Special exhibit currently showing at Lethbridge art gallery
From now until the end of October, the art gallery at the University of Alberta in Lethbridge is playing host to a very special exhibition that is sure to attract a lot of attention.
Entitled ‘Dr. Soane’s Odditorium of Wonders’, the show is the creation of art student Jane Edmunson as part of her Master’s thesis project. It is modeled after the dime museums that were popular in urban areas during the American industrial revolution in the later part of the 18th century.
These places were unique because their low admission prices allowed the classes to mingle in a way that otherwise didn’t happen. As the curators were more interested with entertaining the customers than educating them, the exhibits were often more akin to circus sideshows than conventional museum exhibits. Outlandish claims were made that were intended to grab the attention of the visitors.
Ms Edmunson’s museum combines artifacts from the Galt Museum, specimens from the university’s biology department, items form its art collection, taxidermy items, and props from the drama department.
With listings which have been prepared by a local print company, the displays are designed to challenge each visitor’s sense of what is real and what is not. Her intention is to recapture the feeling of excitement and wonder that is all too often lacking in present-day exhibits. She feels that too many people think that they do not have the knowledge to fully appreciate the items on display when in fact, they do.
Entitled ‘Dr. Soane’s Odditorium of Wonders’, the show is the creation of art student Jane Edmunson as part of her Master’s thesis project. It is modeled after the dime museums that were popular in urban areas during the American industrial revolution in the later part of the 18th century.
These places were unique because their low admission prices allowed the classes to mingle in a way that otherwise didn’t happen. As the curators were more interested with entertaining the customers than educating them, the exhibits were often more akin to circus sideshows than conventional museum exhibits. Outlandish claims were made that were intended to grab the attention of the visitors.
Ms Edmunson’s museum combines artifacts from the Galt Museum, specimens from the university’s biology department, items form its art collection, taxidermy items, and props from the drama department.
With listings which have been prepared by a local print company, the displays are designed to challenge each visitor’s sense of what is real and what is not. Her intention is to recapture the feeling of excitement and wonder that is all too often lacking in present-day exhibits. She feels that too many people think that they do not have the knowledge to fully appreciate the items on display when in fact, they do.