Celebrating Capstone Projects for the Archives, Book Studies and Museums Concentrations, 2023

Students completing the Archives Concentration, Book Studies Concentration and Museums Concentration presented their capstone projects followed by a reception and project exhibition on Friday, April 28, 2023. Students created both physical exhibits as well as digital exhibits available online.

Projects are located in the third floor exhibition cases of Neilson Library and will be on display for the next couple of months. Projects range in topic from the ethical management of antiquities in Neilson Library’s Caverno Room, exploring the experiences and identities of women through a collection of family recipe cards, the history of the Ada Comstock Scholars program, and ways that Smith students historically found community, competition, and celebration through skiing. Please enjoy and visit the students’ projects that are listed below.

Archives Concentration Capstone Projects

Documenting Desire: Queer Longings at Smith College, Late 19th Century
Isabel Aragon ’23
(Physical exhibit on display)

Our World(s): The Intersecting Queer Lives of Lorraine Hansberry, Mary Oliver, & Molly Malone Cook
Vivian DeRosa ’24
(Physical exhibit on display)

Depicting Desire: Butch/Femme Representation in the Late 20th Century
Sophie Jones ’23
(Physical exhibit on display)

What Would Ada Comstock Do? A Journey through the Program and Its Struggles
Cassandra Linder ’23

Girl Powder: A 20th Century Ski Exploration at Smith College
Elizabeth MacNeil ’23
(Physical exhibit on display)

Necessary Ingredients: The American Housewife in Food, Gender, and Politics, 1865 to 1915
Clare McElhaney ’23
(Physical exhibit on display)

"Life Here is the Body": Gender Transition in the Late 20th Century
Zephyr Steiner ’24

Book Studies Concentration Capstone Projects

Crafting the Past: Memoir Production with My Grandmother
Emma Solis ’23

Binding Inferno, Past and Present: A Narrative of the Making Process
Sophie Weinberg ’23

Museums Concentration Capstone Projects

Unraveling an Enigma: Exploring the Past, Present, and Futures of Toledo Museum of Art’s Mummies
Haley-December Brown ’23

Breaking Down Van Buren: A Case Study in Ethical Collections Management
Cameron Findlay ’23

An Unauthorized History of the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast
Noah Good ’23

All artwork changes over time
Annetje-ten Holder ’23

The Mood Ring
Sara Kunkemueller ’23

Wearing the Past: The Value of the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection
Mackenzie Peloquin ’23

Support by Faculty and Staff

Dr. Kelly Anderson, Lecturer in the Study of Women & Gender and Lecturer in Archives, Lily Gurton-Wachter, Associate Professor of English Language & Literature, Jessica Nicoll, Director of Smith College Museum of Art, and Charlene Shang Miller, Educator for Academic Programs for Smith College Museum of Art, oversaw this year’s student capstone projects.

Additional Libraries and ITS staff members who made this project possible are:

• Abril Navarro, Instructional Technologist
• Adrienne Figus, Project Manager for the Mellon Museum and Library Collaboration Grant
• Becca Keyel, Instructional Technologist
• Bena Williams, Special Collections Post-Baccalaureate Fellow for Public Services
• Dan Bennett, Program Manager, Digital Media Hub
• Iris Afantchao, Marilyn Blackwell ’69 Post-Baccalaureate Fellow
• Leslie Fields, Head of Special Collections Public Services
• Meridith Richter, Educational Media Producer
• Nanci Young, College Archivist
• Nichole Calero, Operations Manager
• Shannon Supple, Curator of Rare Books
• Sydney Nguyễn, Exhibitions Coordinator
• Travis Grandy, Associate Director for Learning Research & Technology

Contact

Travis Grandy, Associate Director for Learning Research & Technology
tgrandy@smith.edu