Curating Spaces Through Time

What happens when we curate exhibitions online instead of in a physical gallery? What are we giving up--or opening ourselves up to? This past interim, CAS art major Haley Johnson created a physical exhibition in the University Library as well as a digital one with the help of Michelle Westmark Wingard, gallery director, and Kent Gerber, digital library manager. Haley used artifact remnants from a live knitting performance that took place on campus in 2010 under the direction of artist Oliver Herring. Learn how Haley's project informed her understanding of spaces, the limitations of physical and digital exhibitions, and how both types of "ecosystems"--the internet and museum space--can be curated to allow visitors to communicate, question, and share ideas that reflect community.

More about Oliver Herring
German-born artist Oliver Herring works in New York and studies how people in community interact through tasks and performances. His 2010 live performance in the Community Life Center, known as Knitting Performance, featured four Bethel community volunteers who had different levels of knitting expertise. This live performance brought to life and raised questions about what kind of community Bethel has created for its students.