“Through a New Lens” exhibition to open at Kennedy Museum of Art

The Kennedy Museum of Art (KMA) at Ohio University will present “Through a New Lens,” the 2024-2025 annual Museum Studies exhibition. The exhibition invites visitors to look closer, both figuratively and literally to explore and understand new ideas and perspectives through objects within the subjects of art, science and history.

Representing these disciplines, the exhibition will feature objects such as a dinosaur skull, a Victorian wedding dress, artist books and a patient inquest from the Athens State Hospital. The exhibition is organized into the themes of health, history and science to unite the items in ways that may not be expected. Each piece is an open invitation to interpret, question and reflect and is an opportunity to uncover new meanings.

The students who curated the exhibition will be present for a free opening reception on April 11, from 5:30-7 p.m. A gallery talk will be held on April 16, from 2-3 p.m. for visitors to learn about each student’s process of selecting their item and how it is incorporated into the exhibition. A panel discussion in partnership with the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections with five of the creators of the artists’ books on loan for the exhibition will take place on April 23, from 2-3 p.m. at the museum and online.

The exhibition was made possible by local partners including the Southeast Ohio History Center, the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, the O’Connor Labs, Witmer Lab and the Ohio Museum Complex . These partners loaned the objects and artifacts displayed.

The Museum Studies Certificate offered by the Chaddock+ Morrow College of Fine Arts at Ohio University allows undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines to collaborate to create an exhibition. The program makes it possible for students to gain skills in curation, exhibition design, research, and other foundations of museum work.

KMA is integral to the educational, research, and public service missions of Ohio University. The purpose of the museum is to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of Ohio University and the region through quality national and international exhibitions, collection-based research, and diverse formal and informal learning opportunities. To learn more about KMA visit: ohio.edu/museum.