This spring, sixteen undergraduate and graduate Art History students in the Museum Object seminar created the exhibition Life Framed: Everyday Objects and the Still Life in the WJB Gallery. In the show, the curators investigated the ways in which the traditions and extrapolations of still life surround us and inspire us. From oil paintings by Natalia Andreeva and Kristen Valle Yann to conceptual works by Eileen Axelrod and Andy Warhol, Life Framed will challenge you to think about how real and rendered objects can contain and convey some of the deepest meanings of our lives. It begins with a question . . .
What objects reflect your everyday life?
Exploring the tradition of still life, this
exhibition features objects and art works
drawn from and reflecting upon our daily lives.
Some of these works are traditional,
while others push the boundaries of what constitutes a still life.
We invite you to consider the differences between
arranged and found compositions,
the effects of imposing a frame, and
whether the artist’s engagement with tangible objects is
essential to the concept
of a still life.
The project team, led by Dr. Preston McLane, includes Mia Bonet, Anna Covart, Emma Davis, Ryan Davis, Jessica Diaz, Serena Doyle, Madison Gilmore-Duffey, Caroline Haight, Anderson Keel, Erica Lomnitz, Carlos Ortiz Burgos, Jackie Padilla, Julia Rogers, Jessica Salaun, Ajiththa Suganthan, and Collin Yeager. Special thanks to Natalia Andreeva, Kelly Hendrickson, Jean Hudson, Seth and Katrina Miller, Liu Nan, Eliza Schneider-Green, Kristen Valle Yann, and Jean Young for their generous contributions to this project.