Alen Hadzovic (UTSC Physical & Environmental Sciences) The Art and Science of Museum Objects
This project investigates selected art objects from a multidisciplinary perspective. Students with background and interests in the science and history of technology, materials, commerce, and art will learn about the techniques, methodologies, materials, and processes employed in making these objects. Research questions may include chemical composition, material changes over time, social symbolism of material, and historical production. The art objects come from the Malcove Collection in the UofT’s Art Museum. Students will collaborate with Prof. Webster’s project “Seeing Potential: Asking/Investigating/Exhibiting the Malcove Collection,” and contribute to a technical art history component of a planned Malcove collection exhibition.
Erin Webster (UTSC Arts, Culture and Media) Seeing Potential: Asking/Investigating/Exhibiting the Malcove Collection
Students will research objects and ideas for a physical and digital exhibition of selected pieces from the Malcove Collection, a former private collection of historical material ranging across diverse cultures, time periods and materials. Scholars will choose an object for research focus, learn to read curatorial files, become familiar with current exhibition theory and practice, determine and compose appropriate media and content for communicating their research, and learn to present challenging objects and research ideas, questions and processes in exhibition form. Further, students will collaborate with Professor Hadzovic’s SiR project (see above), incorporating scientific exploration of the materials and techniques used in these objects into a technical art history section of the exhibition and participating in an innovative and exciting multi-disciplinary research process.