This reminds me of something...Yayoi Kusama designed "clothes" in the 60s
that had cut-outs in all the places one normally covers. We presented an
exhibition of her work a few years ago and it was suggested (seriously) by
the artist's studio that the museum staff wear these outfits during the
opening. We declined.

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Tim Bonow
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 2:07 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: intern dress question

My apologies, Slayer is an obnoxious heavy metal band.  An interesting
discussion on the etymology of a certain homonym for "murkin" and its
connotations when used as a humorous pejorative referring to Americans
('mericans) appears in "Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd
Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini" Written by Mark Leyner and Billy
Goldberg. Suffice it to say that the word refers to an item of apparel that
one would not want to encourage interns to visibly incorporate into their
dress code.

tcb


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of L Dewey
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 12:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] intern dress question

tcb,

those two paragraphs are two distinct points of information that are related
to the fact that many U.S. museums tend to serve a narrow audience.
obviously the presence or absence of a museum dress code does not
_determine_ attendance.

However, an intern applicant might be anyone IF they think they are welcome
to apply. the larger question there is: would they think the museum is FOR
them? the demographic data indicate who considers the museum to be theirs.

I have worked with volunteers who were college students as well as those who
were retired doctors and architects (for example), among a range of persons
of ages and backgrounds in between. I think the larger question is: how
diverse are the socio-cultural backgrounds of the persons who are
volunteering?

Thus the question of demographics in relation to the socio-cultural audience
of the museum and the interpretive/narrative intent of the museum as a
whole.

-L.D.

('murkins' was coined by William Safire, but what is a 'dirty Slayer
t-shirt'?)


On Nov 29, 2005, at 12:50 PM, Tim Bonow wrote:

> While it may be a sad fact that museum attendance is not typically in 
> direct correlation with community demographics, it is a stretch to 
> suggest that dress codes (implicit or as a matter of policy) are at 
> fault.  That is like saying that the army's uniform is responsible for

> the United States' involvement in Iraq.
>
> Interns are students, learning how to behave in the museum world.  
> Dressing appropriately is necessary for acceptance in the real world 
> (as opposed to the world of stereotypical conformist "murkins [sic]").

>  Don't believe it? Go ahead and show up to your next job interview in 
> a dirty Slayer t-shirt.
>
> tcb
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
> Behalf Of L Dewey
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 9:59 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] intern dress question
>
> ahhh, but you've put you're finger on a key problem with museums in
the
> U.S.
>
> Isn't it the case that many museums and cultural organizations
function
> as 'country clubs', not to promote inclusion or cultural diversity?
> This whole discussion about 'dress code' is about a 'code' that
belongs
> to the upper middle class. (As well as a matter of 'conformity', which
> is another contemporary 'murkin' cultural trait.)
>
> According to the data collected by the NEA and by the US Census
bureau,
> U.S. museums mainly attract an upper middle class audience, which is
> very unfortunate, but hardly a coincidence.
>
> - L.D.

=========================================================
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).

=========================================================
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).

=========================================================
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).