Project Thesis by Rose Gomez
The purpose of this project was to create an exhibit in collaboration with youth of color. Hosted by The Shoreline Historical Museum (SHM), the goal of the project was to showcase stories that surface alternative perspectives from young people of color and to offer them a first-hand experience of museum work to help them consider the museum field as a possible career choice. By demonstrating the effectiveness of a youth-centered curation program, this project provides a program model by which small museums could engage youth of color and make them aware of museums as a career possibility.
The major activities of the project included partnering with a public school, facilitating exhibition development classes with the students, tracking student progress, and evaluating the student responses. This project resulted in the development of the exhibit, The Healing Power of Plants: A Deeper Look at Indigenous Medicine, installed on Friday, April 17, 2020 at SHM. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibit’s opening date was to be determined. The partners for this exhibition were SHM, three members of the Duwamish Tribe, and nine students from Cleveland High School.
Citation
Gomez, R. (2020). Youth of Color Curatorial Program: Curating The Healing Power of Plants: A Deeper Look at Indigenous Medicine. [Unpublished master’s thesis project]]. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Keywords
project, youth of color, museum, exhibit, pubic high school, youth-centered curation, career, community curation, exhibition development, indigenous medicine