BIO

My name is Shena Kamata, and I am currently a second-year Art History major. I am also pursuing minors in Museum Studies and Anthropology. I am interested in museum work, specifically the curation and installation processes. I hope to one day work in the public arts and museum field.
I'm a Tallahassee native, but I hope to one day expand my horizons outside of Florida. In my free time, I like to draw and play games with my friends.

The Art of Bonding: Third Places in Museum Exhibitions

Abstract

Third places are spaces outside of the home and work, first and second place respectively (Oldenburg, 1989). Recently, museum spaces have been utilized as a place of community and learning, which many have observed can be considered a third place. While the need for third places for young adults has been noted, there is little research concerning university students specifically. Florida State University’s Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) is a small museum extending from the College of Fine Arts. By curating an exhibit with interactive features directly addressing the audience, and catering to FSU students and faculty, a third place can be created for members of the community. The Art of Bonding was cocurated by MoFA staff members, including student interns, and featured artists, Hu Bei and Hu Bao, twin sisters. Their works and the show had a theme of human connection and belonging, tying into the idea of third places, especially for university students. Through analyzing survey data and documenting visitors' comments, we can observe how the MoFA space is viewed by the FSU community.

Keywords: museums, exhibit, art, install, third places