Ben-Mihky Goldfeder

Ben-Mihky Goldfeder is a Language and Culture major with a minor in Museum Studies. They will be presenting their senior project titled “Hypothesizing the International Museum of Gymnastics.” The project proposes a museum for the sport of gymnastics utilizing the frameworks of contemporary museology in the post-colonial era. Gymnastics is often overlooked as a historical source with great academic insights. There’s not much thought about it beyond the quadrennial Olympics. However, there’s lots to be learned through the sport regarding the body, international relations/war, ideas of perfection, sexism, racism, etc. Having existed since ancient Greece, there’s a plethora of rich history to be preserved and accentuated. Hypothesizing the International Museum of Gymnastics case studies sports museums and other specialized institutions across the United States in order to idealize the structure, function, and possible success of a museum dedicated to one of the world’s most captivating and gravity-defying physical activities.