Team
The Investigating Provenance and Post-colonial Perspectives in the George and Louise Patten Collection of Salem Hyde Cultural Artifacts exhibition was developed by Chelsey Paige with assistance from Mallory Crook. Paige has been working in Special Collections as student assistant and Undergraduate Research Training Opportunity Program Scholars (URTOPS) mentee since Spring 2020. Mallory Crook began working in Special Collections as a student assistant in Spring 2021. Both students were generously supported by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE), and have worked closely with Dr. Olivia Wolf, Assistant Professor of Art History, and Carolyn Runyon, Director of Special Collections, to develop the exhibition.
Chelsey Paige is a senior Art History major and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor. Her research uses a pedagogical approach to the archive by examining collection ethics and post-colonial perspectives. She hopes to pursue Art History, Digital Humanities, or Museum Studies in graduate school. Her favorite artifact in the collection is the pre-Columbian bat figurine head (MS-022-01-02-040), because her cousin told her it looks like baby Yoda, and now she can't unsee it.
Mallory Crook is a senior Anthropology major and an Art History minor. She is passionate about education and learning ways to incorporate an interdisciplinary position in regards to her work. She hopes to pursue Museum Education or African American Art History in graduate school. Her favorite artifact in the collection is the pre-Columbian Jama Coaque female figurine (MS-022-01-02-035), because it was the first artifact she encountered in the collection and it's been her favorite ever since!
Dr. Olivia Wolf is an Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to conduct original research on the rich resources of UTC's Special Collections with the help of talented student scholars and the Director of Special Collections, Carolyn Runyon. Dr. Wolf is especially grateful for the new insights and information on arts of the Americas that have emerged from working on the George and Louise Patten collection of Salem Hyde papers and cultural artifacts. Her favorite artifact in the collection is the pre-Columbian ceramic vessel with human motif (MS-022-01-01-029), because of its unique facial features, lively expression, and the questions surrounding its potential use.
Carolyn Runyon is the Director of Special Collections at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she works with students like Chelsey and Mallory to develop content that promotes the use and understanding of the unique materials in the repository. Her favorite artifact in the collection is the pre-Columbian animal figurine (MS-022-01-02-028), because she thinks it looks like her pet dog, Monster.