UToledo Students Curate Online TMA Exhibition

UToledo Students Curate Online TMA Exhibition

Twenty-five students at The University of Toledo have done something no UToledo class has done before: curated and designed a complete, professional-quality exhibition entirely online for the renowned Toledo Museum of Art.

"Birds in Art: Devotion and Decadence" features 32 works from the museum's permanent collection, including paintings, sculpture, decorative art and photography. All pieces explore humanity's complex relationship with birds across themes of spirituality, fashion, science and hunting.

The virtual exhibition provides a timely way for the community to engage with the museum's collection at a time when portions of the Toledo Museum of Art are closed during extensive renovations.

While this is their first foray into curating an online exhibition, UToledo students have collaborated on many exhibitions installed in the museum's galleries through the years, a perk of the UToledo Department of Art's location in a building that is directly connected to the renowned museum.

"The connection and long-standing partnership between the Toledo Museum of Art and the UToledo Department of Art is a key strength that sets our programs apart," said Barry Whittaker, professor of graphic and interactive design. "It allows us to offer meaningful professional experiences that help students develop stronger, more impactful portfolios and prepare them for successful careers in the arts."

Learning by Doing

For this exhibit, students in two UToledo Department of Art programs - Art Museum Practices (AMP) and Graphic and Interactive Design (GID) - collaborated to produce every element of the exhibition, from artwork selection and label writing to website design and social media marketing.

"It turned out to be such an interesting experience to learn how much actually goes into putting an exhibition together - all the planning, the decisions, the tiny details you never even think about until you're the one doing it," said Jada Smith, a GID student on the design team.

The project is a signature example of UToledo's "Advantage Toledo" commitment to experience-based, community-connected learning. AMP students worked directly with museum staff, meeting with curators, designers and others to understand the full scope of mounting an exhibition.

"I thought it was interesting to have curators and museum professionals come in. It's not every day you share your schoolwork with other people that have real jobs," Olivia Eckhardt said.

Cross Collaboration

Beginning with a checklist of nearly 70 candidate works, the curatorial team methodically narrowed the selection to 32 objects, then researched and wrote interpretive labels to professional editorial standards set by the museum.

On the design side, students developed a complete visual identity - typeface, color palette and layout - and split into two teams focused on website development and marketing.

"Working on the web team has been such an amazing learning opportunity," said Nylani Beireis, whose focus was layout and usability. "Having real-world experience working for a client taught me not only design elements but how to collaborate with other artists and departments to bring a show like this to life."

For Serenity Hernandez, who worked on the marketing team, the project offered a preview of professional life: "I gained real-world experience across multiple social media platforms and enjoyed collaborating with students from both programs. I believe it will be a strong addition to my resume."

About the Exhibition

"Birds in Art: Devotion and Decadence" is organized around two themes. Devotion examines birds as spiritual symbols - messengers, omens and sacred emblems across cultures and belief systems.

Decadence traces the human appetite to possess birds, from the feathered fashions of 19th-century Europe to the extinction of the passenger pigeon and the conservation movements that followed.

An in-person opening reception was held April 24 at the TMA Glass Pavilion. "Birds in Art: Devotion and Decadence" is available free to the public on the museum's website through Friday, Aug. 28.

Visitors can explore the exhibition and follow behind-the-scenes content, student reflections and updates on social media at @birdstma on Instagram and "Birds in Art: Devotion and Decadence" on Facebook.