A Graduate Student’s Show of ‘Drexel Studies’

Visitors to 'Drexel Studies' are encouraged to draw and respond to prompts — on a special wall in the exhibition.

“As spaces for dialogue and introspection, museums and galleries can serve as bridges, fostering understanding and connection,” said Ran Liu, MS arts administration and museum leadership ’24. “I hope Drexel Studies — and museums in general — can create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for visitors, encouraging thoughtful engagement and mutual respect.” 

Drexel Studies: A Journey of Artistic Adventure, which Liu curated, shows the work that goes into a finished project. It also highlights the power of encouraging visitor feedback and participation in an art gallery setting. The exhibition showcases objects from the Drexel Founding Collection, the University’s flagship art collection, and also encourages visitors to both sketch those pieces of art and color and answer prompts on a wall (really!).

The free exhibition is open until Dec. 20 on Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s located in the Paul Peck Alumni Center Gallery at 3142 Market St. on Drexel University’s campus, which can be accessed through the back doors off the Perelman Plaza.

 In this Q&A, the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design graduate student shared the personal and professional journey behind creating Drexel Studies, how the experiential learning shaped her understanding of a curator’s role and job and what she hopes visitors take away from spending time in the exhibition.

Q: How did you get involved with the Drexel Founding Collection?

A: I first met Lynn Clouser Waddell, the director of the Founding Collection, as a guest speaker in an “Exhibitions and Programming” course taught by Derek Gillman [Derek Gillman, PhD, is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of Art History & Arts Administration in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design]. Later, during one of our classes held in the Peck Center, Lynn guided us through a session where we learned how to handle and preserve artifacts.

This type of hands-on learning was exactly what I had hoped to gain from my graduate program at Drexel. After the class, I reached out to Lynn, and she happened to have a cataloguing project that needed attention. Cataloguing became my first project with the Founding Collection, laying the foundation for what would later become the Drexel Studies exhibition.

Ran Liu working to install the objects in the exhibition. Photo courtesy Ran Liu.

Q: Where did the idea for Drexel Studies come from?

A: It originated from Lynn, and my task was to enrich the concept. While conceptualizing the exhibition, I constantly thought about what “studies” meant and what aspects of the process of “studies” would interest the audience. When I look at artworks in a museum, what I find fascinating is not just the final piece but the creation story behind it — the journey of an artwork from a blank canvas to its completion. Drexel Studies aims to present the essence of this journey. The exhibition includes practice works of artists, and it features designers’ sketches and the tools from Drexel’s Fox Historic Costume Collection [Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection].

I wanted Drexel Studies to be a dynamic experience. I envisioned transforming the Peck Center into a space for learning and relaxation, which is why we included sketchbooks and paint markers in the exhibition for visitors to engage with the artistic process. My goal was for each visitor to not only passively absorb curatorial concepts but also to leave with a sense of inspiration. People drew Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” and “Sunflowers” on the interactive graffiti wall, which deeply moved me because it demonstrated the exhibition’s success in creating a space for learning and expression. 

Drexel Studies also collaborated with the College of Nursing and Health Professions’ art therapy program, hosting weekly art therapy-related activities in the Peck Center. This collaboration further confirmed that the exhibition could also be a place for healing.

Q: How long did you work on Drexel Studies? What did you do to put it together?

A: The preparation time for Drexel Studies was approximately one month and I was involved in almost every exhibition aspect, which included deciding on sub-themes, breaking down the main theme into different types of art and carefully selecting the pieces from the Founding Collection’s archives that aligned with the theme. I also adjusted the theme based on the pieces we found. 

The installation phase was filled with many detailed and often mundane tasks. For example, I needed to determine the artwork’s placement, design the visitor experience flow and manage practicalities like lighting arrangements and cleaning the glass display cases. This phase gave me a deeper understanding of the whole process of exhibition planning.

Some of the Drexel Founding Collection art and objects as seen in Drexel Studies.

Q: Can you talk about the walls in the exhibition that people can draw on? Where did that idea come from?

A: The idea for the interactive graffiti wall originated from a “Curatorial Management” class visit to the Drexel Founding Collection’s ELECTRIFIED: 50 Years of Electric Factory exhibition, which featured an entire wall covered with sticky notes with written visitor responses. Seeing so many unique responses inspired me. Inviting visitors to actively participate in the storytelling of the exhibition, rather than simply receiving curatorial messages passively, is essential. 

The layout of the outer room at the Peck Center was ideally suited for installing a whole graffiti wall where visitors could leave their mark. The interactive space was designed to make the exhibition a living, evolving entity shaped by the contributions of each visitor. The inspiration for the graffiti wall came from street art and community murals, where people were free to express themselves. Now, every visitor can become part of Drexel Studies, whether by adding their ideas, leaving messages or experimenting in the sketching area. Every visitor’s participation brought unique perspectives to the wall.

Q: How did your experience at Drexel help you with creating Drexel Studies?

A: It is because of all my past experiences that I have become who I am today, and it is because of my journey at Drexel that Drexel Studies has taken its current form. Drexel, my college and my program all foster an atmosphere of openness and inclusivity, allowing me to explore, experiment and push boundaries in ways that might not have been possible in a more rigid environment.

Our courses go beyond teaching technical skills like curatorial methods and exhibition design; they also challenge us to think critically about the stories we want to tell and the impact we hope those stories will have. This blend of technical expertise and critical reflection has been instrumental in shaping Drexel Studies, as it encouraged me to approach the exhibition not only as a showcase but also as a platform for exploration, engagement and meaningful storytelling.

Visitor responses to a prompt in the Drexel Studies exhibition. Photo courtesy Ran Liu.

Q: What did you learn while creating Drexel Studies? 

A: On a practical level, it was my first real-world response to a cross-cultural environment and the dynamics of intercultural communication. Through this exhibition, I was able to participate in and facilitate a broader dialogue about how art and culture connect us, even when we come from vastly different backgrounds.

Of course, I learned many other things from Drexel Studies. I came to understand how the emotional and expressive power of art can resonate with people, which deepened my understanding of the role of a curator — not just as someone who selects works but as a facilitator of connections between people and ideas. I also learned how to adapt quickly under tight deadlines, how to better understand audience needs and how to balance conceptual ambitions with the practical challenges of exhibition-making. 

Ultimately, Drexel Studies was not just about showcasing art; it was about fostering human connections and building a platform where different voices and perspectives could come together. This experience taught me the transformative potential of art in creating spaces that encourage reflection, dialogue and mutual understanding.

The wooden church model and knitted architecture plans in the cabinet were named some of Liu’s favorite pieces of the exhibition. Photo courtesy Ran Liu.

Q: What are some of your favorite parts of Drexel Studies? 

A: This question is tough to answer, as every part of the exhibition carries a piece of the message I wanted to convey. For instance, the corner with the York Church Model creates a sense of harmony and tranquility, with the wooden church model and the knitted architectural plans complementing each other in form and line. Adjacent to this is a sketch wall mimicking the casual placement of decorative art in a home, evoking a sense of familiarity and relaxation. In front of the sketch wall, the glass display case houses artworks arranged as still-life compositions, each glowing vibrantly thanks to carefully adjusted lighting. 

In the treasure cabinet, three sculptures — a pair of plaster sculptures and a Buddha sculpture — represent different cultural expressions and mediums. Standing to the right of this case, you can view all three sculptures through the circular frame atop the Buddha statue, aligning them within a single field of vision. This perspective is intended to convey the idea of "harmony in diversity," celebrating unity while respecting individuality.

Q: What is next? When do you graduate? How will this experience influence what you want to do after Drexel?

A: I am graduating this December, and I feel that my goals remain unchanged. When I first entered this program, one of the major turning points that solidified my decision to pursue a career in museums was the heightened global discourse surrounding artifact repatriation at institutions like the British Museum. I aim to engage with challenging but meaningful topics in the field, such as artifact repatriation and other critical museum issues.

Before joining Drexel’s Museum Leadership program, I worked in the media industry, contributing to major television productions and managing commercial partnerships for social media influencers with millions of followers. After graduation, I plan to continue exploring ways to integrate my media experience with the museum sector. I am preparing to launch my own social media platform, where I hope to further bridge the gap between my expertise in media and my passion for museum work.