The Kelsey Museum is pleased to announce the two winners of the 2023–2024 Kelsey Prize for Excellence in Archaeological Research and Interpretation: Erin Evans and Nicole Persad. An annual competition open to undergraduates at UM-Ann Arbor, UM-Dearborn, and UM-Flint, the Kelsey Prize invites students to explore the stories behind the objects at the Kelsey Museum.
Erin Evans is a senior studying creative writing and literature in the Residential College and the Department of Film, Television, and Media. Her prize-winning essay, “Ancient Midwives between Binaries,” uses a Roman inscription at the Kelsey Museum as an avenue to explore the field of midwifery and the effects it had on ancient women’s identities.
Nicole Persad is a fourth-year student double-majoring in art and design and in art history, with a minor in entrepreneurship. For her Kelsey Prize submission, Nicole submitted an oil painting titled “Layers of Legacy: Found Objects in Archaeology,” in which she translated several Kelsey Museum artifacts into a two-dimensional visual narrative.
A mini-exhibition featuring objects related to Erin’s and Nicole’s projects is currently on view at the Kelsey. The winners will also be honored in an award ceremony at Newberry Hall (434 S. State Street, Ann Arbor) on Friday, April 5, from 3 to 4 PM. Learn more about the winners and read their prize-winning projects here.
