An Introduction To a Larger Conversation

By: Josh Herring

Chris Molinski leading a tour

A rented space stuffed in a row of old buildings under the shadow of a crumbling AT&T building in Knoxville, Tennessee reflected the desire to showcase spontaneity and intimacy. Thousands of people from around the country would drop into the now sparsely populated North Gay St parlor to see the hype. The red bricked building and curated exhibit flourished under the guidance of its curators, sparking the career of one in particular.

Today, Chris Molinski serves as the Director of Education, Engagement and Learning at Jules Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts at Auburn University (JCSM). He credits this exhibition for spurring his career and thus, his love for art and its connection to the world around us. “I had never organized an exhibition. I had never thought of working at a museum or a cultural center. And once I started doing it, I realized that I loved doing it, and I wanted to figure out how to keep doing it,” Molinski said.

Molinski’s experience with the impromptu exhibition caught the attention of the Knoxville Museum of Art and they connected for further collaboration. In the interest of the effect of art in public spaces, Molinski pursued further education in MFA programs from Goldsmiths, London University and Harvard University. In his time at Harvard, Molinski specialized in curation, specifically within academic and public programs.

However, despite its brand as a pinnacle of education and expertise, Harvard is not without its faults. The traditionalism of one of the country’s oldest universities causes friction. As a curator looking to break barriers and spark new conversations, Molinski struggled with the dynamic of stagnation. Unlike Harvard, Auburn University – and “The Jule” museum – is the opposite. He said, “…there's much more potential here to do things flexibly and creatively because there's kind of like an open-ended sense of possibility.” Molinski continued, “Harvard, ironically, is the opposite of that in that it takes a long time to do anything and that there are many roadblocks in the way of change or new ideas.”

The introduction of the new exhibits at the Jules Collins Smith Museum, on display until December 30th, 2022, serves as an example of the initiation of difficult conversations where stagnation is not an option. The deep maroon on the walls of the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection tells the story of an ominous, and often a bloody, history. Additionally, the red clay and smells of magnolias and honey from the exhibits of RaMell Ross and Manon Bellet, respectively, connect and ground the human experience in nature.

Human experience, especially in the space of the museum, is Molinski's driving force. Since his hiring in August of 2021, the connection between the university and the museum, along with outreach programs to groups outside of Auburn, birthed new relationships previously unseen.

Christy Barlow, the PreK-12 and Family Programs Manager at JCSM, credits Molinski’s “enthusiasm and openness to new ideas” in fostering these connections. “We’re much more of a team,” under Molinski’s leadership, Barlow said.

The journey to understanding these evocative works, at least for Molinski, starts with embracing art. Due to familial connection, Molinski stayed close to his home in Connecticut until meeting his wife who had family in Tennessee.

Here, the soft-spoken art student discovered, or more aptly, was shocked, into the realization that art is more than what meets the eye.

His journey was defined by confusion. He said, “it [art] was, it was like either aesthetically jarring or, like, conceptually surprising that you were like, what is happening here?” Molinski said with a chuckle, “I don't understand anymore. I don't understand what art is anymore,” – and the desire to learn and understand led to the creation of his exhibit in Knoxville.

A job opening in Auburn, Alabama, in part due to its geographic relativity to their family and its connection to the university, allowed Molinski to take on the challenge of uniting the museum space and making it integral to the university experience. He wants the museum to embody central themes: education, connection, integral, and “creating chaos.”

Allowing the average viewer of art to walk away with a lesson they can take with them is the ultimate goal. The Jules Collins Smith Museum can “sit at the intersection,” Molinski says, of life at Auburn, only if the viewer allows it.

Art is vital in viewing the world around us, that opens potential unforeseen, and thereby instills the viewer with an empathic, innate love for human creation. That connection allows the viewer to delve into a world that is much bigger than themselves. Molinski refused to let the loud history of quieted, oppressed voices to continue in the museum sphere. As such, he intruded that space, once accepting of tradition, only showcasing elite, white males. Molinski said, “I think we need to disrupt with what we do as often as possible.”