The Value of Their Voices: Curating Student Art Exhibits with Student Employees

The Oxford College Library recently started displaying student artwork in library spaces. Exhibitions are chosen based on faculty capacity and interest in library collaboration. As an experiential learning opportunity, the library has offered student employees the opportunity to co-curate the exhibit. While the librarian manages the logistics and works with art faculty, the student is responsible for deciding on exhibit text, choosing the exhibit title, and arranging the art. The exhibits are designed to promote art as a vector for information and the viewing of art as a pathway to information literacy. The project aims to make the student gain confidence in their abilities and to see the value in their voice as a curator. Students become able to visualize themselves as information professionals, and the library can display and highlight new and diverse perspectives.