Art at the Borders of ...

Understanding how to look at and analyze art is a skill that takes time, knowledge and practice to fully develop.

Over the Spring 2024 semester, students in Dr. Kate Alexander’s course "HNRS 203H: Art and Borders" analyzed artworks from various perspectives to better understand other cultures, values and ideologies. Students also met with museum curators and educators for a sense of how cultural institutions function, and how the choices those institutions make can influence our relationships with works of art.

At the end of the semester, the students — in groups of two or three — selected an artwork from the UAMA permanent collection. They then conducted formal analyses of that artwork as well as detailed research of the respective artist's life and career, which they used to create a corresponding label. The resulting pop-up exhibition showcases their selections and interpretive content.

Some of the themes explored in this exhibition are sacred/secular, nation/politics, self/other, nature/culture and life/death. Though the pieces range vastly in size, technique, context and timeframe, unifying visual elements like contrast, mood and composition are evident both within and between the pieces exhibited. Through their exploration of these themes, the students emphasized aspects of their own lives that would have been otherwise unnoticed. They hope this exhibition has a similar effect on visitors.

The UAMA has a long history of integrating the museum space and collection into university courses. Course collaboration is influenced by the theories of edu-curation and participatory education, where the UAMA sees itself as a partner in the educational experiences of UArizona students.