The stories we tell

Imagine you are a historian charged with creating an exhibit about an individual. How do you tell that person’s story? What objects do you choose? Which ones do you omit?

How do you document a life? Do you aim for a comprehensive story about the individual, or do you focus on one characteristic of that person? How do you arrange the information to capture the interest of the museum-goer? Consider, for example, that Julia Child’s kitchen is on exhibit at the Smithsonian.

Annette Atkins, CSB/SJU professor of history, gave such an assignment to her History 200 students. Each student was assigned to act as curator of an exhibit about the life of a fellow student, to tell that classmate’s story using primary and secondary research, interviews, observation, objects and photos.

Then, she invited colleagues and administrators to attend an exhibit opening Tuesday, Feb. 7, on third floor Quad at SJU.

The exhibits ranged from literal to abstract presentations of information. Some were puzzling. Some had a creative edge, but all were thoughtful attempts to convey meaningful information about a unique person. Of course, because it was an Annette Atkins event, it also was fun.

Each student stood next to the exhibit about her or his life, and we viewers were encouraged to interpret the array of objects, photos and text, ask questions and interact with the students, then vote for our favorite exhibit. In some ways, it was like the old game show, “What’s My Line?” where panelists asked questions to guess a person’s occupation.

As I approached one exhibit, I could hear a recording of someone singing “Ave Maria.” Sheet music of “Don Giovanni” was displayed on a music stand, along with other objects. I asked the student if he is studying vocal performance.

“Yes.”

I asked if he enjoys singing “Don Giovanni.”

“Yes.”

Finally, I made the connection with the “Ave Maria.”

“Is this you singing in the recording?”

“Duh!” (OK, he didn’t actually say that, but he probably thought it.)

Visiting the history exhibit was a great opportunity to chat with students about their interests. Some discovered a love for history as early as fifth grade. For one, the American Revolution holds primary interest. Another leans toward the Middle Ages.

It also was a great reminder of how the historical record is interpreted and constructed – how fragments provide clues to a person’s life. If I had to choose a few objects to characterize myself, I would start with a pen and notebook. How would you tell your story?