By Sally Jane Brown, WVU Exhibits Coordinator
As the curator of the upcoming exhibition at
WVU Libraries exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI), I am excited to invite
the WVU community to be a part of this transformative endeavor. My role as
Curator involves not only collecting submissions from our community but also
integrating them with captivating imagery and innovative designs to craft a
compelling narrative that challenges perceptions and inspires new ways of
thinking.
As I am eager to receive contributions from
scholarly research to class projects, community initiatives, or personal
reflections on AI’s impact, I’m also reflecting on the nine years of Art in the
Libraries programming, seven of which I’ve been on board as Exhibits
Coordinator, in anticipation of our Retrospective
exhibit opening this fall.
Every participant, through these
multi-disciplinary large and small exhibitions, adds depth and richness to our
exhibitions programs, allowing us to showcase the diverse perspectives and
insights of our campus and the broader community. With each exhibition, I had
the opportunity not only to work with various artists and creatives, but an
advisory committee to help guide the content of the exhibition.
WATER (co-curated with Megan Kruger), was the first large, collaboratively
curated exhibition, in 2018-19. I remember holding a gathering of
“water-minded” folks, from faculty to staff, students and community
organizations, for what this might look like. I obtained submissions from
artwork to scholarship and poetry to community initiatives, which were weaved
together with images and design elements to create this immersive experience
for our visitors (design by STICK), including installations of kayaks and skis
in our central stairway (thanks Adventure WV!).
Appalachian
Futures(2019-2020)
similarly garnered content from area folks on topics from diverse
perspectives and the economy to music and art and beyond, all crafted together
by the designer Joe Galbreath to not only present information but to craft a
narrative that sparks curiosity and encourages exploration.
Undefeated:
Canvas(s)ing the Politics of Voter Suppression Since Women’s Suffrage (2020-21) blended topics and art seamlessly, to provoke thought and
invite viewers to see important voting issues from fresh angles. Eve Faulkes
made the in-person exhibition particularly interactive. This was our first to inspire a series of
online exhibits, as well.
Food
Justce in Appalachia (2021-22) featured extensive art,
scholarship and notably a lot of community food work. Designer Kofi Opoku created
amazing designs integrating all the disparate contributors’ elements together
around Appalachian food heritage, race and gender, labor system, uneven food
environments and more.
Indigenous
Appalachia (2022-23) presented a unique opportunity to
highlight the discussions around Native perspectives, lands, and Indigenous
people still living and making art outside of Native Nations today! Working
with these folks offered a very significant means to offer a dynamic exhibition
that continues to travel around the region. The unique design by Marne Zafar
offered layers of Indigenous meaning, to boot.
Our current display, Hacking the Library, gives our visitors a chance to see
perspectives, many of them from artists outside the region, on issues surrounding
the state of libraries in the past and into the future. Also, librarians from
across the world responded to the works, adding additional personal context to
each work. Blending the images into designs, Little Fish Design used both
nostalgic and future-oriented themes to make the exhibit flow.
Of course, Art in the Libraries began in 2015,
some of the early exhibits include Fractured Spaces by Lois Raimondo, and
obtaining photography by Betty Rivard, and the light-up displays at the Health
Sciences Library. The program has developed into an initiative offering exhibit
awards, student displays, and other projects like the Morgantown Art Guide,
Inclusive Portrait Project, and Laptop stickers.
As I gear up to design the first large exhibit
without the tutelage of a professional (this will not only save resources but
offer a layer of AI, as I will use AI design sites to help me), I would love to
hear from anyone who has participated in our exhibits in the past–whether a
small or large show, solo or group. How
did the experience impact you or your work? What new perspectives did you
glean? Feel free to reach out to me, sally.brown1@mail.wvu.edu, or find the
response form on the Retrospective exhibit page.
As for submitting to the Artificial
Intelligence exhibit, you can see that the main work falls on my lap. All you
need to do is tell me how AI has impacted your life or will–check out our
Library Guide for inspiration. Feel free to send me a note or find the
submission form on the Artificial Intelligence exhibit page.
The AI exhibition will be displayed at the
Downtown Library in 2025 and accessible through a virtual platform online.
Additionally, the exhibition will travel to WVU Beckley and Keyser campus
libraries, extending its reach and impact, and offering a unique opportunity to
highlight your work and/or perspectives. We are looking for a broad range of
projects and perspectives, from the positive to the negative, from small to
big.
I hope you consider submitting! Your
participation will not only enrich the exhibition but also contribute to a
broader conversation about the intersection of AI and society. Speaking of AI, this blog was written with help from ChatGPT and Grammarly!