My great grandpa Charles Wall with great aunt Thelma and Kenneth, ca. 1970s Almost all of my family's long-standing traditions are related directly to food. The annual preparation of certain meals for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions personally gives me a sense of security - as well as remind me that food influences my identity … Continue reading Introducing… the Hastings-Wall Family Recipe Library

George Winter, Indians on the Eel River, ca. 1850, oil on canvas Elizabeth Wood and Kiersten F. Latham's book Objects of Experience: Transforming Visitor-Object Encounters in Museums encouraged me to consider how every art exhibition has the potential to engage its viewers in a way that resonates with them on a personal level. The Sidney … Continue reading How Is Indians on the Eel River An Object of Experience?

Primary sources are extremely helpful to art historians trying to reconstruct a complete image of a historic time. Personal letters and diaries, as well as articles written by art critics are some of the few resources historians have that document people’s authentic reactions, thoughts, and beliefs to the world around them. Although they only communicate … Continue reading The Importance of Using Primary Sources in Regards to Art History

Sitting in between a painting of Egypt and an impressionistic dreamscape of women, there is an inconspicuous painting of a girl mending. A visitor walking through the American and European Art section of Indiana University's Eskenazi Museum may be more eager to view either one of these works instead of the quiet picture, not as … Continue reading Quiet, Domestic Space: Visual Analysis of A Girl Mending

Anyone planning a career in museum studies, or anyone living in the 21st century, understands that technology is playing a larger and larger part in our lives. Today, a majority of museum curators and exhibit designers have chosen to cross the threshold into a new digital age, where technology is relied upon to create a … Continue reading Can Technology Replace the Authentic Experience of Encountering Tangible Objects?