About the Exhibition
Let’s Talk: Collection Conversations emerges from a semester-long collaboration between students in Making Museums Matter (ARTH 282) and the Flaten Art Museum. At its core is a deceptively simple question: What happens when we treat the museum as a place for conversations rather than conclusions?
The exhibition highlights five new acquisitions that serve as catalysts for inquiry rather than fixed narratives. Building from these works, students developed themes that invite dialogue, contrast, and curiosity. The adjacent “living room” space offers room for your reflection. In this setting, conversation becomes part of the experience—an exchange framed by your perspectives and interpretations.
Let’s Talk: Collection Conversations welcomes visitors into a museum shaped by shared conversations where meaning is sparked by both dialogue and observation. We invite you to join the conversation, share your voice, and discover what unfolds when we look together.
This exhibition is curated by St. Olaf students Ryan Brentner ‘27, Liz Bunnell ‘26, Jade Caballero Mejia ‘28, Adriana Fleming ‘26, Gracie Garrett ‘27, Zibby Hanifl ‘26, Cora Olson ‘27, Quintessa O’Toole ‘27, Max Peterson ‘26, Lauren Russell ‘28, Audrey Scarlett ‘27, Carly Smithmier ‘26, Lars Soforenko ‘26, Andre Thomas ‘26, and Aaron Winer ‘28. Special thanks to course instructor Dr. Christina M. Spiker, Assistant Professor of Art and Art History and Asian Studies, and academic civic engagement facilitator, Alyssa Melby, Director of Svoboda Center for Civic Engagement.
Programming
Friday, February 13, 5-7 p.m.
Opening Reception
Socialize with student curators and artists! Join us for a celebratory opening reception of our winter exhibitions, Let’s Talk: Collection Conversations and UPRISING IX. This event is free and open to the public.
Renluka Maharaj, Lillah (Pelting Mangoes series), archival photograph on canvas, 2020, 2022.4.3
Benigna Chilla, Three Movements, mixed media on painted painted canvas and screen, 1992, 2024.1.2
Jil Evans, Heart Bright Dark 3, oil on canvas, 2018, 2022.5.1
Roberto Lugo, Thurgood Marshall/W.E.B Du Bois, porcelain, china paint, and luster, 2018, 2019.2.3
Zig Jackson, Entering Zig’s Indian Reservation, City Hall, archival pigment print on paper, 1997, 2024.2.6
About the Collaboration
Let’s Talk: Collection Conversations embodies the Flaten Art Museum’s values of education and collaboration. Making Museums Matter (ARTH 282) students received hands-on experience in curatorial practice through the class’s Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) component. ACE courses combine academic skills with community-based experience, supported by the Svoboda Center. The fall cohort developed the real-world skill of distilling complex information into compelling visual narratives that inform, persuade, and educate audiences. This expertise is relevant across surprisingly diverse careers including data analytics, medicine and healthcare, legal practice, urban planning and architecture, education, marketing and advertising, and journalism—giving Oles with disparate academic and professional interests an opportunity to build job-ready skills in the classroom.
Photo: Sam Gering ’27
You must be logged in to post a comment.