STEAM at the Forefront of Positive Change: A Virtual Exploration of Ted Ellis’s Writing a New History
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
Ted Ellis’s painting Writing a New History demonstrates how STEAM fields of study can advance communities of color and make a positive change in young African American lives. The term STEAM represents the inclusion of the arts into traditional STEM fields of study, which are science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Ellis, a recently appointed Old Dominion University Scholar-in-Residence at the College of Arts and Letters, is a self-proclaimed creative historian with ample experience in both science and the arts. His focus on American culture and heritage is deeply rooted in all of his paintings, including Writing a New History which was recently acquired by the Barry Art Museum. The Barry Art Museum facility and collection were graciously donated to ODU by Richard and Carolyn Barry in 2015. The museum houses a vast variety of glass, American modernist paintings, and the world’s only permanent doll exhibition. A Fall 2020 internship presented the challenge of creating a virtual public program that would engage the Barry Art Museum’s audience safely given the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context I proposed an interactive exploration of Ellis’s painting that highlights its connections to history and Ellis personally. With Ellis’s guidance and support, I was able to create a component by which visitors can interface with the painting on the museum’s website. This project illuminates Ellis’s painting in a way unseen prior in the Barry’s public programming by explaining each of its components in a way that is easily digestible and engaging. Users are able to explore Ellis’s work at their own pace and gain unique insight into the historic painting that seamlessly fits into the educational setting of the museum.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Vittorio Colaizzi
College Affiliation
College of Arts & Letters
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Disciplines
Museum Studies | Painting
Session Title
Art History 1: Art at Work
Location
Zoom Room G
Start Date
3-20-2021 10:00 AM
End Date
3-20-2021 10:55 AM
STEAM at the Forefront of Positive Change: A Virtual Exploration of Ted Ellis’s Writing a New History
Zoom Room G
Ted Ellis’s painting Writing a New History demonstrates how STEAM fields of study can advance communities of color and make a positive change in young African American lives. The term STEAM represents the inclusion of the arts into traditional STEM fields of study, which are science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Ellis, a recently appointed Old Dominion University Scholar-in-Residence at the College of Arts and Letters, is a self-proclaimed creative historian with ample experience in both science and the arts. His focus on American culture and heritage is deeply rooted in all of his paintings, including Writing a New History which was recently acquired by the Barry Art Museum. The Barry Art Museum facility and collection were graciously donated to ODU by Richard and Carolyn Barry in 2015. The museum houses a vast variety of glass, American modernist paintings, and the world’s only permanent doll exhibition. A Fall 2020 internship presented the challenge of creating a virtual public program that would engage the Barry Art Museum’s audience safely given the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context I proposed an interactive exploration of Ellis’s painting that highlights its connections to history and Ellis personally. With Ellis’s guidance and support, I was able to create a component by which visitors can interface with the painting on the museum’s website. This project illuminates Ellis’s painting in a way unseen prior in the Barry’s public programming by explaining each of its components in a way that is easily digestible and engaging. Users are able to explore Ellis’s work at their own pace and gain unique insight into the historic painting that seamlessly fits into the educational setting of the museum.