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Rhizomatic Intimacies, a new student-curated exhibition at the����ϰٿ� Museum of Art�(GCMoA), highlights the depth of student collaboration, experiential learning, and alumni partnership at ���ϰٿ�.�&�Բ�����;

Curated by 12 students enrolled in Professor of Art History�Michael Mackenzie Exhibition Seminar, Rhizomatic Intimacies�explores themes of intimacy through portraiture, landscape, and the body.�The exhibition features photography�from the private collection of ���ϰٿ� Trustee�Keith Jantzen �80�a�Ի�Scott Beth,�which includes works by renowned photographers such as Diane Arbus, Johnnie Chatman, Peter Hujar, Sheila Metzner, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Alfred Stieglitz.� Chatman will also be giving a public lecture in the museum on Feb. 16.

The�seminar and resulting�exhibit�exemplify����ϰٿ� commitment to collaboration and student�leadership,�a�Ի�showcase�how ���ϰٿ� students turn classroom learning into professional-level practice and shared discovery.�&�Բ�����;

Built Through Collaboration�&�Բ�����;

The project grew out of Mackenzie visit to see Jantzen and Beth collection in California and conversations about�teaching�an exhibition�seminar centered on direct engagement with collectors. Recognizing the educational potential, Mackenzie invited the collectors to collaborate with his students.�&�Բ�����;

�The collection was so rich in possibilities, and the opportunity to work directly with collectors was invaluable,� Mackenzie said. �It allowed students to explore not just the�artworks�themselves, but the social and emotional networks that give those works meaning. The students truly took ownership of this project from developing the conceptual framework to making difficult curatorial decisions together.��&�Բ�����;

Offered once every three years, the�exhibition�seminar gives students hands-on experience in all aspects of exhibition development, including research, writing, design, installation, and public interpretation.�&�Բ�����;

Student Ownership and Experiential Learning�&�Բ�����;

��ǰ��Ella Barnett �27, a history and art history double major, the collaborative and long-term nature of the course made it�particularly impactful.�&�Բ�����;

�I feel like pretty much everything I did in this class was really intensely collaborative,� Barnett said. �The products that we produce are a lot more enduring than a typical class.��&�Բ�����;

Students traveled to California to view the collection in the collectors� homes  collection in Jantzen and Beth home and�participated�in behind-the-scenes gallery visits, gaining insight into professional museum practice.�&�Բ�����;

�It was a very special experience to be trusted in that way,� said�Neva Zamil �27, an art history and sociology major. �Seeing the works in such personal settings really changed how we thought about the exhibition.��&�Բ�����;
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From Student Vision to Public Exhibition�&�Բ�����;

Mackenzie�was especially pleased that the students in the seminar took ownership of the project,�noting that�the exhibition conceptual framework and title�emerged�directly from the students.�&�Բ�����;

�They met on their own, developed the conceptual framework, and even came up with the title,� he said. �That combination of �rhizome� and �intimacy� came entirely from them. As a teacher,�that�a dream.��&�Բ�����;

For Jantzen, working closely with students was equally meaningful.�&�Բ�����;

�The level of engagement and insight they brought was astonishing,� Jantzen said. �It was eye-opening for us to see our collection through their eyes. This kind of hands-on, student-led experience is truly transformative � for the students and for us as collectors.��&�Բ�����;

Rhizomatic Intimacies is on view at the����ϰٿ� Museum of Art�through�March 29�and is free and open to the public.��&�Բ�����;