Every year, the spring museum exhibition class creates an exhibit to be displayed within the Lowell D. Holmes Museum located in Neff Hall. This year is no different; the class produced its own and unique exhibition. However, this tradition will be seeing its final year in Neff Hall as future demolition and reconstruction loom in the distance.
The final exhibit
The class, taught by Rachelle Meinecke, was able to choose what artifacts and themes it wanted its final exhibit to include. The class chose to explore different symbols and expressions in different cultures with its exhibit titled, “Echoes of Expression: A Cultural Symbolism Collective.”
“(It’s about) kind of how symbolism maybe reflect the worldview of that particular culture or help shape that worldview of that particular culture,” Meinecke said.
Sierrsha McAllister, a senior majoring in anthropology, chose to do her section of the exhibit on clay across Asian cultures.
“My exhibit focuses on Asian pottery,” McAllister said. “It’s very different forms, techniques and then the purposes of them and some symbolism that’s built into them as well.”
McAllister said she was inspired by the “striking pieces” she came across while sifting through the collection. With so many interesting visuals, she said she found a challenge in selecting the “right” pieces.
“I wanted it to be very Zen and calming, inviting,” McAllister said. “Visually striking, but not overwhelming … Things that are also evoking of Asian culture as well.”
Another student also chose to showcase pottery, but this time, from Mesoamerica. Antonio Ramirez, a senior studying art history, said he wanted to display items used in daily life, but also ones that connected with the spiritual aspect.
“I’m kind of examining how clay has been used as a technology,” Ramirez said. “Kind of tied in with daily life, but also ritual uses, and so not just the physicality of reality, but also the spiritual.”
Ramirez said he wants people to leave the museum understanding that symbolism is not just prevalent in artworks, but also in life.
“There’s a lot of symbolism in life. A lot of these oral motifs stand out to me now,” Ramirez said.
Allison Waldt took a different route from pottery and showcased headdresses from New Hanover in her exhibit.
“When I saw these headdresses, I thought that they were very unique and I knew I wanted them to be the center of this exhibit, sort of the spotlight of my section,” Waldt said.
Waldt’s anthropological focus for her exhibit was “community vs. individualism.”
“(The people of Hanover are) a very community-over-the-individual culture,” Waldt said. “I go through a discussion of competing values with the U.S. being such an individualistic culture, to sort of foster through on how cross-cultural communication can affect people’s perspectives.”
However, the values the headdresses hold weren’t the only reason this exhibit was special for Waldt.
“(The headdresses) came from Dr. (Dorothy) Billings … These items were given to her as a gift from the people that she worked with and have been a part of the WSU collection ever since,” Waldt said. “Being able to work with objects that came from Dr. Billings was really exciting for me because she was one of the first women in anthropology to make a lot of really big strides as a woman … It feels really cool to be able to carry on that tradition of women in STEM.”
Looking ahead
According to the Wichita State Master Plan, a document outlining all of the changes being done to Wichita State for the next 10 years, Neff Hall is set to be demolished before the end of next year. The museum will eventually find a home on the second floor of Ablah Library.
Meinecke said that when the students were initially choosing their exhibits, she didn’t even realize at first that this exhibit would be the last due to the uncertainty of the timeline.
“When I started to think about this will probably be our last exhibit opening in Neff Hall, for the students that have been a part of our department and part of our program, there’s a little nostalgia there. They’re kind of sad about it, but at the same time, they’re excited about the new space. We need a new space.”
Waldt said she’s looking forward to moving spaces because Neff Hall is so “outdated,” and being in a more accessible building is beneficial.
“In terms of access and getting student work like this out there to the student body more and also more physically accessible with things like the plank entrance … That’s very difficult for people with mobility issues, for older people, things of that nature … Having a museum that’s more accessible to students would be great.”
Amidst the joys of being in a newer, more accessible space, there are some concerns over the move.
“I know there’s concerns about storage space and things of that nature,” Waldt said. “The museum has a pretty expansive collection, of which a very small percentage is actually on display. And so I definitely have concerns for the safety and stability of some of the objects during that move.”
Ramirez said he finds no issue with the move, as long as it’s an upgrade for the program.
“I think as long as it is an upgrade, there’s no issue,” Ramirez said. “I think if you’re taking money away, you’re taking away the response and feelings that people can get from visiting work.”
McAllister said she finds it “cool, in a sad way,” knowing this class will be the last to build an exhibit in Neff.
“(It’s) almost a nice feeling,” McAllister said. “We’re the last ones to be able to put exhibits here, but I’m excited to see what comes of the new anthropology building.”
