February 1, 2019
“The Lucky Ones,” a photo exhibit that features refugees arriving in Idaho, is currently on display until Feb. 12 in the Corr Gallery, located in Main Hall. This curated exhibit is the work of Montana Western alumna, Madeline Scott.
Scott graduated from UMW in 2014 with a degree in Equine Business. It was her love of horses that drew her to Montana from her home state of Washington.
During her time at Montana Western, Scott really began to focus on her photography. She attended a photography workshop taught by renowned cowboy photographer, David Stoecklein and the experience inspired her to document the cowboy way of life. Often block breaks from school would find Madeline taking pictures of ranch life around Dillon, Mont.
After graduation, Scott moved to Boise, Idaho. Through her volunteer work at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), she was asked to take pictures of refugees arriving at the Boise airport.
“I had empathy and I had a camera,” Scott explained while presenting on her photo exhibit at Montana Western.
The exhibit is displayed like a timeline, starting on Jan. 27, 2017. Scott photographed the arrival of two families from the Democratic Republic of Congo and one family from Syria.
The exhibit concludes with images taken six to nine months after the families arrived. Scott again took pictures of the individuals, documenting how they had transitioned into life in the United States.
Scott is humbled to be able to display her work at her alma mater. The broad spectrum business education she gained while attending UMW has proven beneficial to her entrepreneurial and artistic endeavors.
“College was such a period of growth for me. I am just now learning that my time at UMW afforded me the opportunities I have now,” Scott stated.
Katrina Kennett, who teaches EDU 370 at UMW, wanted to find a way to incorporate what was happening in the Corr Gallery with her class “Integrating Technology into Education.”
“When people think technology they think things like iPad but I challenged my students to think, ok what can I do with an iPad,” Kennett explained.
Students in the class created eBooks that covered a wide array of topics associated with refugees. The books could be accessed by scanning a QR code with any smart device.
“The project was challenging because I found enough information to write a 200-page book but I had to pare it down to like 12 pages,” explained Brady Ovitt, a UMW student in Kennett’s class.
An Associated Panel on Refugee Resettlement accompanied the “Lucky Ones” gallery opening and students in EDU 370 were required to attend the discussion to gain more knowledge and inspiration for their project.
“It was really eye opening,” stated Cameron Fuentez, who is an Elementary Education major. Her eBook was a lesson plan that could be used by teachers and was geared toward first graders.
The Corr Gallery has rotating exhibits and Kennett plans to find ways to incorporate the art on display into her future EDU 370 classes.
For more information about the Fine Arts Gallery, please contact Aja Mujinga Sherrard at [email protected].
