Hutchison Girls at the Brooks: An Educational Takeover

Hutchison girls are taking over the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art for a day! And the Native Voices, 1950s to Now: Art for a New Understanding, will be in excellent hands for this weekend’s Teen Takeover.
The teen edition of Native Voices, created by the Fine Arts and Equity and Inclusion Councils, will include speed-dating style debates and much more.

Looking for ways to engage more young people in their latest exhibit, the Brooks tapped Hutchison girls to make it happen. The result is a debate about Native American team mascots and postcards to legislators about current Native American issues.

“This has been a great opportunity for the girls to learn how art can impact our national dialogue,” says Tracey Zerwig Ford, director of Fine Arts and Community Engagement. “They have learned so much about contemporary Native American culture. I look forward to watching their leadership in action at tomorrow’s event.”

“We came up with ideas of how we thought we could make the exhibit relatable and engaging to students of today,” says Callie Oehmler, ’20, the Fine Arts Council president. Along with the Equity and Inclusion Council, Callie’s team will be running the activities at the Brooks Teen Takeover tomorrow, from noon to 2:00 pm.

One highlight of the student-driven event will be debates in a speed-dating format. Each side gets five minutes to present their point of view, followed by a “respectable discussion” to include the audience, says Callie.

“It will be a great platform for students to have their opinions heard on relevant topics that are often swept under the rug,” says Callie. Topics include Native American mascots in athletics and cultural appropriation of Native American fashion. Teen Takeover is the ideal culmination of Equity and Inclusion Week on campus.

Amanda Lee Savage, with The University of Memphis, is the keynote speaker. Visit brooksmuseum.org for more information.
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