Dan, that was eloquent and beautiful, and really makes the point! I've
been collecting these replies for our own education person, who's not a
list member. We often have to deal with such issues, especially as the
museum is in the university's fine & performing arts building and
student work from classes (including nudes from live model classes) are
hung in surrounding halls.

On the other hand, there's the high school that canceled its planned
visit to an exhibition of art by a holocaust survivor, because one of
the paintings referenced Michelangelo's Adam from the Sistine Chapel,
and the adults scoping out the exhibit beforehand found Adam's penis
objectionable.

Sigh.


Astrida
******************
Astrida Schaeffer, Assistant Director
The Art Gallery
University of New Hampshire
Paul Creative Arts Center
30 College Road
Durham, NH 03824
(603) 862-0310
[log in to unmask]
Fax: (603) 862-2191
******************

 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Museum discussion list 
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dan Bartlett
>Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 11:54 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Nudes in Art versus School Groups
>
>I would create a pre-visit exercise that went something like this:
>
>Lay your hand on the table and look at the way the light 
>creates highlights and shadows around the sometimes 
>imperceptible curves and the way that those curves can be 
>accentuated by varying the intensity and direction of the 
>light.  Look at the texture of the skin with its infinite 
>lines and see how it looks different if muscles beneath it are 
>tensed. Notice how the fingers seamlessly join the hand.  Make 
>your hand look calm, angry or pleading just by moving the 
>fingers a little bit and tensing some muscles and relaxing 
>others.  Look at the story in your hand.  My 45 year old hands 
>show the scars of 15 years as a carpenter.  
>How is my hand different from my 15 year old son's youthful, 
>athletic hands?
>
>And to really bring the point home, after looking at hands in 
>all of these ways, put on a pair of gloves...
>
>So prepared I would bet a large number of the students would 
>not even notice that "that lady doesn't have any clothes on."  
>Kids are smart, even little ones.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Dan
>
>--
>Dan Bartlett, BFA, MA
>Curator of Exhibits
>IMLS Grant Project Coordinator
>Midway Village & Museum Center
>Rockford, IL
>
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