“A Something Overtakes the Mind,” an installation at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, challenges traditional expectations of what an exhibition about a historical figure can be.
The installation is anchored in a question Dickinson once posed: “Did you ever read one of her Poems backward because the plunge from the front overturned you? I sometimes (often have, many times) have — A something overtakes the Mind.” The exhibition similarly invites visitors to engage with Dickinson’s work from new perspectives. It features personal objects, Dickinson’s poetry, biographical information and commentary from the local community to provide a deeper understanding of the writer’s work and impact.
Curated by poet Matt Donovan and visual artist Ligia Bouton, the exhibition reflects their collaborative exploration of text, image and objects. Donovan explains, “As an artist and poet collaborative team, we’re always looking for ways to explore intersections of text, image, and objects.” This focus on mixed-media exploration is evident in “Something Overtakes,” which blends artistic vision with historical information.
When approaching Dickinson’s homestead, visitors see a well-preserved Victorian house and can almost imagine Dickinson working on her poetry on the estate’s grounds. One may expect to find rooms preserved to capture what the home looked like nearly 200 years ago, when the poet lived there. Although the house contains recreations and personal belongings of Dickinson, “A Something Overtakes the Mind” incorporates hands on, artistic and conceptual elements differentiating it from other historical exhibits that focus solely on presenting artifacts.
One key element of the exhibition is a wall covered with scraps of wallpaper. These papers contain interpretations of Dickinson’s well-known use of em dashes. Phrases like “a tension,” “marks for breathing,” “the erratic breath of the speaker” are posited as possible explanations for Dickinson’s syntax. This wall zeroes in on a small aspect of the writer’s work, magnifying it and asking readers to consider the significance of something that might otherwise be overlooked.
Another aspect of the installation features quilt pieces with poetry and paired with Dickinson’s personal belongings. Here, the exhibition asks visitors to consider the connection between Dickinson’s personal life and her art. A final component is a hands-on section inviting visitors to create their own poetry using words from the quilt. This is paired with a video featuring local community members discussing how Dickinson’s work has resonated with them. Here, the exhibition shifts from simply biographical to a community conversation about her legacy. This highlights how Dickinson’s influence is not constrained to just her work but extends to the impact it has on those who encounter it
The Emily Dickinson Museum has constructed a space that allows us to consider the small details of Dickinson’s works, the intersections between her personal life and writing as well as her impact on the community more than 150 years later.
