Sophomore Spanish major (biology minor) Rodrigo Casteriana ’17 (above, second from left) and senior psychology major (Spanish and women’s studies minor) Ashley Suk ’14 (above, second from right) have created the first bilingual exhibition for the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) in Winchester, Virginia. Professors Ann Lesman, Ph.D., Bryan Pearce-Gonzales, Ph.D. (above, right), and Andrea Meador Smith, Ph.D. (above, left), served as advisers on the project.
Face to Face: Portraits from the Julian Wood Glass Jr. Collection, a new exhibit at the MSV which opened in November 2014, is the museum’s first exhibition with bilingual labels. Casteriana and Suk spent one month translating exhibit information from English to Spanish, earning internship hours toward their required internship credits in Spanish.
“I thought it would be great opportunity to work on this project because it would help me practice Spanish translations, and it would also be great to gain experience for the future,” said Casteriana.
“It was pretty awesome to work with the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley on this project, because they are such a big part of art in the Shenandoah Valley,” he added. “Being able to work with them on one of their exhibits made it an even better experience.”
As an amateur artist, Suk had been to the museum on several occasions and was excited to contribute something back to the museum.
“The project was pretty difficult at times,” said Suk. “This was my first big translation project, so it was very daunting at first. It took a lot of time, but it was also very rewarding.”
The group of students and advisers had the opportunity to attend the exhibit’s opening reception. Both students said they were proud to see their names displayed on the exhibit – a testament to their hard work to bring information to the Spanish-speaking public.
“I’ll admit, it threw me for a loop when I saw that my name was actually printed on the exhibit,” said Suk. “It gave me a great sense of pride – increasing bilingual access in this area is an admirable goal, and I’m glad I was able to contribute.”
“The experience was amazing,” said Casteriana. “It was a cool feeling to be a part of a museum exhibit and to see my name on the wall. It made me feel important.”
Face to Face examines the world of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century portraiture with the display of 35 British, American, and Dutch portraits from the collection of MSV benefactor Julian Wood Glass Jr. (1910–1992). On view in the museum’s Founders Gallery through May 29, 2016, Face to Face also includes eight mirrors from the Glass Collection dating from 1735 to 1840.
A series of educational programs in support of Face to Face, including gallery talks, youth workshops, and lecture events, are listed on www.theMSV.org.
The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission is $10 or $8 for seniors and youth ages 13 to 18.
General admission is always free to youth ages 12 and under and to MSV Members, and thanks to generous sponsorship from Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., it is free to all every Wednesday.
Additional information is available at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235.