My background is history and natural science education. I'm not an
art museum professional. Art museums, for me, seem another beast
entirely.

I would not put an artifact on display without a label. If I did, I
would expect the same reaction most folks have to finding an odd
piece in a gravel field. "Look at this, I wonder what this is?" slip
it into a pocket or leave it where they found it and go about their
business. Nothing understood, nothing learned, we go along our merry
way.

In literature classes, we students would read work by a variety of
different writers whom the culture at large deemed valuable. If the
teacher chose to, we were given the contextual material necessary to
engage with the piece. If we were left to our own devices, quite
often we would enjoy the piece (given that it was a writing style we
could enjoy with subjects in the story line with life experiences we
could recognize in our own lives) and then possibly, like the
individual strolling through the field, go along our merry way,
possibly missing the more obscure significance of the piece. (russian
literature comes to mind.) We might pick up a few things from the
narrative that tingled our interest. The larger story that lay
outside our experience, the whys and wherefores and metaphorical
references, could quite often be left at the wayside.

An english professor friend of mine gave me a poem to read by Yeats.
I'm not big into poetry, and my education on Yeats is woefully
substandard. I read it for what it was, thought it was okay and made
a small observation on it when I handed it back. The prof smiled,
told me about where Yeats was in his life at the time and the
political and cultural context of the poem and suddenly it all came
to life. I re-read it and it became an totally different experience.

If a curator puts art on the wall without the opportunity given to
the viewer, through labels, to learn about the context of the artist
and the piece, and expects the viewer to come away with a significant
experience, could it be argued that it is an elitist position to
take? Doesn't it in some way suggest that, if the viewer were
sensitive enough or learned enough, they would get it and if they
aren't, they weren't?

Just a suggestion.

Cecelia Ottenweller


--- Jill <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Janelle,
>
>  You said:
> > As I keep saying, I am all for labels and education within
> museums.  I
> just
> > wish people could feel that they can handle art without them once
> in a
> > while.
>
> That is a lovely idea but the fact is, many people do *not* feel
> comfortable
> with abstract art or non-Western art unless they are provided with
> some
> resources for encountering them.  Most of our schools do not
> provide visual
> arts education, and we cannot just throw pictures at people and
> expect them
> to enjoy it without any kind of preparation.  And, as someone else
> noted,
> reading labels is optional.  Best to give patrons the option to
> read, or
> not.
>
> Jill R. Chancey, Curator
> Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
> Laurel, MS
> [log in to unmask]
> (phone) 601-649-6374
> (fax) 601-649-6379
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
> information about the listserv commands by sending a one line
> e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the
> message should read "help" (without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail
> message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message
> should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).