Class to hold free wine exhibit Wednesday

Students will present about local wineries, ties to humanities

BENJAMIN MICHAELIS | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Local winery Merry Cellars donated corks for a sculpture at the event Wednesday.

SAM SCHMITKE, Evergreen reporter

A history course will host a wine-related art exhibit from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday in Terrell Library.

Robert McCoy, associate professor in the history department, said the event is open to the public.

“It is a graduate course interpreting history through artistic culture,” McCoy said. “The exhibit is about wine and the various parts of being responsible with wine.”

McCoy said students all had different sections to speak about and display for the exhibit.

“Some students will talk about wine and culture,” McCoy said. “Other students in the class will talk about the local wine in Washington.”

McCoy said the panels will have various art pieces and photographs of wine throughout the exhibit. They will display wine labels, bottles and corks sent in by local businesses throughout Washington.

McCoy also said that there will be a portion of the exhibit dedicated to wine aroma and wine vault smells.

John Tappan “J.T.” Menard, a second-year master’s student in the history department, worked on this assignment and exhibit preparation. His part of the exhibit focuses on legal issues surrounding the wine industry, such as the establishment of American Viticultural Areas, known as the AVA, and interstate wine sales.

“I think what is most exciting for me is sharing our research with the public,” Menard said. “It’s been a semester-long project and it will be nice to see it come to completion.”

Menard said that local businesses and wineries were willing to help the students for this exhibit.

“What I most enjoyed was how willing people in the industry were to help us with this project,” Menard said. “Merry Cellars, for example, donated a lot of corks for the construction of WSU logo made out of wine corks.”

Students will hold the exhibit in the ground floor Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections (MASC) area of the Terrell Library.