The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at IU will offer the chance to walk through different cultures during its student guided “Artwork From Around the World” tour Feb. 1. The event is designed to take viewers on a visual journey through different world cultures via the museum’s extensive gallery.
Each floor of the museum gallery represents art from a different place; Medieval to Modern (European and Modern American art) located on the first floor; Asian and Islamic Art on the second; and Arts of Africa, Oceania, and Indigenous Art of the Americas on the third. As students guide attendees through the museum, visitors are offered insight into the diversity and values of each region the pieces represent. The tour is a unique opportunity for participants from all sorts of places to become familiarized with the art of many different cultures that they may not come across in their everyday lives.
“I think a lot of people are interested in learning about themselves, others and the world around them,” Laura Scheper, interpretation and volunteer experiences manager at the Eskenazi museum, said.
IU senior Elisabeth Melms is the student guide for this particular event. She has been a student guide for the past two years at the museum, and she said her training and experiences guiding art tours has been an extremely rewarding endeavor.
As a policy analysis major, Melms’ work is focused in quantitative technicalities and facts. She said she became a student tour guide to connect with the sense of creativity she felt her college experience was lacking. While her appreciation for art sparked her interest in becoming involved, the museum’s commitment to making art an accessible experience for all is what fueled her passion and made her stay.
“Anyone can go on these tours and have a fun time and feel like they can engage and connect at the museum,” Melms said. “It’s all about building connections between the person on the tour and the museum and the objects in them.”
Melms said the student guided museum tours are meant to provide enjoyable experiences for everyone, including those who have never been to a museum or have limited familiarity with art. The tours are meant to be informative and interesting but also simple and digestible, providing an immersive and accessible education about the art pieces.
Shawn Coughlin, head of the student guide program, said they find the addition of a student perspective to be a defining aspect of the upcoming tour. They said student guides are essential in fostering an organic curiosity and sense of connection between the public and the art being presented.
“You’re getting an opportunity to hear a student’s perspective on the art and engage with an IU student, which is an attraction for some,” Coughlin said.
To reserve a space on this student guided tour, prospective participants must register through the event calendar on the museum’s website. Each student guided tour including this one has 12 spots for participants, but walk-ins will be taken if there is available space. The museum hosts several other tours each month, including “Art and Community” and “Art, Environment, and the Process” in February.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., open from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays and closed Mondays. More information about this event and others can be found on the Eskenazi website.
