Exhibitions: Michael Rakowitz and Early Amherst College Collections

In Open Admissions, Mead curators place a selection of objects from Amherst College's early collections—acquired between the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries—in dialogue with recent works by Rakowitz. Together, they broaden and challenge our understanding of and attachment to collections while also urging us to question the stories that have been told through them. What new perspectives can we bring to them now? What untold stories might they tell us today?

The constellation of objects on view reveals not only the interconnectedness of art, science, and religion in Amherst's early history but also how ideologies and practices of the past continue to haunt collections and institutional histories today. In particular, the exhibition examines how the idiosyncrasies of collectors and their emotional and intellectual predilections at a moment in time can impact teaching, learning, and museum practice for generations. It also reveals the critical role of objects and art collections in shaping the complex culture, traditions, and legacies of an institution.

We are grateful for the support of professors, researchers, and staff across campus for helping to bring objects from Frost Library's Archives and Special Collections, the Beneski Museum of Natural History, and the Mead Art Museum together in this exhibition. Special thanks to Mike Kelly, Karen Koehler, Ali Mirza, Lucia Monge, Yael Rice, Hayley Singleton, and the participants in the 2024 CHI Plaster Casts Seminar.