This course centered around the extensive plater cast collection previously on display in Robinson Hall B and throughout GMU's campus environment.
The content of this corpus was drawn from the tradition of Greek and Roman classical art, as well as medieval, renaissance, and Southeast Asian art, and given the differences in modern culture/reception, both the medium of the plaster cast and the subject matter begged for a more lucid presentation to the modern audience. With the opening of Horizon Hall, which houses the History-Art History Department, in Spring of 2021, the class was given the exciting opportunity to determine where and how the plaster casts would be exhibited in the new structure. The result of these parameters was a chance to curate the display of the Mason Plaster Cast Collection in a new context and to re-present it to the University audience with new texts that clarify the significance of the casts as both reproductions and as substitutes for original works of art. In this class students participated in designing the permanent exhibition of the casts, conducting research on the history of plaster casts (broadly, but also with particular emphasis on Mason's corpus), writing wall text, designing and writing essays for a brief exhibition catalogue, creating marketing materials, and planning educational programs. This course differs from the typical seminar in that it explored the practical, hands-on side of curatorial work in addition to scholarly research.