Following their examination of the documents, students wrote reflections on what they had spent the day learning about. For Kristin Earnest, a senior Arts Administration major with minors in Music Performance and Creative Writing, the experience inspired contemplation about not only practices in arts administration but also the nuances in artistic legacies.
“When doing our reflection exercise, I was contemplating on the idea of how the physical things we leave behind may impact what future generations think about us,” reflected Earnest. “Beyond the flashier things like Ian’s guitar and her songbook (which were still incredibly cool), how does the way she communicated with people change our view of her? The way she reacted to things, the way people interacted with her, the way things were handled outside of her control. That’s sort of where that poem came from- all of the questions that arise from thinking about the legacy we leave behind, and the amount of agency we have over it.”
This opportunity gave students the chance to examine their own role as arts administrators on a deeper, more personal level while engaging with professional materials that reflect their studies in arts administration.
“I really enjoyed visiting the Janis Ian archive! I feel like learning about her in that way gave me a completely new perspective on her and her music, in a way that reading about her through articles or pages online wouldn’t,” Earnest said. “Getting to see all of the incredibly detailed documents like contracts, licensing agreements, and event plans was very aligned with what we do in arts administration. I always love to learn about more things that go into the creation of art and the execution of an arts event—the level of detail and learning in this field is endless and that’s fascinating to me.”
Students’ reflections will be shared with Janis Ian and may be included as part of the collection’s exhibition, which is planned to become available for public viewing later in 2024.