Humanize the Numbers at the Detroit Historical Museum

Humanize the Numbers at the Detroit Historical Museum

Grant:
Lecturers' Professional Development Fund (LPDF)
Academic Year:
2022 - 2023 (June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023)
Funding Requested:
$1,919.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
iwing
Overview of the Project:
I am organizing an exhibition using the archive of Humanize the Numbers—a collaborative Prison Creative Arts Project photography course I have taught in the Residential College since 2015. In February 2023 the Detroit Historical Museum is scheduled to host this exhibition. This funding request is primarily to support this exhibition, while also serving to provide long-term sustainability for future exhibitions with design, website management, media content development, and physical exhibition materials.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

This project supported the development of an exhibition at the Detroit Historical Museum developed using work from a collaborative community-based course I teach in a local prison. This is the first major exhibition of the material following seven years of collaborative workshops. The exhibition materials will also be used to support  future exhibitions of this material at other venues. Future exhibitions could be an identical presentation, or the equipment can be used with new images from the archive to reimagine the exhibit.

Project Achievements:

This has been a major exhibition, with 45 images, multiple interactive stations, and accompanying texts for the exhibit. Students enrolled in the associated course this Winter attended the opening with a panel of formerly incarcerated workshop participants. Participation by museum visitors in the interactive stations has been high, with most participants successfully completing the intended activity. Additionally, I compiled an exhibition packet and sent these proposals to nearly fifty institutions seeking other venues for potential traveling exhibition sites.

Continuation:
Yes—I plan to exhibit this material in the Ann Arbor summer Art Fair.
Dissemination:
The exhibition has been promoted widely among faculty and students in my program. A number have been able to see the exhibit, and I've also spoken with a number of colleagues about it who were not able to see the exhibit in person. One colleague brought her class on a visit, and I also hope to lead another colleague through the exhibit with their classes.
PRINTER VERSION
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