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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Gettysburg chapter.

Located in the project space of the Schmucker Art Gallery is a new exhibit curated by a member of the senior class. Entitled Bodies in Conflict: From Gettysburg to Iraq, opened last week and welcomed over 90 guests to the semester’s first gallery talk and reception. The exhibit features pieces from Musselman Library Special Collections and pieces which are on loan from outside our immediate campus community. 

Image via https://www.facebook.com/SchmuckerArtGallery/photos/a.196092907072998.60…

The pieces help to illustrate the human form at the time of war through the battle of Gettysburg to Iraq. The exhibit forces the viewer to question the role of the photographer. What were or are the intentions of the photographer? Was it to gain sympathy, fund a source of nationalism, or to simply report the event? Pieces of the collection range from stereoscopic cards taken by Civil War Photographer Alexander Gardner, a Vietnamese propaganda poster from 1965, and personal scrapbooks and photos of American soldiers from World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. There is a variety of images that help to define the power of the human form during a time of war. Student curator, Laura Bergin wrote in the exhibit’s gallery catalog, “Photography must be understood as both art and document, with as many entitled artistic liberties as any other form of artistic expression.” What the artist witnesses and feels may be completely different from what the public may be witnessing. The indirect or direct relationship between the artist and the specific war allow the viewer to gain an inside look into the artist’s own beliefs and emotions during this specific time. Each viewer will respond differently to the images and cause her or himself to question the role of the specific artist at that time period.

This exhibit also features an interactive website that extends the gallery space to the home. A virtual model of the space is available to view at your own convenience. It is a great way for people who are unable to visit the gallery space.

Schmucker Art Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm. For more information, go to Schmucker Art Gallery, and follow the Gallery on Facebook. 

 

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Erica M. Schaumberg is an Art History major and Studio Art minor from Gettysburg College class of 2018. You can normally find Erica biking around the battle field with her camera, practicing some pirouettes, and spending a lot of time in Schmucker, when she is not studying in her secret spot with a cup of coffee.
Juliette Sebock, Founder: Jules founded the Gettysburg College chapter of Her Campus in Fall 2015 and served as Campus Correspondent until graduating in Spring 2018. Juliette graduated from Gettysburg College in 2018 with an English major and History/Civil War Era Studies/Public History triple minors. In addition to HC, she was a member of the Spring 2017 class of Advanced Studies in England and of various organizations including Eta Sigma Phi, Dance Ensemble, and Poetry Circle. She has published a poetry chapbook titled Mistakes Were Made, available on Amazon and Goodreads, and she has poems forthcoming in several literary magazines. She is also the editor-in-chief of Nightingale & Sparrow Magazine and runs the lifestyle blog, For the Sake of Good Taste. For more information, visit https://juliettesebock.com.