What happens when young people’s voices are invited onto the walls of an art museum exhibition?
By Phoebe Hillemann
As the Teacher Institutes Educator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, I’ve spent most of my 13 years at SAAM developing programs for K-12 teachers and students. When I was given the opportunity to lead the interpretive planning for our 2024 exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice, I was excited about the chance to think more broadly about the ways learning happens in a museum.
The historical content of the exhibition had clear appeal for educators. When painting his Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s, artist William H. Johnson bridged the past and the present, looking back on three centuries of history to depict freedom fighters from the American Revolution up to his contemporaries in the 20th century. By linking generations of activists, educators, politicians, and entertainers advocating for racial and social equality, Johnson invited viewers to consider both the progress society has made towards those ideals and the work still left to be done.
In close collaboration with the curators and exhibit designers, my interpretation colleagues Emily Berg, Anne Showalter, and I developed an interpretive approach that offered multiple entry points for our visitors, including videos, kiosks, tactile reproductions of paintings, wall quotes by the historical figures, and children’s books. We wanted visitors of all ages to feel welcome and included in the gallery experience, and to represent a diverse range of voices.
We also wanted to continue Johnson’s work linking history to the present. How could the exhibition invite visitors to make connections to our world today?
One way we did this was through the voices of students. Visitors to the exhibition encounter a mural and flip book in the last gallery, featuring the writing and drawing of young people ages 8 to 18 in response to the question: “Who inspires you by fighting for justice today?”
We posed this question to students across the country last fall, via a written prompt we sent to teachers who had participated in SAAM’s Summer Teacher Institutes. Students were asked to handwrite their responses and had the option to include a drawing of the person they chose to write about. Teachers were provided a bit of information about Johnson’s Fighters for Freedom series, but we did not ask them to teach their students about it; the prompt was left open to each student’s interpretation. We were blown away by their submissions! Students chose to write about a wide range of people who inspired them, from global activists to athletes and performers, to family members and educators in their lives. What connects all the responses is a belief that individuals can make a difference in the world, working towards a better future.
“Misty Copeland inspires me because she speaks out for what is right. For example, she started the Plié Society which includes boys and girls and welcomes people of all colors. She is an advocate for the Black ballet community and shows that everyone is equal.” — Esther, age 10, Nashville, TN
“My grandfather fought in the Vietnam War. He inspired me to never back down: my grandfather was captured, but he never gave up … He stayed strong, and when he had to move to a new country, he stayed motivated.” — Jonathan, age 11, Skokie, IL
“Dolores Huerta inspires me because she fought for the life conditions of farmworkers, immigrants, and women.” — Valentina, age 13, Puerto Rico
“Someone fighting for justice today who inspires me is Molly Crabapple, because Molly is an AI images activist, artist, and author. AI images steals any illustration posted on the internet and is slowly replacing talented artists. Molly has several podcasts and interviews about this and speaks against AI images.” — Tristan, age 11, Norfolk, VA
The students’ words have resonated with many of our visitors. We created a visitor response wall in the same gallery as the student mural, and we’ve received several comments referencing the students’ writing. The most common reaction seems to be that seeing young people’s optimism about the future gives visitors renewed hope themselves.
For me personally, it has been incredibly gratifying to see student work take a prominent place in SAAM’s galleries for the first time. Our Education team has always strived to communicate through our in-gallery and virtual programs that we value students’ perspectives and their creativity, but the Museum celebrating their contributions in a major exhibition (not in a separate “children’s” gallery) is a meaningful affirmation of those values.
The project has also strengthened our relationships with teachers and schools, both locally and nationally. The educators I worked with on this project are proud that their students are featured in an exhibition at the Smithsonian, and some have shared the news with their communities through local media outlets. Many of the featured students’ families have made special trips to Washington, DC, to see the show. I’ve also heard from several teachers I’ve toured through the exhibition during its six-month run that they are interested in participating in future projects like this one.
While there were some challenges that came with displaying the work of minors – securing the necessary privacy approvals and permission forms took several months, for example – the rewards have been well worth it. Ultimately, this project was successful due to a collaborative cross-departmental team, early buy-in from leadership, and a clear connection to the artist’s work and our interpretive goals. The students’ voices have been a powerful way to illuminate the contemporary relevance in Johnson’s eighty-year-old paintings and inspire visitors of all ages to consider their hopes for the future.
Phoebe Hillemann
Phoebe is the Teacher Institutes Educator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She designs and facilitates museum learning experiences for visitors of all ages that are interdisciplinary, inquiry-based, and inclusive. She earned her M.S. Ed. in Leadership in Museum Education from Bank Street Graduate School of Education.