By Kaelynn Ross, student at the University of Alaska Anchorage
Trying to figure out a direction for my Wikipedia assignment last term proved to be tricky. I hadn’t spent much time on Wikipedia previously, and all of the things I was interested in also seemed to be loved by many other editors, so finding additional sources to bring to those articles would be difficult. But when I followed my professor’s advice to find a female artist who didn’t have much information on Wikipedia, I landed on Ellen Thesleff, a Finnish expressionist painter. And while it was a challenge to navigate the language barrier in most of the available sources about her, I learned some really interesting ideas through my research, like the median of modernism that Ellen practiced, and how important the experience of travel was for her artistic perspective.
I also learned a great deal about Wikipedia itself. At its core, it’s a place for people to share verifiable information about things they love. Wikipedia has tons of information on almost anything popular, but it also gives someone the opportunity to use their unique expertise to bring an unknown topic to light when the world isn’t yet aware of it. When using Wikipedia, I learned how to find articles that used high-quality sources, and then use those sources to find other research avenues. I found that looking for information about a young, unknown woman artist like Ellen can be difficult — it is hard to find any scientific articles, books, or even websites about her. This made me dig deeper than just a simple Google search of her name. I looked for the people who found Ellen interesting and used what they shared about her to further my research, guiding me to books by Finnish artists or to articles from their country that could be translated.
When I discovered it, Ellen’s Wikipedia article had only four references, which provided vague information about who Ellen was and what her life was like. When searching for my own references, I was blessed enough to find two books and a lengthy article on Ellen’s artwork and life. It was wonderful to add these sources into the Wikipedia article, contributing more information about Ellen’s life.
Contributing to this Wikipedia article taught me to critically analyze articles and use the references within related articles to uncover more information about a topic. This assignment was more than typical research; it required real curiosity and exploration to bring attention to someone underrepresented. My experience showed me how Wikipedia helps illuminate less recognized artists, encouraging diverse artistic appreciation and moving beyond traditional standards.
By contributing to the Wikipedia article about Ellen Thesleff, I have played a small part in bringing women in art more into the light. Women artists on Wikipedia are some of the least-known people on the platform, and adding more information to Ellen’s article helps encourage readers to look at artists like Ellen.
My Wikipedia assignment also gave me time to better understand the online encyclopedia and give it the appreciation it deserves. Wikipedia is a place to give people the opportunity to share their interests with the world through careful research and neutral, fact-based writing. This assignment also pushed me to look beyond conventional research paths – rather than always heading straight to Google Scholar, I can also follow the context and related sources of my topic, helping me uncover high-quality sources that meaningfully support my work.
Interested in incorporating a Wikipedia assignment into your course or know an instructor who may be interested? Visit teach.wikiedu.org to learn more about the free resources, digital tools, and staff support that Wiki Education offers to postsecondary instructors in the United States and Canada.
