“Perceive with Caution: Merging Concepts VII,” an exhibition developed, designed and installed by students in Ohio University’s museum studies certificate program, is on display at the Kennedy Museum of Art until Sept. 5.
The 2021 exhibition is a continuation of a seven-year tradition of collaboration between OU, the Kennedy Museum and several community organizations, such as the Southeast Ohio History Center.
Each year, students in OU’s Museum Fundamentals II course, taught by Kennedy Museum staff, produces a “Merging Concepts” exhibit. A diverse range of art from a number of institutions is gathered and presented under one theme, hence the “Merging Concepts” title.
“Collaboration is key, especially among museums,” Brad Davis, curator of collections at the Southeast Ohio History Center, said in an email. “In particular, collaboration with the Kennedy gives the Southeast Ohio History Center a chance to share our collection with the university, but also with the people of southeast Ohio. It is also really great to see the students take an object and interpret it in their own way with a new exhibit.”
Planning for the exhibit begins with students choosing two primary objects. This year’s were an old camera from the Southeast Ohio History Center and a print by artist Jim Dine from the Kennedy collection.
“I think the dichotomy between this print, this actual work of art, and then this camera that's used to make works of art and portraits is the main reason that those two were picked as the primary objects,” Lauren Gaines, a masters student studying arts and art history and arts administration and museum studies, said.
From the two primary objects, Museum Fundamentals II students established a “big idea” or theme. “Perceive with Caution” seeks to highlight that “the way in which we interpret and portray the world reflects our understanding of the human condition,” Ed Pauley, director of the Kennedy Museum of Art and an overseer of the Museum Studies Certificate Program, said.
Once the big idea was decided upon, each student found a secondary object that related to the exhibit’s theme. Artworks chosen for display in “Perceive with Caution” ranged from a Burke & James Rembrandt camera to a Taffeta dress.
Gaines selected a World War II nurses’ cape as her secondary object. To people in the war, the color and design of the cape signified that the nurse was a trauma nurse. However, to modern viewers, the historical meaning of the cape is not easily understood by looks alone.
Additionally, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses and healthcare workers have been compared to superheroes – who often wear capes – providing an alternative modern interpretation.
Gaines felt that for those reasons, the nurses’ cape fit the exhibition’s theme well; differing contexts can lead to varied understandings of art.
“Perceive with Caution’s” student-designed nature, range of art from a number of institutions and collaborative spirit make it unique, Pauley said.
“It’s an unusual show; not everybody expects to go into an art museum and see an exhibit that has objects from all over,” Pauley said. “But our view at the Kennedy is that art should never be shown in a vacuum anyway, and the best way to avoid doing that is by relating other things to whatever the art that's on exhibit is about.”
“Perceive with Caution” is on display at the Kennedy Museum until Sept. 5. Viewers must complete an online registration and COVID-19 training prior to attending the exhibition.
