their paintings,” he says. “That enthusiasm provides motivation for excellent research into the history and meaning of the artwork. I have also been impressed with the class's professionalism and collaborative spirit. Exhibitions are group efforts and good communication skills are vital to a successful project. This class has been exemplary in that regard.”
“I was always interested in curation and wanted to know more about what that process was,” explained Mapp. “When you walk into a museum or a gallery, you just see the end result. But you often don’t realize that that's created from nothing. So, this was a really good experience, especially being able to go into the archives, work with the actual paintings and meet people who worked at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.”
With George Mason’s proximity to Washington, D.C., dedicated faculty members and generous community partners, there is so much for CHSS students to explore both within and outside of the classroom. “If you’re interested in art, history, or any other field, look at the classes available,” advises Mapp. “I didn't know that curating an exhibition was a class until I looked in the course catalog. Courses like this really allow you to get more hands-on experience, develop relationships with professors, and make connections that lead to special opportunities.”