Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square

Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square was organized by the students of two Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) classes—the Exhibition Development Seminar and Conversation as Muse. The Exhibition Development Seminar, created by MICA Curator−in−Residence George Ciscle, is a hands-on learning experience for students interested in all aspects of museum administration, community arts and gallery work. Under his guidance, eighteen students produced an exhibition of their peers’ artwork; artists who created works specifically for this project took the Conversation as Muse studio course. Since the class first met in September, 2007, MICA faculty member, Jann Rosen-Queralt, has provided an opportunity for 10 students to investigate themes in mapping within a public art setting.

Inspired by The Walters Art Museum’s concurrent exhibition, Maps: Finding Our Place in the World, the artworks installed in the four parks of Mt Vernon Place explore new and abstract ways of understanding and experiencing maps and way-finding. Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square is unprecedented as the first exhibit to be installed in the historic parks. The artworks were created simultaneously with the conception and execution of the exhibit, providing students with unique production challenges. Utilizing the rare opportunity to install their work off-campus, artists created a site-specific exhibition using themes conceived within the walls of a museum and brought a contemporary perspective on those themes to a space accessible to a wider audience. The students of the Exhibition Development Seminar have worked diligently throughout the 2007/2008 school year to create an exhibition, a catalogue and map, a website, and numerous public programs to enhance the artworks created by their peers.

The 18 students of the Exhibition Development Seminar started the project by examining mapping concepts and themes through time and place, and then by researching contemporary artists using mapping in their work. With the guidance and mentorship of William Noel, the Walters Curator of Manuscripts, Rare Books and of Maps: Finding Our Place in the World, students were given the seven themes of the museum exhibition as a springboard for discussion. The themes of way-finding, mapping the world, mapping historical events, visualizing nature and society, mapping imaginary worlds, and consuming maps led to investigations by which the students developed the framework for their exhibit. Through this initial work, students began to assert their individual visions and also develop a common thematic framework for their contemporary exhibition, Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square.

The key to the learning experience of the students, as well as the completion of the project, was the formulation of working teams. The students created six teams (Curatorial, Exhibit Design, Management, Graphic Design, Education and Website) comprised of two to four students that would perform the essential functions of their museum and professional counterparts. With ongoing guidance from their mentors, teams outlined their goals and work-products, and immediately began to identify what needed to be accomplished in order to create the exhibition they envisioned. Decisions about the exhibition were made by each team and as a group. Students presented a series of proposals in class and used the feedback they received from their peers, mentors, professors, visiting artists and curators to guide them towards a unified concept. Periodic joint class dialogue with the ten artists was pivotal in finalizing plans for each component of the exhibit.

The four curators of the exhibition took advantage of the rare opportunity to work directly with the artists and use their input while creating a complimentary vision for the direction, theme and tone of Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square. The Exhibit Design team brainstormed and researched inventive ways to install the works in the four parks of Mount Vernon Place, and creatively address the issues surrounding public exhibitions and the historic significance of the parks. The Graphic Design team established the graphic identity, press visuals, and catalogue and additionally collaborated with The Walters to create a “Map of Maps” to highlight the exhibition spaces inside and outside of the museum. The Education team developed myriad programs to supplement the exhibition and engage audiences of all ages, as well as teachers, students, artists and visitors from Baltimore and beyond. The Website team worked to build the structure of the exhibit’s website and created a resource that would serve as an archive for the artists and an interactive tool. The Management team functioned as a resource for their peers and a liaison between the students, The Walters Art Museum, MICA, the Festival of Maps, and many other participants in and supporters of the exhibit. Each team took on traditional as well as innovative and extraordinary roles. By doing so they brought together the student artists, the surrounding communities, MICA, The Walters Art Museum, and other institutions and individuals participating in the Festival of Maps.

The 18 students on six teams of the Exhibition Development Seminar worked together to complete their project, and navigated through many unforeseen obstacles along the way. Due to the fact that the art to be installed in Mount Vernon Place was being produced simultaneously with the development of the entire project, students had to be inventive, remain flexible, and regularly utilize the resources made available to them through the relationships they created with one another, The Walters Art Museum, and MICA. For the MICA students, developing Beyond the Compass, Beyond the Square was an exciting opportunity to create work for a broad public audience and to experience for themselves the work of museum and exhibition professionals. The exhibition and all of its components are a testament to the hard work, exploration and innovation of all of the students of the Exhibition Development Seminar.