Speaker: Hannah Wirta Kinney, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College

Abstract: »This paper will discuss the development of a small, experimental installation at the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College that asked: Where is Consent in Art (Museums)? Combining early modern prints with artwork by contemporary artists, the installation was an opportunity to develop a trauma-informed ethics for interpreting images of sexual violence while also providing nuanced historical context. The works on view were selected with input from a student organization called PRSM (Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct). Sensitive to the expectations of our college-aged audience that often pushes against a gender binary, we also strove to not present a narrative of male aggressors and female victims by including images such as Giorgio Ghisi's engraving of Venus and Adonis (1567–73) In the early modern images, PRSM students quickly saw the elements of rape culture and power imbalances they train their fellow students to disrupt. This installation therefore raised important questions about how we—as curators, educators, and scholars—can sensitively discuss the complex content of these images in order to make them relevant to contemporary audiences.« (Source: Online Program)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of Italy / History of early modern Italy | Art: Italian art / Giorgio Ghisi | Museum: Art museum / Allen Memorial Art Museum | Sex and the law: Sexual violence