The second GLAM Faculty Development workshop of the year, “Teaching with Exhibitions,” occurred last month at the AUC Woodruff Library’s Archives Research Center. During this workshop Martina Dodd, GLAM Museum Education Curator, gave a guided tour of both the Archives Research Center’s exhibition entitled, Black Interiors: Envisioning A Place of Our Own, and its accompanying digital exhibition. The physical exhibition showcases archival documents, photographs and memorabilia related to the continuous efforts of those within the African Diaspora to designate and create communities of their own within the United States and abroad. The digital exhibition includes artwork from Clark Atlanta University Art Museum’s and Spelman College Museum of Fine Art’s permanent collections to offer a glimpse into private rooms of the home to depict precious moments of solitude and contemplation, as well as personal letters, family photos, and diary entries from the Archives Research Center.
During the workshop participants learned how to access and navigate the digital exhibition and corresponding LibGuide. LibGuides provide resources for visitors to further their research on the various topics and themes presented in the exhibit through: supplemental questions, lists of articles and books related to each theme and other online databases.
After the tour Dodd led an art analysis activity which required each person to visually analysis an artwork included in the exhibition. This activity acted as a great segue for participants to discuss the themes presented in each exhibition case ranging from gentrification, housing develop/displacement, gender roles, global Black cultural exchange, the aesthetics of the home and more. Direct links were made between ideas raised in the exhibitions to course content.