Before there were labels, there were objects:

About ten years ago, a medium-sized art museum in the northeast
commissioned a study of visitor behavior.  In one of the main galleries,
with paintings from the (excellent) collection, the study timed how long
visitors spent looking at the art works.  Total pass-bys were not counted.
Time spent label-reading was not counted.

The average:  3.1 seconds.

Averages are of course deceptive.  Many visitors spent minutes on a piece
or two that caught their interest.  At any given time, there were up to 15
or 20 visitors engaging in the reflection and contemplation that stands at
the core of the mission.  Yet, unmistakably, many more people just shot
by.  The results did not cause much despair.  Among other heartening
findings was the fairly widespread interest across an eclectic mix of
styles and periods of Euro-American art.

A local arts-guerilla got wind of the study and tried to mount an exhibit
at a nearby gallery entitled "3.1 Second Art," which would have had
screens that thumped down after exposing each piece for the standard
interval.  Budget and technology defeated the idea.  I would have paid to
see it, maybe even the 3.1 dollars that was suggested in the proposal.

Matt Roth
Santa Monica, CA