Fall 2020 Semester's Gallery House Exhibit Will Be a Virtual Show
By Meghan Aubuchon
Way back in the spring (which now feels like it was years ago!), Gallery House was in the process of putting together an exhibition called “Turning Points.” This show was to feature works that exemplified a shift in the thinking and process of their makers. At the time of its conception, none of us could have imagined the year that was ahead of us, or how apt this idea would become. With the continuing impact of Covid-19, we have all had to figure out many ways, big and small, to shift our thinking about nearly everything. When we made the decision to cancel our Spring 2020 show, we were prepared for the possibility that a physical show like the one we’d been planning may not be an option. We began discussing and preparing for a virtual show.
After cancelling the spring show, the lead coaches gave spring interns the option of returning in the fall to successfully complete the program. We were very fortunate to find that 3 out of 4 of our interns were interested in doing so, and excited to work together to imagine a new way of structuring the program and the exhibition itself. Interestingly, it turned out that all 3 of the interns that chose to continue are graphic design students now in their senior year. These students have combined experience in coding and web design, skills that will be to the program’s advantage in putting together a digital show. These skills are amazing in addition to their other design and creative thinking abilities that seemed initially relevant when hired back in the spring for a physical show.
As lead coaches, our goals for this fall semester are to 1) put together a successful show using virtual and digital elements that can be accessed widely and safely during Covid-19, 2) engage the Pratt community as much as possible in ways that pique interest in Gallery House as a program and an art space, and 3) attract future internship applicants for the spring to keep the program’s momentum. This third point is especially important, as we were unable to find new applicants to fill the 4th internship spot for the fall. We feel more than confident that our original team of 3 will be completely capable of a semester that accomplishes these goals, but it is important that students continue to express interest in the internship after this semester is over so that we can have a Spring 2021 exhibition as well.
We will be having our first meeting of the school year as a group of five this Friday, October 17th to discuss these goals and how we can approach and implement them as creatively and effectively as possible. We will also be discussing a timeline. Prior to this meeting, each of us have some of our own ideas about what this virtual show will look like, but more exciting is the thought of how these ideas will change and evolve once they are mixed together. We want to go in with open minds and let the fall show reflect our original idea from the spring about “turning points,” — ultimately, this semester will serve as a turning point in our understanding of what a Fine Arts exhibition, and an art community, can look like.
Meghan Aubuchon is one of two Coaches for Fall 2020 Gallery House