The Quality of Education:
04 | Anthropology Students Become Exhibit Curators
Using what they learned in two upper-division courses, seven anthropology students became curators of an exhibit, “Conquest of the Pacific,” which showcased the exploration and settlement of the Pacific Islands through tools, models, and other items. The first course focused on how to curate an exhibit; the second involved implementing what they had learned – selecting the pieces for display, designing the placement of the items, and creating and posting the identifying labels. Among the pieces exhibited were stick charts the Oceanic people used for navigation, along with primitive maps, canoe models, paddles, and tools for building canoes and trade goods.
“We made numerous mistakes along the way,” said student Paul Constantine. “But that’s what this class was all about. We were allowed to make mistakes, put in situations we thought we might not be able to overcome, and forced to work out problems within the group.”
“It was very time-consuming–more time-consuming than we thought it would be,” said Kimberly Casey. “It was a hard process to go through, but it was rewarding to see it all come together.”
Another student-curated exhibit focused on the functions of American Indian baskets.
