KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART at Ohio University
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KMA Picks is a student curatorial initiative at KMA that originally grew out of the search for meaningful ways to continue our mission as a teaching museum in 2020-2021, a year where everything was reimagined into a virtual experience. Engaging with the museum’s collections began as an online search through what could be accessed on the website and proceeded to combing through more than 1600 pages of thumbnail images and object records before being able to visit the museum’s collection vault in person. The first KMA Picks, “Representation of Women in Art: Selections from the Kennedy Museum of Art,” was curated by Madeline Kramer (2020-2021 Outreach Programs Assistant/Senior, Political Science) and Tristen Luken (2020-2022 Academic Programs Assistant/ Sophomore, Studio Art). “Transitional Shapes, Traditional Functions” was curated by Carrie Summerford (2019-2022 Spanish and Educational Programs Assistant/Senior, Spanish and Studio Art). “Expansions: Women Artists in the Collections,” was curated by Emily Van Meter (2022-2024 Outreach Programs Assistant/Junior, HTC Studio Art & Art History). Our newest KMA Picks is curated by Hattie Phillips (2023-2024 Visitor Engagement Graduate Assistant): “Precious Metals, Artistic Alchemy.”
What makes something precious? ‘Precious,’ is used to describe the value of something. Noting something as precious highlights the effect it has on someone, a connection, or an emotional response. However, many raw materials are only considered precious because of their monetary value—what is it worth?
The selected pieces within this KMA Picks Project takes a closer look at a selection of women artists already within our collections. Each of these women are creating art with different media but create works that deal with texture and movement in their own ways. Focusing on pieces that expand on traditional art making techniques such as print making, ceramics and oil painting, and expanding on our knowledge of women within the art world is the goal of this exhibition.
There’s a theory that in early human evolution, it wasn’t the spear that came first, but the vessel (Le Guin). How can you store or carry hunted meat without a sling or a bag? Even before that, how can you carry water, berries, or children? Regardless of timing, throughout human history we have always needed to contain things. One of the most common ways, to this day, to carry or contain our food and possessions is through ceramics.
We began this project as a new way to work with various pieces in the KMA collection. We combed through thousands of pages of art
KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART at Ohio University 
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