NEHMA Features Artwork Labels from Different Cultural Perspectives

Art labels written by international Utah State University students will be unveiled at a reception at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA) Saturday, March 2, at 10 a.m.

The project serves a dual purpose of providing an opportunity to practice both written and verbal English skills while creating a new, unique interpretation of their chosen artworks from a different cultural perspective. 

“Art provides a unique opportunity to promote discussion related to any number of subjects, using our fundamental knowledge, much of which is influenced by cultural backgrounds and heritage,” said NEHMA scholar in residence Donna Brown. 

The project, titled Promoting Intercultural Dialogue through an Art Museum Experience, is a joint project of NEHMA and USU’s Intensive English Language Institute (IELI), made possible through the support of the Office of Global Engagement. 

“The students were able to have extensive conversations about several art works at the museum and create texts including their cultural perspectives,” said IELI assistant professor Ekaterina Arshavskaya.  

The resulting labels bring new interpretations to eight artworks currently on view at NEHMA. One student notes the similarities between an abstract object depicted in Derek Boshier’s The Art Collector’s Home Movie and a musical instrument popular in her home country in West Africa. Another finds similarities and differences between the American classroom and his own experience in school in Saudi Arabia, inspired by the model classroom in The Dancing Lessons: From Ignorance to Understanding by Roland Reiss. 

The labels will be featured at the reception from 10 a.m. to noon. Those in attendance will have the chance to talk with the students who wrote the labels, thus providing an opportunity for students to further practice their verbal English skills while sharing their cultures and promoting cross-cultural dialogue.

“We greatly appreciate the support of Vice Provost Janis Boettinger and the Office of Global Engagement, who are providing food for the reception and are helping share this unique event with our community,” Brown said. “We look forward to having the community engage with these international students to learn more from them about their cultural perspectives and how they influence their interpretations of art and life.” 

Visit artmuseum.usu.edu to stay up to date on future museum events.