Stefania Papadopulos’ interest in curation was first sparked by her love of reading stories and by childhood trips to museums with her family.
“Once I made the connection that those were stories on the wall at museums and that’s what I loved reading, I realized people were creating those stories, and I started thinking that was something I really wanted to do,” she said.
At the University of Miami, where Papadopulos double majored in history and public administration, she had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in curation while interning at Special Collections in the University libraries. Papadopulos, who is currently completing a master’s degree in history in the College of Arts and Sciences, was able to use her research skills to curate an exhibition on the comedian Jackie Gleason.
The exhibition, “From Acting to the Afterlife: Selections from the Supernatural Library of Jackie Gleason,” is one of the first student-led exhibitions in Special Collections. It showcases books and printed materials that Gleason’s estate donated to the University after his death in South Florida in 1987. Gleason, who was best known for his role in the 1950s TV series “The Honeymooners,” had amassed a collection of books on the afterlife, UFOs, aliens, and unexplained psychological phenomena, an interest that might be surprising to some of his fans.
“I think as a comedian and as a public figure, it wasn’t very well known,” Papadopulos said.
Prior to her internship, Papadopulos had spent time in Special Collections while taking a class taught by Ashli White, the chair of the Department of History. When White learned that Papadopulos hoped to pursue a career in curatorial work, she spoke with Cristina Favretto, the head of Special Collections, and they arranged for Papadopulos to complete an internship during the Spring 2024 semester.
Papadopulos wasn’t familiar with Jackie Gleason when she started her internship, so she learned as much as she could about him before diving into the collection. Then, with Favretto’s guidance, she decided which books would be used to highlight the major themes in the collection and which pages and covers would be displayed. After that, Papadopulos wrote labels for the exhibition and worked with the preservation team to install it in the Kislak Center at the University of Miami in Richter Library.
Favretto said she was impressed by Papadopulos’ work. “She learned very quickly how to do the kind of research needed to prepare a good exhibition,” she said. “I think she’ll be a great curator. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we hear that Stefania is directing a museum.”
Papadopulos said she enjoyed learning from Favretto and the curators and conservators in Special Collections.
“This is something I’d really love to do in the future as a career, so all of them being so willing to talk me through what they do day-to-day and those connections and experiences was the best part,” she said.
While Papadopulos was one of the first students to curate an exhibition in Special Collections, she likely won’t be the last. Starting in the fall, Special Collections plans to work with faculty and students to put together an annual exhibition in the Kislak Center’s classroom exhibit space, which is where the Jackie Gleason exhibition is currently on display. Favretto said she also hopes to create a formal internship program to make the hands-on experience Papadopulos enjoyed available to more students.
The Jackie Gleason exhibition will be on display in the Kislak Center until December 11, 2024. Even devoted Gleason fans will likely learn something new about the comedian’s interest in the supernatural.
“One thing that struck me is to never assume that comedians are jolly people,” Favretto said. “He was a very serious person in his private life, and he was very concerned with what happens to us after we die. He was a much deeper individual than the persona that moviegoers and TV viewers saw, and I think that’s a lesson to take about people in general.”
