The Citizen Curator Project invited participants to curate exhibits on the themes of “Eliminationism and Resilience.” A particularly potent example of eliminationism, defined as discourses, actions, and social policies that seek to suppress, exile, or exterminate perceived opponents, is the Pulse nightclub attack, whereas the Orlando United campaign may be viewed as an act of resilience. The call for participation resulted in several separate, but related, exhibitions:
Resilience: Remembering Pulse
Curated by Keri Watson, UCF Assistant Professor of Art History, this exhibition presented photographs, quilts, paintings, films, and installations that responded to the Pulse Nightclub shooting and exemplified themes of remembrance, resilience, and resistance. Featuring work by students, faculty, staff, and community members, the exhibition celebrated the lives of the victims, engaged with social and political issues, and demonstrated the power of love to triumph over hate. The exhibition opened June 8 at the UCF Art Gallery with a public reception from 4-6 p.m. as part of UCF’s Day of Remembrance. The exhibition was on display at the UCF Art Gallery June 8 – June 30, 2017.
The Lines That Join Us
Created by Carrie Moran, an independent artist, poet, and user engagement librarian at UCF, The Lines That Join Us is a storytelling project and exhibit. The goal of the project is to tell the stories of people who have chosen to get tattoos in response to the Pulse tragedy that unfolded on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, FL. Each portrait is accompanied by a brief narrative, and will introduce you to one of the many who have chosen to honor the 49 and greater LGBTQ+ community in this way.
We are Family
Created by Cassi Alexandra, an independent documentary and portrait photographer, and UCF alumna, We Are Family examines the acceptance of violence and the recovery process a community goes through after a mass shooting in America. It aims to create an understanding of a community overwhelmed by grief, address the idea of what Americans have accepted as normal in our culture, and elevate consciousness about the damaging legacy we are leaving future generations.
Pulse: A Consultation
Created by Barry Jason Mauer, UCF Associate Professor of English and Interim Director of the Texts and Technology Ph.D. program, this exhibit confronts the prevalence of eliminationism in contemporary American politics.
Eliminationism: Students Respond
Created by undergraduate students enrolled in Keri Watson’s American Art History course and curated by John Venecek of the John C. Hitt Library, these exhibits deal with a range of themes. Projects include: I Stand with Standing Rock, by Alysha Wilcox and Dylan Auerbach; The Dakota Access Pipeline by Briana Boese; and Food for Thought by Savannah Zona. The exhibits are on display in the foyer of the John C. Hitt Library through the end of June.
Citizen Curator Project on RICHES
RICHES (the Regional Initiative for Collecting the History, Experiences and Stories) includes a permanent archive of Resilience: Remembering Pulse and Pulse: A Consultation, plus five additional projects: Florida Pride and Shame by Amanda Polk; Black in White by Kimari Jackson; Literature for the Resistance by Jaclyn Crawford; Central Florida Pulse: The Tragedy of Place and the Power of Activism by Mia Tangor, Carys O’Neill and Savannah Bitto; and A Cultural Poultice by Abigail Padfield, Debra Fuqua, Kathryn Girvan, and Christopher Foley. These projects were created by undergraduate students enrolled in the School of Visual Arts and Design and graduate students in the Texts and Technology Ph.D. program.
The Citizen Curator Project of Central Florida was made possible by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.
