Murph the Surf wrote:
>

>
> Artists view art objects and use art history differently than art
> historians and should be key to, as Elizabeth Broun of the National
> Museum of American Art has noted, "presenting art as an arena of
> encounter where 'audiences' become 'users'".
>

This is an interesting topic. Our director teaches Museum Studies and
has always said that the MFA students in the class are by far more
interested and responsive to the issues she brings up than the art
history students.

In working on exhibitions and interpretive projects, we have always
had good results and a learning experience working with artists as
consultants. A dramatic example is going on right now where we have
Iroquois beadworkers working with historians in planning a beadworking
exhibition. The beadworkers have been able to provide very insightful
and useful information regarding the historical objects. Their
attitude is one that I think audiences viewing the exhibition will
find fresher and more challenging than a typical historical
presentation.

Currently, with our web site and CD-ROM project, I am working with two
artists, one of whom (even better) is also a secondary ed teacher.

Elizabeth Licata
Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University
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