>On Fri, 21 Oct 1994 21:25:06 CST,
>Jim Czarniecki <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>I dunno, Paul, when it comes to "responsibility" for an exhibition, the
>legal sense was established when we fought the "pornography wars" in the
>70s and 80s. We were always reminded that it was not the artist (who made
>the work) or the curator (who assembled it) who went to jail, rather it
>was the "exhibitor" (And in Cinci that translated: "director").
 
Responsibility is multifaceted in such a discussion. I think I was asking
about process more than who should go to jail if someone doesn't like the
exhibit.
No doubt the legal responsibility lies with the institution and that the
greatest effectiveness within a community can be had with the inclusion of
people working with various aspects of the community. It is realistic to
think, especially for non-public-funded institutions, that audience appeal
should be considered in an exhibition. But which audience? The popular
audience the team will try and market the museum to or the often limited
audience that specialists (curators) often discourse with? You are never
going to get PR and Development to see a group of academic peers as a
lucrative market for admissions or merchandising. Even if it helps your
peer credibility, you still have to pay the bills.
 
There is an excellent article in the latest CURATOR (1994 vol. 37 No. 3) by
Ellen Lee of the Indiana Museum of Art about the advantage of small
exhibits, she cites the Seurat at Gravelines exhibit (four paintings) and
the single statue exhibit of Christ and St. Thomas at the Met. I have seen
the Met show and though it has public curiousity appeal, it is essentially
a specialists show. Joaneath Spicer of the Walters Gallery writes in the
same issue about taking her curatorial scholarship and making it more
accessibe to the public through conversational rather than lecture oriented
labels and organization. Yet there has to be a curatorial scholarship view
in the first place before it can be democratized.
 
Paul Apodaca
Bowers Museum , Santa Ana, CA
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