A Community of Learners: The Fiftieth A Space for Dialogue Installation

Posted on September 01, 2009 by Kristin Swan

Hood Quarterly, autumn/winter 2009-10

A Space for Dialogue is a unique aspect of the museum's senior internship program, which includes positions in curatorial, interpretation and programming, and public relations work. Since 2001, the Hood Museum of Art has given the walls in its entrance lobby to its senior student interns for mini-exhibitions drawn from the museum's permanent collection. Mentored by professional staff, interns select works that have not been on display recently and create a provocative, thoughtful grouping. They research the objects, write about them in descriptive labels and a brochure, and work with staff to design the installation and conduct a public gallery talk. In this way, the interns gain invaluable insights into curatorial practice while the public gains access to objects and ideas that would not otherwise appear in the museum.

In April the museum celebrated the fiftieth exhibition in the Space for Dialogue series.The subjects of the exhibitions have ranged as widely as interns' imaginations and the scope of the Hood's rich and extensive collections. From Consuming Life: On Ideals of Beauty and Assuming Identity in a Culture of Fear by Paula Bigboy '03, to The Quest for Printed Tone:The Origins of Mezzotints in the Seventeenth Century by Alex Vespoli '09, these exhibitions have reflected brilliantly the intellectual curiosity and critical thinking abilities of a remarkable group of Dartmouth students.

The Space for Dialogue program would not have been possible without support beginning in 2002 from the Class of 1948, and continued support since 2007 from the Class of 1967, along with Bonnie and Richard Reiss Jr. '66 and Pamela J. Joyner '79.

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Written September 01, 2009 by Kristin Swan