Photo By: Bianca Little

The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art unveiled its first exhibition curated by student interns titled “The Unseen” on Aug. 26.   

The exhibit, funded in part by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, was developed by seven student aides turned interns. The exhibit, located in the previously unused McCaffree Gallery space, is built around Native American Artist Terran Last Gun’s “Another Human Being Experience: Return of the Unseen to Offer Guidance.” 

 JCCC student and intern on the project Mayte Caballero said the curated exhibit focused on showcasing the human experience regarding what goes “unseen” in a Native American context.  

 “The real purpose of it was to demonstrate the different perspectives or experiences that people can relate to, or maybe have heard of, that they can empathize with,” said Caballero. “It’s really just to show how we as human beings are super different, but at the same time we still have similar things we can relate to.” 

 Student interns were first introduced to the field of curation through instruction.  

 “We basically planned a little mini class where students could learn the whole process of curating from the soup to nuts. Things like writing the labels for [the pieces] and various marketing materials,” said Katherine Morse, manager of Learning and Academic Engagement at the Nerman. Morse helped facilitate the three-month process from the start, between late May and early June.  

 Interns began by planning the pieces of the Nerman collection to feature in the exhibit. This included asking questions about the location of pieces, framing and visibility status. The options narrowed to entirely paper pieces and a common theme developed from Last Gun’s collection.  

 Studying graphic design, Caballero said the internship taught her new skills and made her more open-minded about perception.  

 “I actually learned a lot more with the technical stuff and mounting. It makes me think in graphic design: if I want my audience to see something, I’ll have to make it available in certain ways and aspects,” said Caballero.  

 Interns also had to gauge accessibility. 

 “My piece is the hat, which is the only sculpture in the exhibition, so we had to think about the pedestal. We had to make sure it was small enough so somebody with a wheelchair could go completely around the exhibition,” said Caballero.  

 In addition to physical guides and placards, the Nerman also uses Bloomberg Connects to help visitors engage with the art wherever they are. The virtual guide offers translation services and maps. It also provides more information about “The Unseen” exhibit and descriptions of pieces written by curatorial interns.  

 “It helps because we know not everybody is going to interact with someone directly. It would be delightful for everyone to get a staff-led tour of the exhibition, with people talking about it themselves, so we have a lot of [online] resources,” said Morse. 

 For Caballero, her experience as a student aide and intern for the Nerman gave her new insight into the art field.  

 “I never really knew much about art museums except for visiting them and everything, but here I’ve really learned more about how they create community and how they help bring people together,” said Caballero.  

 “The Unseen” is expected to last until Feb. 28, 2027. Be sure to check out the student-curated exhibit on the museum’s second floor.  

 To learn more about “The Unseen” and student aide and volunteer opportunities, check out the Nerman Museum’s website.