Student Exhibits are Inspired by History

Escobedo, 25, of Fair Oaks in northwest Indiana, believes Wylie House collections at IU are impactful to both students and the local community. “For any subject you’re looking for, there’s something there. Sometimes being spontaneous can lead to new doors for research . . . Wylie House lets you see how times have changed and remember how people thought.” 

Escobedo’s installation, “I’ll Run Away With You,” reflects the affection expressed in early twentieth-century letters between poet Elizabeth Bishop and Louise Bradley, great-granddaughter of Professor  Theophilus Wylie, cousin of Andrew Wylie, and IU’s first librarian. Bradley befriended Bishop in 1924, when they were teenagers at a Cape Cod camp. They corresponded for many years.

“The installation is a homage to honor their memories and relationship,” said Escobedo. “It is like a thank you for inspiring me and giving me a voice. I wouldn’t have written as much as I did if I wasn’t inspired by their writing and the way they talked to each other.” 

Escobedo said he took considerable time researching different collections and studying Wylie House documents. His interest piqued after reading an article about Bishop and Bradley, an IU student in the mid-1920s. Bishop’s career as a world- renowned poet also drew him to telling their story.  

“I am really obsessed with poetry,” he said. 

His installation centers around a white book stand he made, adorned with colorful flowers like those the women described in their letters. He designed several books on the stand with collages, images, and quotes from the letters written from 1925 to 1950. He included his poem describing his reactions to the women. The installation has headphones for visitors to hear similar music that the women enjoyed. 

Champion commented, “He demonstrates a sensitive awareness of the intimacy and vulnerability conveyed in the women’s writings, and his work thoughtfully honors that emotional depth.”

Contents in the Wylie House sparked a different inspiration for Thompson, 24, of Grand Haven, Michigan. She toured IU collections at several sites and went to Wylie House with her M.F.A. seminar, led by senior lecturer Carissa Carman and Grunwald Gallery Director Linda Tien.

“I was hoping something would catch my eye there and it did,” said Thompson. “It’s really interesting going into the house as a metalsmith. I was specifically drawn to metal. I wanted to reinterpret an old object and share an intimate connection that was sparked between history, space and people.” 

Thompson was drawn to the 18th century curtain pullback knobs. “I really loved how they were all different on each window. They had their own unique pattern specific to different time periods. I was also interested in the curtains and designs in different fabrics.”  

She modeled a set of brass brooches, connected by a hand-braided cotton rope, after the home’s pullback knobs and call it, “Held Together.” She said the brooches, hand-formed and powder coated, “reinterpret this overlooked object through a contemporary lens.”  

Thompson, who plans to earn a master’s of fine arts degree in spring of 2028 in metalsmithing and jewelry, said the piece explores themes of connection and adornment of the body. 

“By reimagining the tieback’s simple ‘holding’ function,” said Champion, “she transforms it into a deeply evocative symbol of human connection and being held —emotionally, physically, and metaphorically.”

Guy’s display of seven china-head dolls is part of “Images of [Blank],” which presents exhibitions curated by students in the Curatorship Practicum. Exhibits culminate research, design, and presentation work in curatorial projects. China-head dolls, predominantly produced in Germany between the 1840s and 1900s, feature shoulders and heads made of glazed, white porcelain with painted, molded hair and facial features. 

Her display includes two dolls borrowed from Wylie House Museum, four from the Monroe County History Center, and one of her own. They are displayed, standing and clad in dresses, in a glass-enclosed case. She has personally collected 10 china-head dolls, the oldest made in 1870. Guy started collecting them two years ago while working at Wylie House.  

Guy, focusing her degree on textiles and clothing, said the china-head dolls intrigued her. “I’ve always loved dolls, but I had never encountered a doll that looked like them. I was inspired to make a display of these dolls because I started collecting (them) in the past few years,” said Guy, 24, of Bloomington, who plans to earn a Master of Arts in Museum Curatorship this December. 

To Guy, china-head dolls are “very sweet dolls” that stand out among many dolls from the past that some may consider “creepier.” She hopes her exhibit gives visitors a better opportunity to appreciate these 19th-century dolls and recognize their stark difference from today’s dolls. She wants to give these dolls “a chance to see the light of day rather than being hidden in cabinets.”