Capstone exhibition celebrates Art Museum, Miami, and Ohio’s impact on the Arts
Capstone exhibition celebrates Art Museum, Miami, and Ohio’s impact on the Arts
This year, the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum is celebrating 15 years of collaboration, inspiring young scholars, and fostering professional experiences for our undergraduate students. Rooted Here: Networks of Modern and Contemporary Art marks the 15th anniversary of the Art and Architecture History Capstone at Miami University. We are proud to boast that this unique opportunity, unlike any other program at the undergraduate level, has provided students with the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience in the curating process. From selecting works to mounting them in the gallery, students are involved in every step of the process.
Rooted Here focuses on the Midwest’s impact on contemporary art. Specifically, how Miami University and RCCAM have continued to be major players in advocating for and presenting innovative minds in the arts. This exhibit is broken into 4 sections: Expanding the Grid, Curating the Landscape, Outside Influences, and The Modern Heartland. Highlighting these sections allowed the students to explore the relationship between “flyover country” and modern art.
Expanding the Grid focuses on RCCAM’s role as a guiding force in ushering groundbreaking artists to the city of Oxford and recognizing the potential of our university. As Dr. Willard L. Boyd stated at RCCAM’s dedication ceremony almost 50 years ago, “...we must recognize that a university’s museum of art is a crucible of change, not a mausoleum of artifacts.” This concept has continued to shape how RCCAM exhibits artists of scholarly significance, even in the museum's architectural design by Walter Netsch, who employed a bespoke field theory method that utilized mathematical equations to extend geometric shapes into infinity. Beyond the construction of the museum, exhibiting culturally important artists such as Paul Cadmus and Miriam Schapiro highlights RCCAM's values surrounding uplifting feminist and queer subculture despite the notions of a present monoculture of rural domesticity within the Midwest.
Curating the Landscape takes the concept of location literally, focusing on site-specific installations of public art on Miami’s campus. While this section also highlights Miami’s outreach to notable sculptors, such as Nancy Holt and Fletcher Benton, it emphasizes public artworks donated to the university, bringing attention to the lasting impact the university has had on past students, faculty, and visitors. Not only does this reinforce the Midwestern impact on contemporary artists, but it also spotlights how our university has created accessible opportunities for community members to experience significant artworks in their everyday lives.
Outside Influences takes a more external perspective, highlighting how artists from around the globe have influenced the arts scene in Miami. Miami has a rich history of visiting artists, including musical performers, painters, installation artists, and beyond. This section of Rooted Here allowed students to explore beyond Miami’s appreciation for innovative artists, focusing on the value that artists of all kinds have found in our university. Understanding the artists’ perspective in these exchanges is essential to appreciating the significance of Miami and RCCAM as a site of cultural fertility in the arts.
Finally, The Modern Heartland looks at the Midwest as a whole. This section challenges the notion of the “simple life” within the Midwest by calling attention to regionalist artists who undertook complex processes to create abstract portrayals of what it means to experience the Midwest. Whether it's international artists finding their role in rural US states, such as Julian Stanczak, or native midwesterners bringing their influence to internationally recognized cultural hubs, like Jim Dine, the students responsible for this section underline just how important Midwestern influence has been on creating the contemporary landscape we have all come to know in the arts.
Rooted Here, along with the 15 consecutive years of the Curatorial Experience Capstone class, has allowed students to explore the processes behind constructing art exhibitions while portraying a consistent theme that promotes an educational experience for audience members of all backgrounds. RCCAM is more than proud of our students, and we look forward to continuing these novel learning opportunities for students, faculty, and the community. Rooted Here will be exhibited in the X Gallery throughout the Spring 26’ semester, and we urge you to experience how the arts have shaped Miami University over the decades, and how RCCAM continues its role as a crucible for change.
On March 11 from 5 - 7 PM, RCCAM will be hosting a reception and celebration of the Rooted Here Capstone. Join us with our students as we view the exhibited works, hear about their chosen artworks, and enjoy refreshments. Commentary from the students begins at 5:30, so do not miss this opportunity to support their efforts and discover a new appreciation for the influential artists who have been impacted by Miami University. We look forward to seeing you and connecting deeper with our Midwestern roots.
About the Author
Anderson Knapp is a Senior in Emerging Technology in Business and Design with a co-major in Arts Management and Minors in Museums and Society and Leading Digital Innovation. He is currently a Student Assistant at the museum, Event Planner for the Art Museum Student Organization, and the Co-Chair for Sparkfest.