Revolution Exhibitions with Year 11

Earlier this year, Year 11 Modern History students completed museum exhibitions in small groups to be displayed and presented for parents, carers, fellow students and teachers. Students were required to research a revolution or revolutionary leader, carefully crafting the exhibitions based on a criteria of engagement and information.

Our group chose to create an exhibition on the life and revolutionary activities and impacts of Cuban revolutionary leader, Che Guevara. Within our exhibition we had a detailed timeline of his life, his legacy and impacts, ideology, detailed sources from his closest family and friends as well as a variety of letters and photos.

On our display table we included a looping video of testimonies, some Cuban snacks and military gear which Che Guevara could have used during his time in the Cuban Revolution. We worked throughout the entire term, gathering relevant artefacts and creating an engaging exhibition for teachers and students. We drew from our knowledge of museum curation which we had learned from a visit to the Sydney Jewish Museum (SJM) in Term 1.

The excursion was a valuable experience for all modern history students as it provided rare opportunities to learn about the deeply personal and complex nature of museum curation. Visiting the SJM greatly affected how we created our exhibit as we learned the best techniques to keep audiences engaged and interested while visiting museums. The task was unlike other assessments and an experience which engaged students to create exhibits for peers, which culminated in impressive exhibits from all students.

Sophie Kilburn, Nina Rochfort, Caitlyn Lu

PS A message from Ms Wark

The girls very modestly failed to mention they won the prestigious People’s Choice Award which was voted on by junior students, parents and non-history teachers. Congratulations Sophie, Nina and Caitlyn!