Artemis to Armstrong: Capturing the Moon in Art and Science

As we mark the fiftieth anniversary of the first man on the moon, the moon remains an object of timeless allure, a body that is both “knowable” and “unknowable.” From the classical conception of the moon as a virgin goddess to the twentieth century’s “race to the moon,” the mystery of our closest celestial neighbor persists even as evolving technology allows us to uncover more of its secrets.

Curated by the 2019 MuseumWorks summer interns, Artemis to Armstrong uses three thematic sections to explore the relationship between wonder and science in depictions of the moon: “The Moon in Mythology, Religion, and Folklore,” “Early Science and the Moon,” and “The Preservation of Wonder.” The exhibitionunites thirteen diverse and beautiful objects (including photographs, prints, rare books, sculpture, and scientific instruments) housed across three Middlebury College collections: Armstrong Science Library, Special Collection & Archives, and the Museum of Art.

2019 MuseumWorks Interns and Host Institutions:

Kathlyn Gehl ’21.5 (Middlebury College Museum of Art)

Reid Macfarlane ’21 (Middlebury College Special Collections & Archives)

María Ramirez ’21 (Middlebury College Museum of Art)

Taylor Rossini ’20 (Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History)

Eva Ury ’21.5 (Middlebury College Museum of Art)

Liam Wynne ’21.5 (Middlebury College Armstrong Science Library)

Qing Zhao ’21 (Vermont Folklife Center)

Press Images

John Adams Whipple, The Moon, August 6, 1851, 1851, daguerreotype, 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches. Collection of Middlebury College Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the Christian A. Johnson Memorial Fund and the Overbrook Foundation, 1989.009.

Carmen Lomas Garza, Camas para soñar (Beds for Dreaming), 1993, eight-color lithograph on paper, 30 x 21 3/4 inches. Collection of Middlebury College Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the Electra Havemayer Webb Memorial Fund, 2004.031.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Jade Rabbit - Sun Wukong from One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, 1889, woodcut on paper, 14 11/16 x 9 15/16 inches. Collection of Middlebury College Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the Fine Arts Acquisition Fund, 2014.057.

Edward Jean Steichen, Moonlight: The Pond from Camera Work XIV, 1904, photogravure on paper, 6 3/8 x 8 inches. Collection of Middlebury College Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the Walter Cerf Art Acquisition Fund, 2008.025.

Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière, Bust of Diana, 1880s, bronze, 17 3/4 x 18 1/2 x 15 inches. Collection of Middlebury College Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 1979.021.

MuseumWorks, an intensive paid summer internship program, introduces motivated Middlebury College students to the field of cultural heritage through internship placements, a robust professional development curriculum, and an exhibition practicum.

Generous funding for MuseumWorks is provided by Ms. Carolyn S. Tager MA ’66, the Museum & Visual Arts Council, and the Center for Careers & Internships.