David, I think it's unfair to stereotype what the
museum-goers want when they go to a museum.  I think
that presumes that all fit in one box.  If you take
your basic Myers-Briggs types, you're going to find
that, within the population, people are going to have
differing needs.

In July, I visited a world famous art museum in
Florida.  While the art work was fascinating, I felt
the institution was severely lacking in what it
offered to the population at large in terms of an
explanation concerning the piece.  I felt that they
missed the mark on an opportunity to educate the
masses, which was especially disconcerting inasmuch as
it is now affiliated with a university.

The script at the art work was nominal and told you a
very little bit about the artist, but it told you
nothing about the symoblism affixed thereto, and much
of the work was loaded with symbolism.  I went away
wanting to know more and feeling I had been erstwhile
"cheated."

Now the institution could have made up for the lack of
titling by having docents that were scattered and
could provide tours and/or explain.  That was evident
at another part of the museum's complex, but not in
the art section.  It was sad.

Yes, there are people out there who see the work and
say, "Oh, how nice.  A picture of a lion."  But if
they don't know what the lion represents, they've
missed the message of the artisan.  If he was born in
Italy to poor parents, that's interesting, but I don't
know what he was trying to tell me and the museum had
inadequate "sign language."

I was very surprised.  Given that there's a heavy
emphasis in the job market (at least from the numbers
I see) on art museums, it seems there should be more
of an emphasis in educating about art so as to
encourage folks to go back for more.

Take the Da Vinci Code, as an example.  Dan Brown has
probably done more to educate the masses about the
symbology affixed in art work than most museum folk.
With a population that is scrambling over itself to
get to his book, it would seem there may be an
interest in the folks wanting to be educated and not
getting the needs met.  Yes, I will acquiesce that
there is the scandal affixed to the Holy Grail in the
book, but his explanations were masterful whether or
not one agreed with his conclusions.

I do believe people who go to museums would like to
know more.  I just think that museum folk often take
for granted that which they've been entrusted to care
for.


--- "David E. Haberstich" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I agree with Blake Gopnik 100%, and am relieved and
> heartened that he
> articulated so clearly and economically what I've
> been advocating for years, with
> more verbiage, on this list and elsewhere.  A high
> percentage of museum-goers
> want to see interesting objects, not to read
> "stories."  Yes, they want some
> context and explanation in the form of captions and
> labels for those fascinating
> objects, but they don't want to read a book or even
> a magazine article on the
> wall.  The essence of museums is collections of
> objects, not pedagogy, and
> that's why most people visit them--to see objects.



=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]

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