On Sat, 6 Apr 1996, Paul Apodaca wrote: > On Thu, 4 Apr 1996, Hank Burchard wrote: > > > As a museum and gallery reviewer, I think that it would be > > appropriate to post a modest list of whodunits in every major exhibit. My > > reviews often concern themselves as much or more with how and why material > > has been presented as with the contents. I frequently am at pains to point > > out things such as outstanding or substandard lighting and limpid or lousy > > texts, and usually have to search out the name of the person or persons to > > whom credit or blame should be attached. > > Exhibition is a theater art, and viewers should be aware of the cast. > > Personifying an exhibit also might tend to result in somewhat more freedom > > for curators by allowing the institution implicitly to distance itself > > from the opinions and judgment calls involved. > > In the case of Smithsonian exhibitions, of course, it would be > > necessary to cut off the credits below the committee level. > > > > Hank Burchard * <[log in to unmask]> * Washington DC USA > > > > This whole entertainment model is really getting carried to a new level > here. Credits? Theme music has already found its way into many galleries, > can popcorn be far behind? The ultimate goal of society should not be to > emulate the movies, as entertaining and educating as they can be. There > are other forms of communication and expression. Museums used to > represent one of those alternatives. The replacemment of reason with > rationalization has made any proposition sound plausible to many. When > the museum acts as an insitution it represents something of significance > within our society. As simply a large movie house with different > features playing in each gallery it kind of falls into a great morass of > colors, info, egos, and gee whizzes. What will there be to review by > someone like Hank in the future, carnival rides, movies, museum > galleries. Will we start passing out Oscars next? Siskel and Ebert? How > about letting the exhibit speak about the people represented in the > objects or the processes of nature exemplified in the specimen and > finding contentment in being associated with great accomplishments in our > society as represented by the establishment of a publicly accessible > institution that can bring reflexivity and research to everyone, and > content our egos to our writings and conferences? The museum does not > have to be the house of a thousand stars of museology. > > Paul Apodaca Ah, the academic life. I said *theater*, big guy, not artoons. Hank Burchard * <[log in to unmask]> * Washington DC