Several students from Missouri State University’s Department of Art and Design assisted with the Springfield Art Museum’s special exhibition, “Renaissance Works on Parchment and Paper.”

The students conducted research and developed written descriptions to focus on individual objects or thematic elements.

Professor of art history Dr. Mitzi Kirkland-Ives will discuss the exhibit June 6, 2024, from 6-7 p.m. at the museum.

The exhibit is on view April 20-Sept. 1. It is free and open to the public.

Exhibit highlights historical “information-technology” shifts

Kirkland-Ives guest-curated the exhibit, selecting items from the museum’s collection to document the transition from manuscript production to the dawn of printing press technology.

“The exhibit focuses on an information-technology shift and some aspects of how both script/typography and visual imagery adapted to the new formats possible during the advent of mass reproduction,” Kirkland-Ives said.

Exhibit visitors will encounter visual elements of fifteen printed images—woodblock prints, engravings, and one etching—by German masters of the sixteenth century, including several works by Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder.

The exhibition provides a historical overview of how these works were produced—tools, equipment, and style—and covers a range of other subject matter.

“A half dozen examples of texts produced using the early printing press in several languages and typefaces are also included—early Bibles and other texts—and a number of leaves from medieval manuscripts on parchment as examples of the range of scripts and approaches to ornamentation seen in the unique hand-produced works of earlier centuries,” Kirkland–Ives said.

Kirkland-Ives wants viewers to consider contemporary issues in parallel with the development of print in Renaissance times, especially major changes in information technology, such as the internet and artificial intelligence (AI).

She hopes the exhibit encourages visitors to think about “big fundamental changes in how we get our information, whose voices can be heard, and how we negotiate, basically, questions of media literacy, legitimacy and authority.”

Successful working partnership continues

Kirkland-Ives approached Sarah Buhr, the Springfield Art Museum’s curator, about the “Renaissance Works on Parchment and Paper” exhibit.

“With the Renaissance Art course coming up and the museum’s strong collection in printed artwork, it was a great opportunity to incorporate a bit of applied research within the curriculum and offer the community insight into the topic,” Kirkland-Ives explained.

Collaborations between Missouri State University and the Springfield Art Museum have become common.

In 2023, students in Director of Exhibitions Jodi McCoy’s museum studies course collaborated with the museum on the “Blue on White” and “Art in Motion” exhibits.

Students of Dr. Julia Troche, associate professor of history, organized a recent exhibition titled, “Ancient Artifacts Abroad.”

Since 2019, the Springfield Art Museum has also hosted the Department of Art and Design’s Visual Studies MFA Showcase exhibitions.

During its renovation period, the museum will continue to present traditions like the All-School Show at the Brick City Gallery and facilitate school programming, including MSU’s annual MFA Thesis Exhibition.

The Springfield Art Museum is open Sundays from 1-5 p.m., Wednesday-Friday 12-8 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The museum is located at 1111 E Brookside Dr.

Exhibition participants

MSU students who assisted with the exhibit are: Ellen Aulbach, Brooke Buehler, Hannah Burns, Zachary Caraway, Tanner Caruthers, Paige Cawein, Ann Collier, Jordan Davis, Jesse Fallert, Danielle Gilbert, Hanna Henroid, Roman Herries, Katelyn Homer, Timothy Keeling, Julia Kidwell, Steeler Lawrence, J. L. Librach, Nadia May-Peraza, Addison Miller, Alex Miller, Madelyn Pohl, Hannah Sparks, Abigail Stash and Hannah Vancour.

Dr. Magda Hayton, adjunct professor in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions, provided English translations of unpublished medieval Latin texts in the museum’s collection.

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News written by Mariah Hunter and edited by the Reynolds College Communications team.

Hunter is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art and Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University.