Museum Studies Class Prepares for I.D.entity Exhibit in Ronald Williams Library

The newly created anthropology class, Museum Studies, is excited to bring to Northeastern Illinois University its first exhibit on Apr.11-22, titled I.D.entity, that will seek to explore the many ways in which an individual perceives himself or herself through the power of art.

The theme of the exhibit will be about a person's identity, and will strive to make a connection about identity between these objects and the viewer. Objects that will be found among the exhibits include things typically seen in a bedroom, such as an alarm clock, bedside table, dresser, pillows, blankets, a mirror, and a lamp. The students are also working on including a large frame featuring fingerprints, which will include those of students on campus, to signify the diversity found at NEIU.

The class is divided into teams—installation, curatorial, marketing, and education—that have been working hard, in order to make the event a success during its upcoming opening day on the first floor of the Ronald Williams Library.

Under the tutelage of Professor Rhoda Rosen, each team has different responsibilities in making the exhibit run smoothly.

"The curatorial team will collect the objects, the installation team is going to put everything together on Apr. 11, and the education team will go around each object and talk about its meaning," said Ivan Calara, a student in the class. "The marketing team is going to advertise the exhibit by putting flyers around the school, making a poster board to be put in the library, and also by word of mouth."

Calara, who is part of the marketing team, found another resourceful way to get information about the exhibit out.

"I talked to some professors that I had in the past semesters and gave them the idea of having their students attend the exhibit for extra credit," he said. Since this is the first exhibit of its kind, the students of Museum Studies want the class to be available for future students.

"This exhibit expresses teamwork, along with art," said Calara. "I've made new friends and gained experience in working at a museum, since I always wanted to know the process of how objects get put into place at a museum; this was something new to try out."

The class hopes for a good turnout, and will provide participants with some munchies and pastries to snack on while they check out the exhibit curated by their fellow peers.