World War I On Display

By Ellen Kahle

Miami University journalism student

Imagine what it was like to be surrounded by images on every corner pleading for you to either join the military or support the war effort. Images of Uncle Sam pointing his finger saying "I want you" and pictures of gas masks that look terrifying but are meant to keep you safe. That's what it was like for the people living through World War I, known at the time as The Great War.

Sparked by the assassination of Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand, World War I pitted the Central Forces -- Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey -- against the Allies -- France, Great Britain, Russia, and later the United States. The war resulted in an enormous amount of bloodshed and the destruction of a large portion of Western Europe.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the United States' entrance into World War 1 and two exhibits hanging in the Miami University Art Museum are exploring the Great War's legacy.

The exhibit "Over Here! Over Here!" features propaganda posters used during World War I. "Advance/Retreat: Prints and the Great War" features the work of artists struggling to come to terms with the emotional toll of the war.

"Advance/Retreat" was curated by Miami University students enrolled in associate professor Pepper Stetler's Fall 2016 art history senior capstone class.

Rebecca Hughes was a student in Stetler's class. She says choosing which pieces to hang was no easy task.

"The collections manager gathered all of the printmaking works that the museum was in possession of dating from the late 1800's to the 1950's," Hughes says. "There were about 150 prints to choose from that we narrowed down to about 28 works. That was the hardest part, we had to come up with a clear theme that related to the Great War."

Stetler and her students were also tasked with creating a storyline to go along with the works.

Bridget Garnai, another capstone student, says they looked for a theme to tie the various pieces in the exhibit together.

"Although there were prints on the original list that did not directly relate to World War I, we decided to focus our exhibition on the reactions of printmakers to the global conflict," Garnai says. "While talking about some of the reactions that were very clear, we began to think of printmakers either advancing by directly confronting their experiences and critiquing society, or retreating to the comforts of the pastoral and religion to escape the horrors of the war. In some instances the artists are doing both in their prints."

The students say they were focused on making sure the exhibit was an evocative experience for museum visitors.

"I want them to read the text panels and get a feel of the artists experience and emotion attached to their work or reflected in their work," says senior capstone student Allison Dykes.

Although a historic war is the subject of these exhibits, an upcoming lecture the museum is hosting in connection with the Contemporary Art Forum will help people think about modern ways of seeing war. "Picturing Contemporary Warfare: Art in the Age of the Drone" will take place March 1 at 5:30 p.m. in the museum's auditorium.

Photo: One of the images chosen by students enrolled in the art history senior capstone. The Art History Senior Capstone Exhibition series was developed by the museum and Miami's Art & Architecture History Program. -- Photo by Ellen Kahle