Serious and somber emotions blanketed the Art Museum Tuesday night as individuals came to view pieces of work related to the Holocaust.
Due to this being Holocaust Remembrance Week, the University of Wyoming hosted events in honor of the Holocaust. One of those events included the event “Art and the Holocaust: Faculty Response Panel.” The event included pieces of artwork that either related to World War II and the Holocaust or had a connection to Jewish heritage. Some of the pieces were done by Jewish artists and have been a part of the Art Museum’s permanent collection of art. These pieces were on display in the Resource Room and the faculty panel and reception followed.
Rachel Clifton, the assistant curator of the Art Museum, joined forces with Nicole Crawford, the Art Museum’s Curator of Collections, and Hillel in order to come up with an event that would incorporate art and be educational for Holocaust Remembrance Week. Hillel is a campus RSO which is the center of Jewish life on campus, according to the University of Wyoming Hillel website. Hillel’s mission is to enrich the lives of Jewish students by embracing and celebrating their faith on campus.
Hillel also surveyed campus asking faculty members in different areas of study if they would be willing to provide a response to the artwork from their perspective. The faculty panel consisted of Rachel Sailor, Seth Ward and David Messenger. Between the three faculty members, three different fields of study are covered; art history, religious studies and global and area studies.
“This event will hopefully provide a new perspective for visitors to consider art and the events of the Holocaust,” said Clifton, “faculty members will be able to contextualize the art from their area of study and offer a new interpretation.”
Clifton had also said how the event really utilized and highlighted the many resources offered on the University of Wyoming campus.
“Hillel wanted to hold an event that was multi-disciplinary and could bring people together from across campus to celebrate Holocaust Remembrance Week,” said Clifton in regards to the event’s purpose.
Hillel will continue to host different events and activities on campus in order to celebrate the Jewish faith.
