Having a museum on campus is one of MSOE’s many unique features, and freshmen University Scholars Honors students got a first-hand experience at the hard work that goes into bringing a museum exhibit to life.

Aiden Smith, biomedical engineering; Asher Sprigler, computer engineering; and Mackenzie Rynes, civil engineering, worked together to help organize Familias Unidas: Tribute to the Migrant Farm Worker Labor Movement in Wisconsin, 1960s-70s, the latest exhibit on display at the Grohmann Museum. The exhibit showcases photography from the Farm Workers Movement. Family, activism and education serve as a focal lens in the photography to reflect on the drive behind the actions taken by underserved people and allies to assert the value of their work, their right to better quality of life and greater access to education.

As part of the University Scholars Honors program, Smith, Sprigler and Rynes worked throughout the academic year alongside Jacobo Lovo at Latino Arts Inc. on the exhibition, which is on display at both the Grohmann Museum and the Latino Arts gallery at the United Community Center.

“Our main goals were to help curate the exhibit based on the materials which had been gathered as well as to create a timeline for display. We were also asked to work with the UWM oral histories project and create a brochure for the exhibit,” explained Smith.  

The team scoured the Wisconsin Historical Society and UW-Milwaukee archives in search of the most detailed information so they could write captions and titles for the photos, as well as develop a timeline and brochure for the exhibit. Their community partners and exhibit contributors also served as valuable resources throughout their project.

“For students who had very little experience in working on an art exhibit as well as little knowledge about the movement, it was very powerful and an incredible opportunity that we hope to take lessons from to our future endeavors,” said Smith.

Not only did the group learn about the Farm Workers Movement and gain valuable organizational and teamworking skillsets, but they were also introduced to the MSOE Mindset. The MSOE Mindset identifies graduates as leaders of character; responsible professionals, passionate learners; and value creators. This year-long project gave them the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge of these characteristics.

“A large amount of this project was working with multiple organizations to help pull all of this together, and we made a lot of progress in terms of strengthening our professional and interpersonal communications skills through email contact, weekly online meetings and in-person excursions to multiple locations including the United Community Center and the Grohmann Museum,” said Smith.

The Familias Unidas exhibit is on display at the Grohmann Museum now through Aug. 21. Learn more about the exhibit or watch a video of Smith, Sprigler and Rynes setting up the exhibit.