Students in a Photo History Seminar course got a taste of stardom by producing their own exhibition of work by rock ‘n’ roll photographer Barrie Wentzell that is now on display at the Picker Art Gallery.
The exhibition, No Sex, No Drugs, Just Rock ‘n’ Roll, is on view through Dec. 17.
The course was taught last semester by visiting Syracuse University professor Mary Lou Warner Marien, and the students opted to put together the exhibition in place of writing a final research paper.
“Students have spoken positively of the seminar,” said associate professor of art and art history Linn Underhill, who sat in on the class during the first half of the semester, describing the whole process as having been terrific. “It is a model of student involvement we would like to duplicate in the future.”
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| Jimi Hendrix, 1970, a photo by Barrie Wentzell that is part of the current Picker Art Gallery exhibition. |
Wentzell’s photographs of musicians such as Diana Ross, Jimi Hendrix, Tina Turner, and the Beatles were already owned by the gallery. Many of his prints are candid shots of the stars performing and during downtime on tour.
As part of the course, students researched the photographs and Wentzell’s artistic style, and even had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with him.
The students selected the images to display, working with digital curator Jesse Henderson and the university’s digital archives, and compiled a catalogue to guide gallery visitors through the exhibition.
Additionally, the students consulted with graphic designer Stephanie McClintick, who developed advertising techniques to promote the show through posters, invitations, and brochures.
The students themselves contributed the text for the brochures and the gallery catalogue, as well as the layout of the exhibition itself.
“We got to see the marketing side of creating an exhibit, through our work with advertising and communications,” explained Alayna Anderson ’11. “It was a real-life experience and a great application of the work we did throughout the semester.”
To tie the project back to Colgate, Anderson researched Colgate Maroon articles to check out the music scene on campus at the time, learning that Colgate hosted The Doors and other major rock and roll bands.
The exhibition’s opening on Oct. 29 included a reception featuring the Elevators, a local group, who covered ’60s and ’70s music.