March 2020 turned thousands of professors and instructors into students as they learned new online technology. Universities around the world adapted classes to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Alison Aune had built the groundwork. Aune, professor of art education, is teaching two sections of Art in Elementary Education and one section of Art in Secondary Education. The students had already worked with an exhibition in the Tweed Museum of Art, Art in Conflict: An Exhibition by the Museum of Russian Art, curated by Masha Zavialova.
But they were missing detailed historical context for the show so they can finish the class and create lesson plans for high school students.
Fast Work
Aune was quick to set up a slide presentation for her college students summarizing the contribution of each artist to Russian art. Then she contacted Alexis Pogorelskin, who is a UMD history department faculty emerita. The two met in a nearly deserted Tweed Museum of Art and Alexis went through the exhibition piece by piece. They chose 13 works of art to highlight and made audio recordings for each of them.
The Art in Conflict Lecture Presentation is the result of the collaboration.
Aune invites the public to learn along with her class. Even in times of "social distancing," everyone can enjoy the collection of stimulating art from the Soviet era and an the informative commentary from an expert in Russian history.
Thanks to Sharon Mollerus for providing the photographs of the exhibit's opening reception for this page.
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