History student curates museum exhibit

By Abby Thornton

An Anderson University student recently created an exhibit on women in American history for the Anderson County Museum.

Elyse Conley, a senior history major, curated the display as a special project while completing an internship at the museum.

Conley was challenged with creating an experience for museum goers using only artifacts the museum already had or that could be acquired through a trading system between museums. Her objective was to design a four-part display highlighting American women during wartime and to find artifacts that told their stories in a cohesive manner.

Elyse Conley at the exhibit on American women in wartime she curated.

(Photo courtesy Elyse Conley)

One portion of the display focused on the American Civil War for which Conley selected such items as the diary of Emmala Reed of Anderson who shared her experiences as a young woman during the war and Reconstruction period that followed. The exhibit also contained a Confederate bill and change purse from the era that was used to highlight the financial challenges women faced at that time.

Another part of the exhibit featured a nursing uniform and other items that belonged to Evelyn Crenshaw of Pendleton, who served as a nurse during World War II.

Conley said finding a physical artifact that is visually engaging and communicates a trend or concept can be a rewarding challenge.

She said the key is to “allow the artifacts to speak their story instead of imposing your vision on them.”

A portion of Conley’s display focused on Anderson County women during the Civil War.

(Photo courtesy Elyse Conley)

To highlight Anderson County women during World War II, Conley selected a nursing uniform and blood pressure monitor that belonged to Evelyn Crenshaw of Pendleton to display.

(Photo courtesy Elyse Conley)