WATERVILLE — The Colby College Museum of Art recently opened the exhibition “Young Curators: Art in the Making,” which will showcase original works of art made by local students of Waterville and Winslow high schools that directly relates to works of art in the Museum’s permanent collection. This exhibition is the result of the Young Curators program, the first teen program in the Colby Museum’s history, which is designed to offer students immersion in museum practice and important experience through arts-centered learning.

During March, April and May, Young Curators met Thursday afternoons at the Colby College Museum of Art. For the first half of the program, participants explored art historical research methods through direct engagement with historically and aesthetically significant objects in the Colby Museum’s collection. Concurrent to this, they learned the fundamental components of curatorial practice and exhibition design. At each session, participants conversed with museum staff from various departments, such as curatorial, administrative, education, and collections, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of the museum as an institution and the wide array of possible career paths in the arts.

Throughout the program, participants used the knowledge they gained in the art historical sessions to produce original works of art. Each artwork was made in reference or engagement with specific art objects in the Colby Museum’s collection. The Young Curators installed the exhibition of their work themselves, employing what they learned about curatorial practice in a concrete way. The exhibition is open in the Harrimann Student Lounge on the second floor of the Alfond-Lunder Pavilion of the Colby College Museum of Art.

Young Curators Program Participants: Skylar Addy, Waterville High School; Andrew Beckwith, Winslow High School; Bradley Carver, Messalonskee High School (documentarian); Terry Chamblee, Waterville High School; Harrison Clark, Winslow High School; Sierra Hopkins, Winslow High School; Meg Nadeau, Winslow High School; Emily Pellegrin, Winslow High School; Al Perry, Waterville High School.


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