Student Success; Students »
By Liz Smith, Associate Chair | Associate Professor of Art, Ceramics »
Avery Rudolph
Senior – BA Art History
Avery Rudolph, a senior majoring in Art History, was driven to curate an art history exhibition. She initially proposed this idea to Director Brian Young who encouraged and supported her to pursue this goal by searching out venues and applying for grant funding. Avery rose to this challenge, applying for and being awarded the Arkansas Committee of National Women in the Arts Intern Award. She will be receiving $2,500 in support of her proposed project which is described below in her own words.
Under the guidance and supervision of Director Elizabeth Harward and Head Curator James Anderson, my goal for this project was to curate my first art-historical exhibition in collaboration with the Jacksonville Museum of Military History. The initial idea of this project began with a personal interest in combat artists of World War I, who were enlisted to document both the events and people that they encountered for government and historical records. I had the intention of showcasing emotionally raw scenes of hand-to-hand combat, as well as describe the overall repercussions of war amongst individuals and nations through visual storytelling.
However, as the idea developed over the Spring of 2022, and in consideration of available artworks, I refined the exhibition to a series of photographs, mural pieces, and drawings that I believe convey a rare theme of camaraderie and community during World War II. A majority of military museums often describe the honest, yet gut-wrenching facts of this significant period of our history.
I wish to capture the audience’s attention to moments where men and women who were serving on the forefront, intentionally set aside time to appreciate certain things that are often depreciated or overlooked. These experiences that I wish to convey to audiences include dancing, music, arts and craft, which brought individuals together to not only distract themselves for a few moments from the outside world, but also rebuild that sense of unity and goodwill towards one another.
With respect to my relationship with Director Harward and Curator Anderson, I have also agreed to intern during the summer of 2022 to further my knowledge in archival practices, conservation, customer service, curation, and docenting to further bolster the legitimacy of my undergraduate-led exhibition. The Arkansas Committee of National Women in the Arts accepted my application and awarded me $2,000 to support my mission, as well as a $500 stipend for the museum I am working with over the summer.
