On creating a Resounding Spirit

by Nicole Findlay

Wandering through an art exhibit, our enjoyment, curiosity or vexation rarely extends beyond the works on display. Few of us are ever exposed to the creative process that sparked the exhibit.

Ming Tiampo, professor of art history is offering her 4th/5th year students this unique opportunity in the Fall term. Over the next few months, 15 students will learn first hand the process of mounting an exhibit. Their work will culminate in a version of the Resounding Spirit: Contemporary Japanese Art of the 1960s, an exhibit Tiampo helped to organize at the Gibson Art Gallery in 2004. The Carleton exhibition is scheduled to open at the Carleton University Art Gallery in February 2007. Tiampo will guide students as they move from conceptualization to realization of the exhibit.

“There is nothing that makes art come alive more effectively than being part of an exhibition team. It will be fascinating seeing how the students assimilate a history of Japanese art in the 1960s, and how they construct a story for their public,” said Tiampo. “What will be most challenging, I think, is trying to convey their enthusiasm and deep knowledge in the limited space of an exhibition display- it’s a whole new way of writing and thinking!”

Through regular profiles, Carleton Now will follow the students’ progress over the next semester – allowing readers a peek behind the scenes as the class selects the works, organizes a performance art event, designs the exhibition installation and web site.
CUAG as a learning resource

Tiampo is one of a number of faculty members who find CUAG’s presence on campus advantageous. Mitchell Frank, associate professor in Art History has collaborated with Tiampo when planning and instructing courses. Frank has assigned specific works to students to review. After they have visited the gallery, the students must submit a brief essay describing its form and subject matter.

“Students were exposed to real works of art rather than the reproductions they see in the classroom,” said Frank. “They experienced art in a gallery setting and they found out about a terrific resource here on campus.”

Rosemarie Hoey in the Department of English also uses the gallery to provide her students with hands-on experience. Each fall, Hoey teaches a first year seminar (FYSM) that requires students to review a current CUAG exhibit. After she has taught basic reviewing techniques, Hoey conducts a class in the gallery space. Students have the opportunity to view the works, conduct research and receive guidance from the gallery staff. Hoey feels that while students may initially view the exercise as a learning experience, once they have visited the gallery they “retain fond associations with the space and see it as a quiet retreat during the school year.”