“This museum is so important for the community,” AMA volunteer Grace Rhoden said. “It all goes back to the education and the great things the museum brings in here.”
A KNIGHT’S TALE IN THE ARLINGTON MUSEUM OF ART’S KINGDOM
ABOUT GRACE RHODEN AND MY PHOTO ESSAY
by Katie Cannon
From October 22, 2022 through February 12, 2023, the Arlington Museum of Art hosted the Italian collection A Knight’s Tale to educate visitors on the Medieval period of history. With 130 mesmerizing objects from the Stibbert Museum, this exhibit captivated visitors of all ages with armor, weapons, knights, and more.
A Knight’s Tale brought together the city of Arlington as children gathered around elbow guards, saddles, and more with their parents to understand the life of a knight. As families flooded the building, dedicated volunteers such as Grace Rhoden gave them tours of these intriguing items. As she showed them around the exhibit, Rhoden shared her own historical stories of Arlington and how the current town came to be.
Rhoden worked alongside Mayor Tom Vandergriff, the longest-serving mayor in the history of Arlington, for 38 years. During this time, developments in the town took place such as the installation of the Texas Rangers baseball team and Lake Arlington. All these developments were for the good and helped Arlington become the community it is today, Rhoden said. The museum and exhibits like A Knight’s Tale are no exception.
“This museum is so important for the community,” Rhoden said. “It all goes back to the education and the great things the museum brings in here.”
Not only were the knights in shining armor exciting, but friendly competition among students added a level of thrill to the exhibit as well. Completing a scavenger hunt, students worked together to uncover the mysteries of the Renaissance period and learn about the ways people survived and climbed the social ladder at this point in history.
Though this exhibit has returned to its home in Florence, Italy, it served a great purpose during its time here to bring the community together. With exhibits like this, the museum will continue to build a kingdom of knowledge in Arlington.
Meet Katie Cannon
Katie is a journalism senior at the University of Texas at Arlington. She currently reports on nonprofit organizations in the North Texas area to share volunteer opportunities and crucial information to all communities.
Katie currently works at Pathlight Property Management to help prevent eviction and manages mission projects at First United Methodist Church DeSoto. In her spare time, Katie likes painting, music, art, spending time with her nieces and nephews, and advocating for the inclusion of all people in all respects.
About AMA-UTA CreateCollab
Throughout the Spring 2023 semester, the Arlington Museum of Art is partnering with The University of Texas at Arlington and a senior-level digital storytelling class to explore a wide variety of contemporary themes inspired by the museum’s mission, values, and exhibitions.
Class projects include photo essays, one-minute documentaries, and one-minute podcasts about themes as broad as sword fighting with light sabers, fulfilling family legacies, every day heroes, and modern metalsmithing.
Associate Professor of Communication Erika Pribanic-Smith, who teaches the class, values opportunities to bring real-world experiences to her students.
“My goal is to give my students real-world experience in all of my classes, creating real stories using real sources,” said Dr. Pribanic-Smith. “Creating stories that will be published for the public to see, not just submitted for a grade, gives students extra incentive to put forth their best effort. Furthermore, working with professionals gives the students another layer of feedback to re-enforce what they’re learning in the classroom. I prefer to work with organizations like the Arlington Museum of Art who will benefit in some way from the students’ content so that we are providing a service to the community.”
