Introducing BCMA Labs
Student engagement is at the heart of what we do—from class visits, independent research, student employment, to the new Student Ambassadors program. The Museum is always looking to support and celebrate the diverse and creative ways Bowdoin students engage with our collection. After almost two years of planning, we are pleased to announce the launch of BCMA Labs—an online space showcasing original student research and creative projects that engage the Museum’s collections and resources.
The name “Labs” denotes an experimental spirit and generative space that celebrates, first and foremost, the vibrancy and vision of student-led work. Envisioned as a dynamic space “for students, by students,” we hope BCMA Labs will highlight the range of student projects and inspire new collaborations between the Museum and campus.
The idea behind BCMA Labs first emerged from conversations between Museum staff and Bowdoin students, as well as student representatives on the Museum’s Advisory Council. In recent years, students have increasingly created new forms of digital content in response to experiences with the Museum’s collections, including innovative projects by individual students and BCMA student employees, student groups, and class projects undertaken with the support of Bowdoin faculty. These projects have resulted in a variety of new and dynamic outcomes, including 3D models, physical and virtual exhibitions, podcasts, short films, honors projects, original artworks, and more. The scope and quantity of these projects have only been amplified since the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of new digital tools for engaging with collections and exhibitions.
The Museum wants to thank the many Bowdoin students who have contributed their creativity, scholarship, and insight to creating innovative new content using the Museum’s rich collections. BCMA Labs was created with crucial support from colleagues at Bowdoin Academic Technology, in particular David Israel, with important contributions from Sabrina Lin ’21, Elizabeth Humphrey ’14, and Sean Burrus, the Museum’s former Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow and Interim Curator.
BCMA Labs is accessible through the Museum’s “Digital Resources” portal on its landing page and via https://courses.bowdoin.edu/bcmalabs/. Faculty, students, and student groups who wish to learn more about how to get involved with BCMA Labs are encouraged to reach out to Sabrina Lin ’21, Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs (xlin@bowdoin.edu), and Sean Kramer, Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow (s.kramer@bowdoin.edu).
Sabrina LinCuratorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs