Tanja Hollander

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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Teen Curatorial Study Hall

“The Curatorial Study Hall leads students to explore creating, interpreting, and designing exhibitions. Tanja revealed to our students how much more photographs are than simply what appears before the camera. They loved sharing their stories with her, while my fellow instructor and I were fascinated to see how she brought everything into a new light through these conversations about objects and experiences with Covid, inspiring our students to think in new and interesting ways.” Karen E. Haas, Lane Senior Curator of Photographs, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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It was nice to look around my room and actively think about what objects I had laying around that I would consider meaningful to me, or representative of who I am. I had never really thought about these objects as ephemera before this experience. It reminded me that although objects really are just objects, the memories and emotions we attach to them make them a lot more significant.

I definitely didn’t know what to expect before opening up the prints. After opening it up, my first reaction was shock at how beautiful it turned out. The colors of the fan stood out against the black background and really made me see it in a different light. I’ve never seen a personal possession of mine photographed professionally. It almost made it look a little unfamiliar to me.

I think this experience, as I said before, really gets you thinking about the objects in a different light. Being deliberate in your choices leads to deeper thought surrounding what these objects mean to you, and actually has you treasure/appreciate them a lot more.  

I was particularly nervous sending them to you, but it was definitely weird sending something personal to someone I didn’t know very well.

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At first, I was just rummaging through my closet trying to find things that would be considered ephemera. However, as I kept finding new things, I would think “huh, I forgot I had this.” Each of my objects means or has meant something to me in the past, so it was nice taking a trip down memory lane.

It was like opening up a birthday present! Since my objects were small, I was actually able to see details in the photo that I wasn’t able to see with my real eyes. It was fun to see something that I see every day photographed in high definition. I also thought that the background color matched well. It doesn’t feel like it’s mine.

I would recommend someone else do this because it’s fun to take a trip into your memories. Without this project, I probably wouldn’t have even thought of some of these objects ever again. Others, I wouldn’t have realized it’s significance in my life. It felt surreal that some of the objects used to be so important in my life, but a couple of years and moves later, I had completely forgotten.

I wasn’t nervous sending them. I think I was more excited.  All of these objects are associated with happy memories. I like how others will be able to see a snap shot of my life through their objective eyes. I don’t think it’s everyday that I will be able to be professionally photographed.

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For some of the items, I knew right away that I was going to choose them. They had deep connections to my life and they all, in one way or another, played a lasting role in my life.

It revealed to me things even I didn’t at first realize were on the turtle. I think the weathered look adds to the narrative regarding the hardships of change but at the same time the glimmer in the flaked off plastic/paint shows the beauty of said change.

It allows you to think deeply on certain aspects of your life and incapsulate it, associate it with an object others would views as just everyday items.

I wasn’t really nervous sending them. I was more excited to share the meaning behind my objects.

(Click on images to read descriptions. On mobile tap dot, bottom right corner of screen.)