As part of the final semester of their programme of study at the School of Art, students can take a module focused on the curation of an exhibition from the School of Art’s collection, which examines and responds to an aspect of contemporary life. This year the theme of gardens and gardening was chosen. This was in part, to coincide with the School of Art hosting the Annual General Meeting of The Welsh Historic Gardens Trust (WHGT), but also to examine the role of the garden in our lives, especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Working collaboratively and in groups, the student curation team developed four curatorial themes which illustrate and explore narratives: from garden design in the 18th century, to contemporary social, political, and environmental issues. Having researched the collection and selected the artworks, the students wrote, designed and presented the object labels, exhibition texts, and marketing material. They were also responsible for supporting the framing and hanging of the exhibition and considering immersive elements such as sound. In addition to the gallery space; students also curated a cabinet drawer, housed in original museum furniture from the Old College’s Museum displays. The aim here is to create an interactive activity for potential audiences young or old, tailored to different learning styles.
The works in this exhibition feature historic and contemporary photographs, prints, drawings, paintings, and ceramics spanning almost 300 years from 1743 to 2023. In the museum cabinet you will find instructions to make things with children such as sun prints and plant pots, as well as hand embroidered local flowers, poems to read, and seeds to swap.
Aberystwyth University School of Art Museum & Galleries 