Museum Ethics and Show Business

(AMPAS / November 3, 2013)

The city of Los Angeles will experience the addition of two major museums within in the next few years. The Broad, a new contemporary art museum, will be opening in downtown LA in late 2014 across from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences plans to open its Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in a building that is currently unused next to LACMA. The Academy Museum aims to be a valid and respected cultural institution that will be able to attract visitors that possess a wide range of familiarity with cinema and its history. In order for the Academy Museum to be successful, this prospective institution must take many factors into consideration, including ethics, funds, and education. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times, titled “The long Yellow Brick Road to Hollywood’s new museum,” likens the goals and intentions of the Academy Museum to the three essential characteristics attributed to Dorothy’s sidekicks in the film “The Wizard of Oz.”

According to author Mike Boehm, the Academy Museum must possess the “brains to deftly balance entertainment with scholarly heft. The courage not to be manipulated by studio executives, actors or directors who might view the nonprofit museum as a tool for boosting box-office returns, gratifying egos or controlling artistic and historical interpretations that are supposed to be up to the curators. And a heart — Hollywood's collective philanthropic heart — that's eager to express itself by giving the museum the money and collection items it needs to thrive.” It is only with these qualities that the Academy Museum will be able to thrive and succeed as a new cultural institution in the heart of Los Angeles. Otherwise, the threat of failure is very tangible, as revealed by the fate of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, which was forced to close its doors in 2006 due to low attendance and lack of funds. 

The courage to avoid manipulation by donors is yet another aspect of ethics that is important to be considered in the museum profession. In situations similar to the Guggenheim putting on an exhibition titled ‘Armani’ after a supposed donation of $15 million from the fashion house, it can be very difficult to discern when the focus or design of an exhibition leaves the control of the curators and is instead skewed in favor of appeasing the donors or funders of the show. This represents a very real danger for the Academy Museum, whose potential donors will include studio executives, actors, and directors that may retain certain expectations regarding their influence on exhibitions. According to the article, the “ethics and standards code of the American Alliance of Museums, a leading nonprofit trade organization, insists that the equivalents of script approval, final cut and the authority to green-light a project must reside with museum professionals, not with an exhibition's subject, financial contributors or artifact lenders.”  

Museum ethics is not limited to situations involving looting, repatriation, and acquisition. The ethics associated with curating are also extremely significant, and it will be essential for the Academy Museum to remain unadulterated by the politics and egos so prevalent in show business. As Boehm asserts in the article “Who's in control of the portrayal is as crucial in museum ethics as what's being portrayed.”

Los Angeles Times Article

Bidding on Beauty

(Christie's / Associated Press / November 13, 2013)

In the past few weeks, both Christie’s and Sotheby’s have had incredibly successful and lucrative auction sales. These auctions have consistently been bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars, often for the work of modern and contemporary artists, not just that of the old masters. For example, on Tuesday, Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” sold for 142.4 million dollars as part of a postwar and contemporary art auction at Christie’s in New York. This three-panel piece of art has broken the monetary record for a work of art sold at auction at this institution, and this particular event at Christie’s represents the auction with the highest sales total in history. Similarly, on Wednesday, Andy Warhol’s “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” sold for 105.4 million dollars, as part of Sotheby’s auction of contemporary art, which represents a record amount for this pop artist.

In addition, earlier in the month of November, Christie’s sold a Picasso piece titled “Claude et Paloma” to Wang Jianlin, the president of the Dalian Wanda Group and the richest man in China. This piece sold for 28.2 million dollars, nearly 20 million dollars more than what Christie’s estimated it would sell for (9-12 million dollars). The Warhol piece mentioned earlier also sold for a much higher price than what was originally estimated by Sotheby’s, which was between 60 and 80 million dollars. Many pieces of artwork at these auctions have been selling for incredibly large amounts of money, and the Los Angeles Times even claims that Wang Jianlin overpaid for his Picasso. 

These recent major sales of art, and many others that have occurred in the last few years, really exemplify the shifts that are taking place in the contemporary art market. As I mentioned in my previous blog post concerning the emerging art market in China, art is now becoming a type of currency, used by the wealthy and powerful of some countries to enhance their status in society as connoisseurs of the arts. According to the LA Times, Wang Jianlin “flexed his muscles on the international art market Tuesday by purchasing a Picasso painting for $28.2 million.” To me, this statement implies that Wang Jianlin’s purchase was more of a display of his wealth and power, rather than his appreciation of Picasso’s work. 

Art is also now considered a considerable and conservative investment due to the fact that most art increases in value with the passage of time. This tendency to treat art and artifacts as commodities has the potential to become an unnerving issue in the near future. Art will always be highly valued and subsequently sold on the international art market and at auction houses around the world. However, as soon as art becomes a small piece within a larger financial vehicle, it ceases to be art and is in danger of losing its aesthetic worth. I do not believe that art will ever be realistically separated from commercialism, nor do I believe it should it be. However, art is meant to be enjoyed and respected, not treated as a substitute for stocks and bonds. 

Check out these links that helped inspire this entry in Museum Musings! 
Wang Jianlin Article
Christie's Article
Sotheby's article

The Pros and Cons of Participation

Michael Allen Blair/Journal Register News Service

Interactive elements are gradually becoming a major and familiar fixture in modern museums. Some institutions, mainly children’s and science museums, have incorporated interactive learning into nearly every aspect of their exhibition halls. More and more art museums are also electing to integrate these types of activities into their educational programming and exhibit construction as well. When designed and utilized properly, these features can encourage lifelong learning and promote participation and discussion among museum guests. However, when poorly developed or difficult to use, results are usually inconsistent and do not contribute to the museum or to the visitors in meaningful or valuable ways. For it to be constructive and relevant, participatory learning should ultimately benefit both the museum guests as well as the institutions in which the learning is taking place.

In her article “Principles of Participation,” Nina Simon discusses the reasons why successful participatory museum experiences are very difficult to achieve. When designing interactive elements that encourage visitor participation, an institution must be aware of a variety of factors in order to create an effective experience. Simon explains, that in order for a participatory exercise to be successful, “the institution must promise an appealing participant experience. The institution must provide access to tools for participation that are easy to understand and use. And the bargain between institution and participants—regarding management of intellectual property, outcomes of the project, and feedback to participants—should accommodate participants’ needs” (339). If these factors are not thoroughly considered, it will be extremely difficult for a museum to develop interactive projects that will be of use to the participants or support the mission of the museum.

Despite the fact it is very difficult to design effective participatory projects, some institutions have managed to do so with great success. Earlier this year, the Cleveland Museum of Art debuted its new Gallery One, which “blends art, technology, and interpretation to inspire you to explore the museum’s permanent collection.” Gallery one enables users to create their own virtual tours of the museum’s permanent collection, which are then uploaded and made available to future guests within fifteen minutes of being saved. Guests are also able to highlight their favorite pieces within the collection on the Collection Wall (the largest multi-touch screen in the United States), which directly influences what appears within this portion of the museum. According to the CMA’s website, “curators and Education & Interpretation staff members are very interested to see which artworks are popular with our visitors. Gauging visitor interest can help the plan future content for ArtLens and the website.” In these ways, Gallery One presents visitors with a rewarding participatory experience by enabling them to directly contribute to future museum programs, which ultimately asserts that the museum values their input. CMA also benefits from Gallery One by using visitor participation to improve their institution and the museum experience. 

Incorporating interactive elements into the halls of an institution is not necessarily enough to ensure that these activities will be rewarding to the participants or will beneficially contribute to the museum or its mission. However, with proper planning and consideration of goals and outcomes, participatory projects can prove to be incredibly successful to all parties involved, like the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gallery One. 

Check out these links that helped inspire this entry in Museum Musings! 
CMA/Gallery One
The News-Herald

The Flood of Forgeries in China

Image Courtesy of the New York Times

In previous Museum Musing posts, I have written about the devastating prevalence of clandestine excavation around the world, as well as the ways in which this looting affects the preservation of our cultural heritage. I have also asserted the necessity for and responsibility of modern museums to maintain a set of ethical standards when acquiring new objects, in order to prevent their indirectly contributing to the worldwide destruction of cultural sites. I had yet to truly grasp, however, the extent to which the dark underbelly associated with the black market sale of art truly affects and adulterates the art market and auction houses in major countries all over the world.

A recent article in the New York Times fully exposes the widespread presence of forgery and the countless other issues concerning authenticity that are currently taking place in the Chinese art market. The article “A Culture of Bidding: Forging an Art Market in China,” examines the major causes behind the influx of forgeries in that country, and what is being done to assuage this growing problem. In the United States, the art of the old masters, as well as that of more contemporary and modern artists, represents many popular purchases in auction houses and the items acquired by museums. In China, however, the art market reflects traditional Chinese tastes and is thus inundated with the demand for almost exclusively ancient Chinese art. This incredible and incessant appetite for the art of the 15th century masters, and that of the 20th century artists that imitate the masters, has created an increasingly overwhelming pervasiveness of forgeries being sold in Chinese auction houses. Unfortunately, this means that the market is flooded with mass-produced forgeries in order to keep up with the high demand for this specific type of art. 

The international art market is no stranger to fraud, but the market in China "is particularly vulnerable because, like many industries in China, it has expanded too fast for regulators to keep pace." Contemporary Chinese artists are trained to imitate the old Chinese masters and are capable of producing extremely high-quality copies of ancient works. These copies are so realistic that they are very commonly sold or advertised as authentic, often for hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars. In addition, China has fewer restrictions than the United States and other nations regulating the need for solid provenance before pieces are sold. As a result, China has an increasingly high default rate, with most buyers ultimately refusing to pay for their auction purchases after accusations and questions concerning authenticity are made. 

With a significant increase of newly rich individuals in the country, the Chinese art market has absolutely exploded, with art becoming “a kind of currency,” even being used to bribe government officials. With alarming rapidity, collectors are attempting to possess traditional Chinese art of the 15th century masters as well as the art of 20th century artists who copy old traditions and work in that ancient style. It is this fanatical appreciation and reverence for ancient Chinese culture that is ironically fueling the escalation in forgeries in the art market. Sadly, this desire to promote Chinese culture is, in reality, proving to be just as detrimental as the looting of cultural heritage sites. Ultimately, as I have asserted time and again in my previous blog posts, the need for stringent regulations concerning the provenance of items is of the utmost importance in the fight to preserve our cultural heritage. 

Check out this link that helped inspire this entry in Museum Musings!

New York Times Article

Pictures of Paintings: Cheapening Art

Photo Courtesy of Danika Jensen

Taking photographs of artwork during a visit to an art museum has become as ubiquitous as purchasing a postcard or other souvenir from the gift shop. Within the halls of any institution, guests are using their phones, cameras, even iPads and game consoles, in order to capture images of their museum visit. This increasingly popular trend raises some interesting questions regarding the visitor experience, as well as the respect for and ownership of art. With many institutions offering high quality images of their artwork on their websites, or even in the gift shops on postcards, magnets, and other tchotchke, why do visitors feel the need to reproduce or obtain their own images? This often occurs at the risk of being reprimanded by security, being forced to hold the camera at an angle, or making due with a blurry photo taken over someone’s shoulder, among other difficulties. With such nuisances involved, why do these personal images play such an integral role in the modern museum experience? In addition, does an individual taking an iPhone picture as he or she admires a piece of art suggest that he or she is not truly looking at said piece of art? These questions still remain contested by those who study museums and how their guests interact with art. 

A recent article in the Washington Post discusses the prevalence of picture-taking in museums, and what this suggests about the ways in which people look at art. Anne Midgette, author of the article “On the Prowl for Memories, Museumgoers Resort to Snapshots,” acknowledges that taking photographs of art often suggests the idea of cheapening the image, as well as what museums stand for as institutions. This practice also raises the question of whether a guest is truly “seeing” the art through the lens of their camera, or if it is just a technological distraction, adulterating the purity of the museum experience. Without a camera, would a museum visitor be forced to see the art in a different or more meaningful way? As Midgette explains, “we should celebrate the sense of participation and excitement that the art may be inspiring in those people who looked at an artwork, and smiled at it, and took a picture. Because while the snapshot they take, the reproduction, closes the door on the dialogue between the viewer and the work of art, the act of photographing may, in some cases, open it.”

Photos Courtesy of Danika Jensen

Personally, in the pictures section of my iPhone, I have photos of two Monet paintings, a Frida self-portrait, a Diego Rivera painting, an installation by Nam June Paik, and multiple images of the architecture of the Library of Congress, among other artworks. Personally, I do not believe that my capturing these images with my phone detrimentally affected my appreciation of the art. Rather, I wanted celebrate these pieces by being able to relive them again, lest I never have another opportunity to see them in person. Similarly, in his essay “The Object of Art Museums,” James Cuno reflects “on the experience of engaging with works of art, especially in their most fundamental sense-- as objects, manufactured things making claims on our close and sustained attention” (53). While some may argue that photography takes away from the purity of experiencing art, it more often than not allows individuals to connect, appreciate, and interact with art in a way they may not otherwise have been able to. Ultimately, photography enables visitors to take art home with them and revisit these pieces time and again. 

Check out this link that helped inspire this entry of Museum Musings! 
Washington Post Article

The Enigmas of Exportation

Photo Courtesy of the Getty Museum

The process by which American art museums acquire their pieces from other nations can often be very complicated, and sometimes dramatic. However, with the rampant worldwide looting of cultural objects that is currently taking place, and the subsequently black-market sale of these items, it is not very surprising that foreign export processes are usually extremely intricate. As time consuming and convoluted as they can be, these stringent processes and policies ultimately decrease the illegal exportation of artwork, which also indirectly assists in the prevention of further illicit looting around the world.

The difficulties associated with foreign purchases and exportation can be seen in some of the Getty Museum’s past attempts to purchase art from Great Britain. According to an article in the Arts and Culture section of the Los Angeles Times, the Getty has just recently won a small-scale struggle with the British authorities regarding the purchase of a Rembrandt self-portrait titled “Rembrandt Laughing.” Soon after the Getty announced its purchase of this painting, “British authorities put a freeze on the export license for the work. British law allows for the veto of foreign purchase of artwork if a British institution can at least match the purchase price and the work is deemed of significant cultural value.” This is not the first time that the Getty has been prevented by the British authorities from completing the purchase of an artwork. This also occurred in 2002 with the attempted purchase of Raphael’s “Madonna of the Pinks,” which is now located in London’s National Gallery. The British authorities having the power to veto foreign purchases of art in order to retain items that possess a powerful cultural value demonstrates the extent to which art is esteemed and cherished in our society.

As inconvenient as these situations were for the Getty, they prove how important it is for museums to respect the export policies of other nations. In addition, they emphasize the fact that museums should operate with a high regard and responsibility for the public trust in mind. Ed Vaizy, the British culture minister that placed the freeze on the export license, had done so in the hope that a British buyer would come forward to “rescue” the Rembrandt self-portrait. Vaizy explains, “I hope that my deferral of the export license will allow time for a buyer to … secure this exquisite painting for the nation, where it can be studied and enjoyed by all.” The public trust, and the overall artistic benefit of the country, were clearly major contributing factors in the British authorities’ decision to freeze the export license.

In the book Whose Muse? Art Museums and the Public Trust, edited by James Cuno, the relationship between the museum and the public is explored in depth through a number of essays written by prominent museum leaders. As John Walsh, former director emeritus of the J. Paul Getty Museum, explains in the book’s introduction, “individual works of art can move people deeply, that museums are places where the public can have that experience as a public experience…” (21). It is one of the main responsibilities of museums to house artwork that fosters national pride and encourages discussion and learning among the public. Though a small squabble with the UK resulted from the Getty purchase of this painting, the American public will ultimately greatly benefit from its display at such a renowned art museum. 

Check out these links that helped this entry of Museum Musings!
LA Times (Rembrandt)
LA Times Article
LA Times Article

Museums Are Businesses Too

 (Los Angeles Times)

In his article “The Mindful Museum,” Adam Gopnik describes the transformation of the museum from its earlier models as a mausoleum, machine, mall, and metaphor to its current state of being ‘mindful.’ Gopnik, however, does not investigate the history of the museum as a business, perhaps due to the fact it fails to fit in with the theme of his alliteration. While these institutions act as storehouses of art and centers for learning and discussion, museums also operate as ceaseless businesses, a role that is not necessarily as publicized as their other more evident functions. 

A recent article in the Arts and Culture section of the Los Angeles Times describes LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art’s search for a new director. Museum directors must often have extensive curatorial experience to build up their institution’s collections, but in order to run a museum efficiently, a keen business sense is also equally imperative. MOCA’s history of directors has largely consisted of individuals with curatorial backgrounds, but with little to no fundraising or administrative experience. Particularly during the tenure of Jeremy Strick, a previous senior curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, MOCA’s endowment was drastically spent down and its budget fell, even running deficits during the period between 2000 and 2009. As James B. Gardner and Elizabeth Merritt explain in their article “Collections Planning: Pinning Down a Strategy,” an awareness of an institution’s financial limitations is crucial to its success. They are extremely accurate in their belief that “Building a compelling vision of the future can help leverage funds and support.” As a result of the immense amounts of money spent on exhibitions and acquisitions, MOCA has spent the last five years struggling to fundraise and boost its endowment back up to 100 million dollars.

In addition, Eli Broad, the primary funder of MOCA for the last five years, announced earlier in September that he would no longer be funding the Museum of Contemporary Art, as the new Broad Museum will be opening in late 2014. This search for a new director comes at a critical time, not only for MOCA, but also for all Los Angeles museums, with the impending opening of the Broad Museum, which will be extending free admission to all guests. It will be interesting to study how free admission at the Broad Museum will affect attendance at MOCA, particularly since they will be showcasing very similar collections (both focusing on contemporary art) and MOCA’s entrance charge is $12. As Merritt and Gardner explain, “Many museums consciously choose not to collect in areas that are strongly represented in other museums, particularly if those museums serve the same audience.” However, both Eli Broad and the MOCA board maintain that the opening of the new museum will only increase attendance at MOCA. At this point, MOCA is not in a financially stable place to more seriously consider the idea of offering free admission to its guests. Free admission would mean that MOCA would need to incentivize the Los Angeles community in a new and fresh way to purchase memberships, of which one of the perks is unlimited free admission.

Generally, every museum possesses a Membership and Development Department that is responsible for major fundraising as well as the acquisition of private contributions from patrons. As the majority of museums rely heavily on donations and membership sales to build up their endowments in order to subsequently fund exhibitions and acquisitions, it is also important to have a financially savvy director. Hopefully, MOCA is able to acquire a new director with both curatorial and business experience, as both are necessary to successfully lead a museum into a fiscally secure future. 

LA Times Article (MOCA Director)

LA Times Article (Broad and MOCA)

LA Times Article (Broad Museum)

Demure Nudity Versus Explicit Nakedness in Art

Photo courtesy of Danika Jensen

Art is no stranger to controversy. Whether it involves a classical Greek sculpture of a female nude, or the homoeroticism and sadomasochism explored in the photography of Robert Mapplethorpe, art, throughout history, has managed to offend or affront through its exploration of what are considered to be shocking and radical topics. Art of all genres can be used as windows to explore the socio-political environments in which they were produced. However, not all agencies approve of revisionist or extreme art, and have diligently worked to stifle the range of artwork that is exhibited in our country’s museums. 

Nudity in art has remained a controversial subject since the art museum was first established in America. When classical Greek sculptures were first showcased in American museums, they were considered highly indecent and inappropriate due to their state of undress. However, with time, the nude form has become one of the most celebrated types of sculpture, with major art museums featuring countless examples of both male and female Classical Greek and Roman nudes. Despite the popular acceptance of these nude forms, demure nudity is still considered very different from explicit nakedness. 

The exploration of human sexuality and nakedness in photography, for example, has yet to reach such a state of appreciation and reverence in American art museums. Viewers often react much more negatively to the explicit nakedness in photographs than they do to the seemingly demure nudity of classical Greek sculptures. A Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit in 1989 brought the controversies surrounding “obscene” art and nudity to the public’s attention. “Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment” included images of nude individuals engaged in sexual acts and elements of sadomasochism and homoeroticism, alongside still life and portrait photographs. This exhibition, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, was ultimately cancelled at the possibility of governmental disapproval shortly before it was supposed to open at the Corcoran Gallery of Art for a touring show. This cancellation of the exhibit was regarded by many as a threat to the arts, and demonstrated the government’s influence in determining what is considered obscene in the art world. 

It should not be the government’s prerogative to determine what types of art are considered obscene or what art deserves censorship. Different genres of art speak to wide and varying audiences, and for the museum to completely cancel an exhibition at the risk of congressional disapproval due to its exploration of uncomfortable topics is self-censorship. Though these issues associated with governmental subsidization of the arts, unfortunately, are still prevalent, artist and museums alike continue to explore the topics of nudity and sensuality. 

A current exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris titled “Masculine/Masculine” is exploring the role of the male nude in art over the last several centuries, and hopes to dispel the myth that male nudity in art can be elegant and not simply raunchy. As the Musée d’Orsay states “We must distinguish above all between nudity and the nude: a body simply without clothes, that causes embarrassment with its lack of modesty, is different from the radiant vision of a body restructured and idealized by the artist.” The nude male form, displayed in a sexual, violent, or homoerotic manner, can still be beautiful and artistic despite the uncomfortable feelings it is sure to elicit in some viewers. As a result, it is essential for museums to continue to exhibit shows such as “Masculine/Masculine” and explore the human form despite the anticipated objections of government agencies or other groups. 

Check out these links that helped inspire this entry in Museum Musings! 

Musée d'Orsay
The Daily Beast Article 
ICA Article

Discordant Collections: The Benefits of Planning Ahead

Stephanie Diani for The New York Times

Oftentimes, museums have wonderful and expansive collections, compounded on through the years by curators looking to enrich and add depth to their institution’s identity. However, this can lead to a wide variety of unique and fascinating items that individually support a museum’s mission, but do not function as a cohesive whole. Disjointed collections can severely impact a museum’s ability to be successful in regards to conservation, display, and education.

In their article “Collections Planning: Pinning Down a Strategy,” James B. Gardner and Elizabeth Merritt discuss the detrimental effects of poor collections management, and the various ways in which an institution can develop and implement a successful collecting plan. They explain that poor collections stewardship can directly affect “the museum’s ability to succeed: the collections may suffer from poor care; limited resources may be spent on acquiring material that is unrelated to institutional mission; and the institution may perform ineffectively because its collections, exhibits, and educational activities are neither connected to each other nor supported by a financial plan” (433). As a result, collections management serves an integral role in the museum sphere. Collections managers ensure the long term care for a museum’s collections through extensive maintenance, as well as contribute to their institution’s mission through proper item acquisition.

Having worked as a collections intern at a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of ceramic art, I have had firsthand experience in the difficulties associated with collections planning. With a motley accumulation of objects donated by benefactors, as well as items acquired without a clear connection to the institutional mission, it was extremely difficult as a collections intern to research ways in which these items could function as a cohesive unit in future exhibitions.

This is an issue that affects both large and small scale museums. For example, the Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles is currently attempting to redefine the way it presents the mythology of the Wild West by incorporating other cultural perspectives. However, the somewhat discordant nature of its collections is significantly inhibiting the institution’s ability to present a consistent message through its newer exhibits.

Having absorbed the Women of the West Museum from Boulder, CO, as well as the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Autry Center is struggling to cogently incorporate these varying perspectives and traditions into their already expansive collections of items from the American West. As Edward Rothstein from the New York Times explains, “the Autry wants to become an identity museum, championing the West by uniting contentious factions within its embrace. I’m not sure it will even be possible…” Despite the fact that these groups of objects come from the same time period in United States history, it is not an easy task to link them to each other in a way that is a compelling and accurate interpretation of the lives and cultures of the American West.

Going back to the Gardner and Merritt article, proper collections planning can drastically improve an institution’s ability to care for its collections as well as present them in an educational and articulate manner. Acquiring countless items to enhance a museum’s collections is not always sustainable or realistic, no matter how well these items relate to the purpose and mission of the institution. Ultimately, it is essential for museums, large and small, to have a collection plan or policy that addresses the issues associated with discordant collections. As Gardner and Merritt assert, a proper collecting plan allows a “museum to take pride in the collections that is has built, but it also recognizes that it cannot assume that its currently collecting approach will meet its future responsibilities” (435). Hopefully, the Autry Center and other museums also struggling to conjoin their various collections can ultimately succeed at reorganizing their approach toward collection management in order to redefine their mission and identity as institutions.

Check out these links that helped inspire this entry in Museum Musings!

New York Times Article

Los Angeles Times Article

Autry Center Website

Clandestine Excavation and the Use of Illegally Looted Artifacts in Museum Collections

(Roger Anis / El Shorouk / Associated Press)

Having participated in an archaeological field school in Guatemala, I have seen the detrimental effects of looting firsthand. Cultural sites that you would assume had not been seen by humans for centuries, located hundreds of kilometers into the jungle and overgrown with vegetation, had all been extensively looted by Guatemalan natives. This type of subsistence looting is very commonplace in Central America, where the majority of the population lives in poverty and the chance to sell cultural artifacts to the antiquities black market is very tempting. This clandestine excavation of ancient sites, and subsequent loss of objects to the black market, is extremely damaging to our cultural heritage. The context in which artifacts were buried or discarded is completely lost, and archaeologists are left to piece together the use of these objects and their significance to the culture that made them. 

According to an article in the Arts and Culture section of the Los Angeles Times, the recent political unrest in Egypt has led to the looting and destruction of over one thousand artifacts housed in a museum south of Cairo. The looting of the Malawi National Museum is claimed to be the largest instance of cultural looting in the history of the country. In response to this cultural tragedy, Irinia Bokova, the head of UNESCO, has said that "this constitutes irreversible damage to the history and identity of the Egyptian people." It is likely that many of the pieces that were not destroyed in the looting will be sold on the illicit market, where they can ultimately end up in the hands of wealthy private collectors or potentially be purchased by unscrupulous museums. 

Historically, the museums that choose to invest in the acquisition of illegally looted artifacts often do so with the intent of enhancing their collections. This indirectly contributes to the continuation of clandestine excavation around the world and the resultant destruction of cultural sites. Despite the fact that museums are becoming increasingly sensitive to the ethical repercussions of acquiring illegally looted items for their collections, the majority of ethical codes that were written and adopted by museums in the most recent decades to help prevent this looting are still surprisingly lax. In the past, some of the more unprincipled museum directors have even condoned the continued acquisition of looted cultural property in their belief that they represent the institutions that are most capable of caring for and preserving these items. This conviction led to many museum directors fighting against other nation’s claims for repatriation of cultural objects due to their opinion that “museums serve not just the citizens of one nation but the people of every nation” (414). 

Ultimately, it is the ethical responsibility of museums to do everything in their power to prevent the destruction of our cultural heritage by refusing to acquire illegally looted items, or even objects that lack a clear provenance. In her article “Legal and Ethical Considerations in Museum Acquisitions,” Marilyn Phelan is admirable in her assertion that “Cultural patrimony is inalienable, and cultural objects have their greatest value to society when they remain, and can be studied, in their place of origin” (418). As an archaeologist, I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, and I believe the heritage and culture of each nation is invaluable to its citizens. Looting only serves to destroy our collective heritage and prevent the study and appreciation of the peoples that came before us. 

Check out this article that inspired this entry in Museum Musings! 

Los Angeles Times Article

Education For One and All!

Photo courtesy of artdaily.org

As a child, I had an avid fondness for visiting museums. The thought of exploring cultures and customs different from my own never failed to stir in me a feeling of great contentment. The joy I felt wandering the various exhibits of a museum did not diminish as I grew older; rather, I became increasingly interested in the potential of experiencing a museum from within the institution itself. This passion for education has ultimately led me to aspire to someday work in the Education Department of a museum, helping to develop programming that allows guests to make the most of their museum experience. 

Personally, I do not believe that you need to have an extensive art history, archaeology, or studio art background in order to have an enriching and worthwhile trip to a museum, whether it be an institution focusing on natural history, or one dedicated to the display of contemporary and modern art. However, museums can be very intimidating and unfamiliar places where visitors may have to confront artwork they have never before experienced. This is where the role of the museum educator becomes crucial. In her article “Changing Practices of Interpretation,” Lisa C. Roberts examines the transformation of the role of the museum educator, as well as the importance of interpretation in the museum throughout the 20th century. Educators are the ones that bridge the gap between the viewer and a piece of art by developing interpretive elements that allow for personal connections to be made. As Roberts explains, “visitors’ interest and attention is determined not by an object’s inherent appeal but its relevance to their own framework of knowledge and experience” (150). In order for a visitor to connect to a piece, the art must be made relevant to his or her personal experiences and interests. In addition to being pertinent to the individual, art must also be easily accessible to those guests who wish to view it. 

The Dulwich Picture Gallery in the United Kingdom is going above and beyond in their efforts to make educational programming available to their community. A recent article on the Art Daily website describes the traveling exhibition newly launched by the Dulwich Picture Gallery named the Artmobile, whose function is to transport their award-winning outreach program to a variety of community venues, including schools and hospitals. The Gallery currently works with over 100 community centers and offers free programs year round. This institution has clearly understood the importance of equipping all members of its community with the opportunity to experience the Gallery, a place that they may not have been otherwise able to visit on their own. 

Museums, as a whole, must be made accessible to every member of the community. Historically, museums were institutions that catered to the upper class or the elite individuals that possessed the means to indulge in the patronage of the arts, as explained in John Cotton Dana’s article “The Gloom of the Museum.” In contemporary times, museums have become more available to a wider audience, due in large part to the supreme efforts of museum educators throughout the last century. Museum education and interpretation are vital to the survival of the museum as an institution, and I hope that I am able to one day contribute to the valiant efforts of those educators, such as those at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, in their mission to promote learning in our society. 

Check out these articles that inspired this entry in Museum Musings! 

Art Daily Article

Dulwich Picture Gallery Website

Museum Collections Online, Friend or Foe?

(Charles Onians/AFP/Getty Images)

More and more frequently, it seems as if museums have been making the significant decision to place large portions, sometimes the entirety, of their collections online, often available to the public at no cost. In the last year, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, among many others, have been diligently working toward uploading the whole of their collections to the Internet. The Getty and the Rijksmuseum have even gone as far as to offer high-resolution images of this artwork with little to no copyright restrictions. Initially, I felt ill at ease and suspicious toward what I considered to be an unsettling trend in the museum world. After researching this idea more in depth, however, I am obligated to acknowledge the remarkable benefits associated with widely accessible collections at the touch of a mouse, despite my personal preference for the museum experience.

When I first began this blog entry, I was very stubborn in my conviction that museum collections online could only serve to hurt an institution. I believed that the number of museum visitors would drop, with individuals choosing to explore the artwork from the comfort of their own home rather than traveling out of the way to visit an institution in person. However, after reading a recent article in the Art and Design section of the New York Times that discusses the reasoning behind various museums’ decisions to post their collections online, I was able to put aside my personal bias and accept that there are substantial benefits to collections being made widely available on the Internet. 

Taco Dibbits, the director of collections at the Rijksmuseum explained in an interview for the New York Times, “We’re a public institution, and so the art and objects we have are, in a way, everyone’s property.” Some museums firmly believe that it their duty to make their artwork accessible to anyone and everyone that wishes to view it. Collections that are available online have created the opportunity for the public to interface with artwork from museums all over the world. In addition, online collections have the potential to serve as crucial teaching tools at all levels of education. For example, schools that do not possess the funds to send their students to museums will have the ability to bring the museum into the classroom. Additionally, scholars will have the opportunity to closely examine, often to an extent that might not otherwise be physically possible in the museum setting, pieces of art that may be housed in other countries. In some cases, art can even be viewed in situ within an exhibit, giving the viewer the ability to experience a piece beyond its two dimensional image in a textbook. 

I will admit, it is convenient to be able to peruse a museum’s collections if you are otherwise unable to visit the institution. At the end of the day, however, I firmly believe that browsing through online collections will always be a poor substitute for the magic of exploring the various exhibits of a museum in propia persona. Museums have become a natural meeting place for all members of our society, ranging from children and school groups to students, adults, and teachers. Museums are spaces that inspire learning, creative thinking, and discussion over an endless variety of topics, among a wide and diverse audience. In his article "The Mindful Museum," I believe Adam Gopnik is quite accurate in his description of the museum as the agora of contemporary society. I can only hope that museums continue to function as the central place where people can connect and converse with each other over art and culture. 

Check out these links that helped inspire my first entry of Museum Musings! 
Los Angeles Times Article  
New York Times Article
"The Mindful Museum"