Student curators reimagine art history

Art history isn’t just being revisited at the New Mexico State University Art Museum. It’s being reimagined by students. 

Art History: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, pairs familiar masterpieces with contemporary artwork while giving student curators Anakat Lopez, Lucinda Andrus, and MJ Yurcic the opportunity to research, design and install a professional exhibition from start to finish. The exhibition grew from months of planning, beginning with brainstorming sessions that produced about 20 concepts before the team settled on a final theme. From there, the curators reviewed thousands of works in the museum’s collection, narrowed dozens of possibilities into the final selection and wrote the gallery labels and exhibition guide. 

For Lopez, the exhibition was also an opportunity to shine a light on contemporary artists whose work is often overlooked beside the world’s most recognizable masterpieces. 

“A lot of contemporary artists aren’t seen for using the same motifs or themes that a lot of the famous pieces are,” Lopez said. “We wanted to highlight the contemporary artists as well that are still using those things that people really love.” 

Rather than simply placing old and new artwork side by side, the exhibition explores the many ways artists revisit the past. Some borrow familiar imagery, while others challenge historical narratives, and several reclaim stories through a contemporary lens. 

For Andrus, one of the exhibition’s goals was making those connections accessible, even for visitors with little background in art history. 

“I hope that they are kind of opening their minds a little bit more to contemporary art,” Andrus said. “I hope that it’ll open people’s minds and have them enjoy and make those connections on their own.” 

Among the pairings are Claude Monet’s Water Lilies alongside Jane Abrams’ Sunset Pond, Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp with Alejandra Guillen’s Bugs at Work, and Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas paired with Jay Lynn Gomez’s Las Meninas, North Fairing Road, Bel Air. Together, the works invite visitors to see how artistic ideas evolve across generations. 

“It’s definitely student-centered a lot because this was made by students and former students, and we’re featuring students and former students in our show,” Yurcic said. 

The project also reinforced the museum’s role as a teaching institution. Jasmine Herrera, interim director of the NMSU Art Museum, said the success of the student-led exhibition has already sparked conversations about expanding similar opportunities in the future. 

“It changed our thinking about programming on exhibitions,” Herrera said. “We’re considering maybe trying to do this every summer, every other summer, integrating student curators.” 

For the curators, however, the biggest hope is simple: that more people discover the museum and feel welcome inside. 

“Too many people don’t realize that this place exists,” Yurcic said. “It’s free. We want people to come. We want people to learn. We want people to enjoy.” 

Art History: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is on view through Sept. 19 at the New Mexico State University Art Museum. Admission is free. A public reception celebrating the exhibition and the museum’s summer shows will be held Aug. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m.