Museum and the Object

Peripheral Visions in Focus

History tells his story, a narrative constructed by the dominant forces of society that often overlooks the stories and perspectives of underrepresented races, classes, and genders. But what about her story? What about their story? What about your story? By shifting visual focus from the center to the periphery, a transition is made from passive looking to active seeing. What is and what is not represented? How is it represented, and why? Seeing remains a conscious choice of how one chooses to interpret the world, and one must recognize that the so-called people of the periphery prove as critical to understanding the world as the so-called people of the center. Peripheral Visions in Focus attempts to redirect the power of the mainstream, or center, to the periphery, or margins, of society by re-presenting the underrepresented. The past cannot be rewritten, but by confronting and challenging his story, we may properly write our story of the future.

Under the guidance of Professor Cheryl Finley and Associate Director/Ames Curator of Education Cathy Rosa Klimaszewski, we—the students of “The Museum and the Object,” cosponsored this semester by the American Studies Program as the Rabinor Seminar—have organized an installation stressing the importance of critical diversity. The works we have selected reflect a range of subjects, from Berenice Abbott’s Former Slave Market on Georgia along Rt. 1 to Kamrooz Aram’s drawing from the series Mystical Visions and Cosmic Vibrations, as well as a range of media, from the mixed-media piece of Betye Saar to the photographs of Robert Frank and Margaret Bourke-White. We hope this carefully selected collection of works creates an internal and external dialogue for our viewers about race and gender and their relationship to the American Dream. This page includes works supplemental to our installation and a link to our class blog. A special thank you to the Rabinor family for challenging us to contemplate the role of critical diversity in the American art museum today.

Fall 2012 Museum and the Object/Rabinor Seminar
Kimerly Cornish
Chelsea Finical
Alexandra Glassman
Kira Pritchard
Ka Ki Wong
Theresa Wynn
Melinda Zoephel

Museum and the Object Gallery (Click an image to open slideshow)

iona rozeal brown (American, born 1966), a3 #16 w.o.i.m.s., 2004. Acrylic on paper. Acquired through the generosity of the Donors to the Contemporary Art Fund.

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Ellen Gallagher (American, born 1965), Bouffant Pride, 2003. Collage. Acquired through the generosity of the Donors to the Contemporary Art Fund.

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Robert Frank (American, born 1924), Ferry Boat 1956, 1956. Gelatin silver print. Gift of Arthur and Marilyn Penn, Class of 1956.

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Kamrooz Aram (Iranian, active United States, born 1978), Untitled, from the series Mystical Visions and Cosmic Vibrations, 2007. Ink. Acquired through the generosity of the Donors to the Contemporary Art Fund.

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Margaret Bourke-White (American, 1904–1971), Margaret Bourke-White in high altitude flying clothes, 1943 (negative), ca. 1965 (print). Gelatin silver print. Gift of Margaret Bourke-White and LIFE Magazine.

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Mary Ellen Mark (American, born 1940), Marielle Evangelista and Jameelia Ricks, Ithaca High School Prom, June 21, 2008, 2008. Black-and-white Polaroid photograph. Aquired through the generosity of Jody and Peter Robbins, Class of 1974.

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