A ‘diptych’ is the art term for two, individual, painted or carved panels placed together to make a complete artwork. Twin Boise State School of the Arts students Madison and Michaela Miller are a little bit like that: one is a graphic designer, and the other is an art historian. Together, they curate amazing things.

Visitors to the Keith and Catherine Stein Luminary in the past four years have almost certainly viewed their work. The Boise-born Miller sisters are student curation assistants in the unique digital museum space. In it, they have found opportunities to broaden both their art appreciation and their own growing skill sets.

“The Luminary…What’s that?”

The twin’s foray into digital museum curation began with Madison Miller and a leap into the unknown. Before seeing the name of the Luminary in a summer job posting, she had not heard that Boise State boasted a digital museum space. She remembers thinking “I have no idea what that is, but it says it’s in the art building, so let me just go ahead and apply for that.”

“It was the best choice ever. The Luminary is such a special place. It’s not anything that I could have imagined that I could do but I have grown to love it,” Madison said.

She realized immediately that the Luminary is a unique space in more ways than one. The 18 wall-mounted panels that enable immersive exhibits are nine feet tall and varying widths, and designers can use the kiosk software called Intuiface to create interactive exhibitions that invite exploration. Former Luminary director Lisa Hunt guided Madison’s exploration of the incredible technological and artistic medium. Once Madison had all the required technical skills, she could create anything.

“The Luminary is such a brilliant tool for experiential learning on a university campus,” Hunt said. “Both the back end and front end offer impactful ways of accessing technology and high-resolution imagery that take students far beyond their laptop screens. Large-format imaging and touch interface represent the wave of the future, so having experience in the Luminary gives Boise State students a leg up in the media industry.”

Soon, Madison was able to take on major projects and challenges, such as the Center for Research and Creative Activity’s annual 2024 Sparc Mixer event. This interdisciplinary research mixer event highlighted topics related to ‘Energy’ and covered the work of nine professors.

“The specialties of these professors were so wide-ranging. We had a professor doing an analysis of German literature and another professor was specializing in engineering semiconductor microchips. How do you take all of this research and make it feel like a cohesive show while highlighting each of them individually?’ I would say that was the most complicated [exhibit], but the one I’m most proud of,” Madison said.

As her skills as a graphic designer grew, she also took on roles designing exhibits in addition to event marketing for the Luminary. Eryn Pierce, an assistant professor of graphic design, worked with Madison for three years and praised her ability to apply research-based design decision-making to the Luminary.

“She thoughtfully considers how audiences will engage with the work at various scales and viewpoints, and her attention to the user’s reading path is evident in the way she organizes and presents content, Pierce said. “Madison skillfully balances technical constraints, communication goals, and audience experience to create impactful exhibitions as seen in her work on the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope project.”

The Luminary’s Magnetic Pull

Madison entreated her sister to come check out the exhibits she was working on and to get involved. Finally, it stuck.

“I remember visiting Madison a lot when she was working and not really wanting to leave. I thought ‘I just want to be in this room all day, every day for the rest of my time here,’” Michaela Miller said.

As an art history major, Michaela particularly remembers the mandated distance from an artwork that shapes a traditional museum experience, and treasures how the Luminary invites play, discovery and interaction with art.

“The Luminary makes me more comfortable learning about art, especially the way the World Museum exhibit is designed,” Michaela Miller said. “It has you searching the assets and taking your time to explore these topics and physically interact with them. It breaks down that barrier of intimidation that people get when it comes to learning about art.”

Michaela’s first major curation project was for a Boise Art and Science Hub (BASH) mash-up exhibit called “Art vs. Science” about the art and science of historic and modern depictions of microorganisms and molecules. 

The project spanned the detailed illustrative work of 19th-century scientist and artist Ernst Haeckel to the current, multi-dimensional digital models that enable molecular analysis and discovery in a way Haeckle and his contemporaries could only dream of.

“Throughout the event, we’d switch the walls over to the Haeckles’ [art] to show ‘This is another example of how art and science collaborated almost a hundred years ago. That was my first project and I’ve gotten more involved and advanced projects over the years, but that one has a special place in my heart,” Michaela said.

For Konrad Meister, an assistant professor of chemistry and a founding member of the BASH team, Michaela’s work made the exhibit a lasting success.

“Michaela’s curation of Haeckel’s ‘Art vs. Science’ exhibit is a masterpiece, and has quickly become my all-time favorite in the Luminary. Her thoughtful, artistic approach to a scientific display is beautiful and captivating,” Meister said.

More than a Museum

“Michaela and Madison did so much in terms of prototyping for art history and visual media so that other students can find their way in the Luminary,” Hunt said. “Each with their own talents, they show how individual students can bring lessons from their visual arts tracks and build digital experiences together, whether designing interfaces or curating scientific assets, as a team.”

Both sisters will graduate with honors in May 2025 with their bachelor’s degrees and a ‘Luminary-sparked’ desire to find careers in education using digital tools and technology. For faculty and staff who work with the Madison and Michaela Miller, their contributions to the exhibits and to the Luminary’s history are indelible. 

“To me, Michaela and Madison are the Luminary, and it feels odd when I meet them somewhere else on campus. Beyond their talent, they have made the space feel welcoming, creative and alive; a fitting home for art and science,” Meister said.

The twins praise Hunt for guiding them to grow and learn in the Luminary, and develop new creative and technical skills that will travel into their future professional roles.

“I have to give all my thanks to Dr. Lisa Hunt. She was interim director when it first started and she really picked it up. She sparked my imagination and my curiosity and passion for curation, art education and art history education,” Michaela said.

“She really fostered this learning and was like ‘If you have a passion for wanting to do something in this space, go ahead and do it.’ I appreciate her trust in me,” Madison said.

They also wish to thank fellow Luminary staff members, and members of the School of Fine Arts faculty for their guidance, insight and knowledge. Both Michaela and Madison are first generation scholars who received the ‘True Blue Promise’ and ‘Idaho Opportunity’ scholarships, and Michaela was awarded The Lightfoot Foundation Scholarship, and the Bronco Shop Scholarship to attend Boise State.