My First Exhibit

As I have mentioned before, one of the things that drew me to the Public History program at UWO was the number of hands on opportunities I would have to learn new things in my field.  Here I am, less than a month into the program, already putting together exhibits!

This coming weekend is Homecoming at Western, and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry is commemorating its 130th Anniversary as well.  As part of the celebration the Medical School asked that a few special exhibits be put together from the UWO Medical Artifact Collection.

Public History student were given the opportunity to volunteer, and gain a bit of experience to add to our portfolios.  All together there were three displays, although I only assisted with two of them.  It was a nice opportunity to learn about the challenges of working with different displays, and get a chance to play around with placing artifacts.

Overall, I think they turned out pretty well, and I had a great time collaborating with Allison, Lindsay, Adriana, Sarah, Shelley, and Michelle.

Toothkeys and Forceps: Tools of the Dentist

This wall display didn't have any shelves, so we had limited space with which to work.
Also, the foot-pump drill posed a challenge as it was hard to place it and not obscure the text.

Scalpels and Stethoscopes: The Doctor's Instruments

View from one side.

Though against a wall at the moment, this display will have a 360 degree view,
which makes placement of artifacts and text more difficult. 
You have to consider all views when arranging.