Each year, the Art Institute of Chicago hosts University PartnerFest, an open day of programming and networking opportunities for university students interested in museum careers. As part of PartnerFest programming, students are invited to give gallery talks about chosen works of art on view at the Art Institute. On February 21, 2026, Block Student Associates Ethan Bledsoe and Isaac Lageschulte represented Northwestern with their gallery talks.

Isaac Lageschulte (Anthropology, 2027) took a moment to reflect on touring Joseph Mallord William Turner’s Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish (1837–38)

 When I was offered the opportunity to participate in the Art Institute’s ParterFest and facilitate in a gallery for an hour, I immediately knew which work I wanted to study: Gustave Caillebotte’s Yerres, Effect of Rain, a gorgeous oil painting I had first encountered the summer before. Unfortunately, Yerres was no longer on display by the time ParterFest rolled around, so I instead pivoted to a work that, on the surface, appeared to be similar: Joseph Mallord William Turner’s Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish, a mid-19th century maritime oil painting. 

Researching about Turner’s life and work in preparation for my facilitation, I realized that my original equivalence of Turner’s painting to Yerres was fundamentally incorrect. Turner’s elevation of land- and seascapes made him one of the most influential British painters in history, and Fishing Boats proves his mastery of the maritime seascape genre on a massive scale. The painting is rife with clashes, from humans versus nature to the contrasts between dark and light (Turner’s late works elevated lighting and atmospheric effects to be central to the painting). Looking closely at the horizon, we also see contemporary technology clashing, with a lone steamboat tucked into the darkened clouds. 

One of my favorite questions to ask a visitor at any museum is, What is the third thing you noticed? My intention is to encourage the audience to look past their first impressions, to understand where these impressions come from, and to consider which details stood out and when/why. Many of the answers that Saturday focused on the large sailboat in the front left of the painting, but the fascinating part was the range of reasons provided. Ranging from the details of the faces onboard to the boat sitting on the highest part of the ocean to the way the front sail was fully lit, it was clear that each visitor had a unique interaction with this work, and a unique approach to understanding. 

“One of my favorite questions to ask a visitor at any museum is, What is the third thing you noticed? My intention is to encourage the audience to look past their first impressions, to understand where these impressions come from, and to consider which details stood out and when/why.”

Facilitating in a gallery at the AIC feels entirely different from leading tours at the Block. At the Block, visitors come to learn through conversations; the AIC doesn’t prepare visitors the same way. I came into the afternoon understanding that I needed new approaches to initiating conversation. Planting myself next to Turner’s massive painting, hoping I didn’t look any combination of nervous, awkward, or intimidating, I had new concerns flying through my mind: How can I initiate a conversation? How can I keep a visitor engaged? Most importantly, Do these guests even want to stop and talk about this art? It turns out that everybody was happy to talk. Some wanted to hear why I chose this particular painting, and some wanted to share their own anecdotes. Regardless of how the conversation began, we always circled back to one main question: Why did you choose to stop and talk about this painting in particular? Not one guest’s answer matched my own; as a matter of fact, none of the guests’ answers matched each other’s. The opportunity to experience a painting for the first time is uniquely individual. That is why I tried to keep my interpretations of Turner’s painting to a minimum here. So now I’ll ask you: whether online or at the Art Institute, what is the third thing you noticed?