It’s that time of year again! The Exhibition Planning class is debuting a new exhibit.

There are as many ways to react to a photograph as there are people viewing it. Focus: Experiments in Photographic Interpretation, hosted by the Tufts University Art Gallery, explores the power of photography and curation to prompt personal responses in viewers. Curated by graduate students in the Tufts University Museum Studies program, the exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday, May 5 through Sunday, May 17, 2015. A public opening reception will take place on May 5 from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M.

On display are twelve distinct experiments in curatorial interpretation. Each student selected a photograph from the collection of Historic New England to use as inspiration. The photographs depict scenes of New England life from the turn of the 19th century. Subjects range from nature to technological innovation to family relationships. The exhibition featuring Construction of the Beacon Hill Tunnel, by Paul Rowell, chronicles the history of Boston’s public transportation system and its role in the daily life of the city. Kit with Her Mother, by Alfred Wayland Cutting, celebrates the universal experience of aging, while Baldwin Coolidge’s The Wreck of the Warren Sawyer explores the encounter between a person and the sublime.

Various interpretive lenses—personal, historical, intellectual, aesthetic, empathetic—invite viewers to consider the power of photographic imagery and how curatorial decisions impact the visitor experience.

The Tufts Museum Studies Program, a collaborative effort of the education, art history, and history departments, trains students in the preservation, administration, and education skills required to work in museum and historic settings. The Exhibition Planning class, which produces an exhibition at the Gallery each year, teaches students how to take an exhibition from concept through opening.

About Historic New England

Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most

comprehensive regional heritage organization in the nation. Historic

New England shares the region’s history through vast collections,

publications, programs, historic properties, archives, and family

stories that document more than 400 years of life in New England.

Visit HistoricNewEngland.org.

About the Tufts University Art Gallery

The Gallery’s mission is to animate the intellectual life of the greater

university community through exhibitions and programs that explore new,

global perspectives on art and art discourse. The Gallery is open to the public

and fully accessible. Admission is free, with a $3 suggested donation. Hours

are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. and Thursdays 11 A.M. to 8

P.M. Free event parking is available in the lot behind the Aidekman Arts

Center, off Lower Campus Road. During regular visitor hours, there are free

parking spots in the Gallery parking lot.