Museum studies students will host a series of events highlighting elements of intangible cultural heritage at the Sue and Leon Genet Gallery at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse.
Students in the master of arts degree program in museum studies taking Museums and Intangible Cultural Heritage (MUS 400/600) explored aspects of their own lives and brought them into the gallery space. The project provided students with the chance to engage in a reflective exercise on how to display and musealize the intangible.
“It is so exciting to be able to cross my own personal love for Irish dance into my passion for museum work,” says Abby Cullen, graduate student and co-manager of the Genet Gallery.
Visitors will have the opportunity to witness and learn more about African drumming, African American hair braiding, Puerto Rican and Southern U.S. food heritage, New Mexican culture through storytelling, Irish dancing, and traditional crafts from Belarus, Ukraine, and the U.S.
The exhibition will showcase objects associated with these elements, along with the intangible aspects such as performance, oral traditions, the stories behind food heritage, and more.
The project allowed students to go beyond curating and designing their own exhibition spaces to share their culture with those who otherwise may not be aware of these practices. Guests will leave the exhibition having learned something new and found a connection to the stories told within the space.
An opening reception will take place on Tuesday, April 30, from 5-8 p.m., and a closing event will be held on Tuesday, May 7, from 5-8 p.m. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Please email to RSVP and ask any questions.