Museum Collecting 101
EACH YEAR, DARTMOUTH STUDENTS SELECT WORKS TO ENTER THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION.
Through Museum Collecting 101, a non-curricular course offered during either winter or spring terms, Dartmouth students from all backgrounds and majors take part in an exciting and important aspect of the museum: acquisitions. For several weeks, a group of up to twelve students meets weekly with curatorial and education staff in two-hour sessions to learn about the museum's collections and acquisitions process. Students are introduced to a selection of artists and their work, which they discuss in depth, especially in terms of the potential for interdisciplinary curricular connections. Students choose an artist, consider several potential purchases, and vote to select one work. Past participants have sometimes had the opportunity to travel to New York or Boston to visit art dealers and examine the works in person.
The 2024 session of Museum Collecting 101 described below is now full. The next session will be spring term 2025.
THE PROGRAM: The opportunity to meet with the Hood Museum's director and curators and be introduced to the museum's photography collection. You'll discuss the criteria curators use to acquire works of art for a museum collection and review the work of several artists. You'll travel to New York to view photographs at dealers. Finally, you'll select a photograph for the Hood Museum to add to its collection.
WHEN: Time: Monday afternoons, 3:30–5:00 pm
Dates: April 1, April 8, April 15, April 20–21 (Saturday and Sunday, trip to New York City), and April 29
WHERE: Meeting in-person in the Bernstein Center for Object Study at the Hood Museum of Art.
THE TYPE OF ART: This year's theme is Tell Me About Yourself: Photographic Portraiture. The artworks will allow us to consider the following: How does portraiture explore identity, to think about a person as an individual and representative of a time and place, or to consider an artist's relationship to the subject? Which elements of photographic portraiture come from painting and sculpture and which are specific to photography? How do the props and settings in a photo and the photographic methods used play a role in portraiture? You will work closely with the Hood Museum's associate curator of photography, Alisa Swindell.
TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY: The class will leave Hanover early on Saturday, April 20, and return Sunday, April 21. While in New York the class will visit photography dealers among other activities. Attending the trip is required for participation in the program. Transportation, accommodations, and a meal stipend will be covered by the museum.
TO SIGN UP: Blitz "Look at the Hood" and tell us your name, year, major, and briefly why you would like to participate. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. For Dartmouth students only. FREE. No previous art knowledge or experience necessary. All classes and majors welcome.
Applications for Museum Collecting 101 are open on Monday, March 25, 2024.
Space is limited and participation at all five sessions is required. Priority will be given to students who have not previously participated in a Museum Collecting 101 program at the Hood Museum.
Museum Collecting 101 Mission
Museum Collecting 101 has been dedicated mainly to strengthening the Hood Museum of Art's contemporary photography collection. Since the program was founded in 2002, the Hood Museum has acquired photographs from a wide range of artists, representing various subjects. Each year, Hood staff determine a specific area of contemporary photography for students to focus on, such as Latin American photography, female photographers, digitally altered works, Asian photography, and documentary photography.
Selected Artists
Artists whose work students have selected for the museum to purchase include:
- Nobuyoshi Araki
- Daniel Beltra
- Jules de Bruycker
- J Henry Fair
- Tierney Gearon
- Maïmouna Guerresi
- Miskha Henner
- James Karales
- Atta Kim
- O. Winston Link
- Loretta Lux
- Aida Muluneh
- Mario Cravo Neto
- Zanele Muholi
- Daniela Rossell
- Sebastião Salgado
Leaving a Legacy
Museum Collecting 101 is a rich and vibrant program that has allowed undergraduate students to leave a legacy that extends far beyond their four years on campus. The names of all of the students who participate in the program are included in the credit line for the work of art they selected for purchase, and the works they have chosen are frequently used for teaching and exhibitions.