A collection of contemporary Native American artwork that had been donated to the University of Minnesota Morris by Gershon “Gus” and Betty Gendler is comprised primarily of pottery and Hopi Katsina figurines. It was the Gendlers’ hope that students would be able to work collaboratively with their instructors to catalog the collection and gain practical experience for museum and archival work.
This spring, art history students Sam Rekstad ’26, St. Louis Park, and Raven Barickman ’27, St. Paul, were able to do just that. Professor of Art History Priyanka Basu supervised them in their research and study of the extensive collection. When Basu invited them to do the project, Rekstad was enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with an art collection right on campus. Barickman too was excited about taking on the opportunity, but wondered whether they were the right student for it. Basu ensured them that they’d be a good fit documenting the objects with care.
“I ended up taking it and ... I'm certainly glad I did,” says Barickman.
Rekstad researched the history and the contemporary and historic class of the Katsina figurines and found them to be most prevalent in the southwest United States. They discovered that the figures are more for visual enjoyment, rather than meant to serve a ceremonial purpose, as some had thought.
“They're definitely made for a tourist market,” Rekstad says.
Barickman also researched the Katsina figurines and plans to do more in the fall with the Gendler collection’s southwestern Indigenous pottery. Both students learned about caring for and managing the collection, along with how to catalog, preserve and display it.
Because the Gendler collection had not included much documentation, the students examined stylistic details of each piece and what those could indicate, as well as who the artist was, and documented what they found out. Throughout the project, Rekstad and Barickman consulted experts, including a photographer with experience in art photography, who showed them how to properly photograph the collection. They took pictures of each piece as part of their documentation.
Rekstad appreciated the hands-on learning opportunity this project provided. “I do just find it generally beneficial to research art objects and have familiarity with a wide range of different … creations.”
“I've just always really been fascinated by art history, and I haven't really had much of an opportunity to look at, like, Indigenous, Native American, Mesoamerican art as much as I have... Western art classes,” says Barickman. “So this is a really great opportunity, and I learned a lot of valuable things from it.”
In thinking about how to apply this experience to their post-graduation plans, Rekstad says, “My absolute, like, ideal job would be to be working on comics.” Rekstad liked how this particular collection with its dynamic qualities and colorful features can carry over to that medium. “They're just very expressive in unique ways. I do think that translates well.”
Barickman wants to make art part of their career. “I do kind of want to work in collections and this is a bit of a step towards that.”
Both are happy they chose UMN Morris.
Barickman recalls visiting several schools and meeting with one of the art professors during his Morris visit. “[W]e hit it off pretty well, and I liked the vibe of campus … so I was just like, you know what, I'm going to go here.”
Rekstad transferred from the Twin Cities campus. “[A]s soon as I got here, I just, I was sad that I would only be here for two years. I don't know, there's so much more … opportunity here. It's kind of astounding…. I really like it here. I feel like I'm actually doing something. I’m glad that I’m here.”