Guest Curator Program 2025

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- MOPOP Permanent Collection

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Open now through

Included in General Admission

Opens

March 20, 2025

Included in General Admission

Guest Curator Program 2025

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Chutzpah: The Jewish Voices Behind American Comics

Comic books are a quintessential part of American pop culture. You might know the narratives shown on the big screen, but do you know the Jewish creators who infused both heroes and villains with their own history, culture, and experiences?

The Amazing Spider-Man owned by Jimi Hendrix, MOPOP Permanent Collection; Moon Knight: Legacy owned by Madeleine O’Connor.

About the Curator

Madeleine O’Connor is a Jewish American artist and Museology graduate student at University of Washington. After graduating from San Francisco State with a bachelor's in art history, she made her way to Seattle where she served as the collections and education intern for The Holocaust Center for Humanity, handling the stories of survivors, and the memories of their lost loved ones. 

Exhibition Highlights

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Soundproof Rooms

Twelve acoustically isolated rooms known as studio pods, contain interactive devices, gear, and traditional instruments. Take a lesson, jam with others in the room, try out vocals, and learn about the art of mixing. Special reverberation technology lets you adjust the sound so it's as big as an amphitheater, or as intimate as a living room.

Trios

Each of the tall semi-enclosed structures on Sound Lab's main floor contains three interactive instruments, including guitar, bass, keyboard or drums. These instruments use sophisticated audio, computer graphics and MIDI to guide you through a variety of learning activities, whether it's learning to play "Louie Louie," or discovering what a 12-bar blues is. You can also choose to forego a lesson to play instruments on your own or with friends and family. Acoustically optimized dividers in each trio let you rock your socks off without disturbing anyone else.

The Big Drum

The heart of Sound Lab, The Big Drum recalls the early rhythms our ancestors played around the fire. You don't need any special skills to play it, other than the ones you'd bring to a conversation. Just listen and answer back.

Audio Technology Interactives

How do guitar players make such different sounds? Can an audio engineer really fix it in the mix? Technology has played a huge role in the creation of the sounds of rock 'n' roll, both behind the scenes in the recording studio and up on the bandstand. Find out more about the recording process, amps, samplers, effects pedals, and microphones.

DJ Hallway

In the hands of a skilled DJ, turntables can produce music that would have been impossible just a few short decades ago. Ever wonder how DJs make that scratching sound or move from one record to the next? Find out in DJ Hallway, situated in the back of Sound Lab.

Jam Studios

Check out the state-of-the-art Jam Studio where you can record your own song using drums, guitars, keyboards, and vocals, then download and share with your friends for free.

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Queen's Palace, Morel, 2019, cover for the Queen's Palace Season 2. Published by Fuyao Culture, 2023

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Exhibition Details

Launched in 2022, MOPOP’s Guest Curator program highlights emerging curators and voices, providing insights into exhibition creation and development. Guest curators gain hands-on experience working with MOPOP’s Curatorial, Collections, and Exhibits teams while sharing valuable new perspectives on MOPOP’s permanent and oral history collections. In this fifth edition, Guest Curator Madeleine O’Connor explores the Jewish creators who shaped American comics, infusing heroes and villains with their unique history, culture, and experiences.

Featuring artifacts from The Amazing Spider-Man: The Birth of a Super Hero! and Moon Knight: Legacy, among others.

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