Caution! Broken Past

I was awarded a grant to intern for Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. Collaborating with researcher and curator Grace Fritzke, I employed my knowledge of Anthropology to critically examine Whitman’s tenuous relationship with local Indigenous communities, resulting from missionaries’ medical malpractice and poisoning of Indigenous peoples in the 1800s. Our team collected historical items that best conveyed the fact that Whitman, in its current state, is inextricably linked to its founders and their actions. I implemented a large-scale installation in which I suspended pieces of broken 'glass' from the ceiling, representing the remains of medicine bottles used in the poisonings. I installed these pieces in the shape of a cross that hovered above observers as they passed through the exhibition space. I entitled the exhibit “Caution! Broken Past,” playing off of the commonly-used sign, “Caution! Broken Glass,” and created promotional materials and thought-provoking wall art with this theme. Through my internship, I honed my graphic design and visual skills and learned how to use objects to transform an ordinary environment into one that is engaging and informative. The exhibit was a hit, and was spotlighted on the Whitman Student Engagement Center website.