Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Thinking About Museums: Take 2
Given all the dynamics and complex issues at play with museums today, from the museum work "behind-the-scenes" to how museums connect with visitors and the outside world, how has your perception of museums changed now having taken this class? And if not, why not? Finally: what part of museum work most interests you as a potential career path and why? Respond in at least four sentences with specifics by 5 pm, Monday, December 7, and thanks for all your posts on the Museum Work blog this semester!
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After taking this class, I have come to realize that the inside workings of a museum are far more multi-dimensional and complex than I had ever realized. There were so many jobs and roles in a museum that I had no idea existed previously. I am a photographer, so a very specific job that was mentioned in this class that I think would be absolutely amazing to have would be a museum photographer. However, I feel as though I could see myself working in many different roles in a museum. I think that working somewhere in the education department would be a very rewarding job, because I absolutely love talking with people about art, and I would love to be able to get as many people as possible involved in the arts and art education. I also think that exhibition planning would be very exciting, because I would enjoy coming up with concepts for shows, organizing how they are all going to come together, and thinking up different public outreach programs that could go along with them. Additionally, I think that curating would be interesting, because I love researching and writing about art.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that has really changed my outlook on museums is all of the regulations, the role that the board plays, and how intense it can be just to curate an exhibition. I think people tend to take things like wall labels for granted, and I know I've been guilty of just skimming over them and walking by-however now that I know how much work goes into them, I don't think I'll be so apt to skip over them in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think the wall labels is just a small factor too, of the many things we take for granted. As for what role I'd like to take in a museum, I haven't changed my stance on that. I still have an intense desire to do interpretation. It has only just been over a year that I had decided history was what I wanted to major in, and that specifically I Wanted to be a PArk Historian like my father. From January to August I was able to volunteer several days a week at Appomattox Court House, and getting to talk to people at the front desk about what was happening, or answering questions about the history of the McClean house was so exciting to me. I am someone who can get really hyper and excited when it comes to talking about history, and working interp is the best place for that, because then I get to talk first hand about the historical site or object in front of me. I want to be able to get people just as excited about History as I am.
I'm not sure I really realized before this class just how long a process everything is in museums. It seems like nothing is done quickly or easily and there is always something that might hold you back from getting things done. This ranges from the lightbulb that needs replacing that the museum can't pay for, to taking years and years and years just to put together one exhibition.
ReplyDeleteIf I were going to work in a museum (which I suppose is an option, I don't know, really) I think I would be most interested in just being a docent or doing exhibition design. I really like the idea of knowing deeply about the things around me and I think I would enjoy giving tours and things. As far as design, I love thinking about different ways to make people interact and see things and I generally think that would be really fun.
I think the one area that my perception has changed on museums is visitor services. There is a huge push now to understand more about museum visitors in order to create a better museum for them, and it is not very easy. Museums are constantly trying to find out exactly who their visitors and what motivates them to visit museums, and I think this is one of the most important aspects of museum work that I didn't necessarily think about before.
ReplyDeleteI previously came into this class wanting to work with museum collections and I still think that is what I want to do. Historical objects are extremely important in trying to piece together the past and understand why people did what they did, and I think protecting those objects should be a to priority. Without these objects we effectively lose our history as they are physical ties to the past. I hope to help preserve these objects and the stories contained in them in order to foster a better understanding of our history.
After taking this course, my eyes have been opened to a completely new world of museum work. I was surprised to learn how much time, effort, and intense planning goes into each show. Before this course I barely put any thought into the work behind the exhibitions, let alone the the vibe which the front desk was attempting to give off to the visitors when first entering the building. There are so many small details that I'll now be able to appreciate when visiting any type of museum. I think that the job which I'd be most interested in pursuing would be curating exhibitions. I think that as a curator, having a show open would be the most satisfying feeling, especially because that all of it began with a single idea from your brain and came alive through all of your hard work. I love the idea of finding new artists and pairing theirs works with others to create an incredible show. I feel that having close relationships with successful artists and people who have a deep appreciation for collecting art would only inspire me to continue creating my own art. I definitely have a better appreciation now for how much work goes into every element of a museum because of everything I've learned this year.
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ReplyDeleteFrom this course I have learned that museums are far more complex and intricate than I first believed. There are so many different parts and systems in a museum's organization. When all of these parts working and coming together as one, a museum is able to function. What really surprised me was the tree of all the connections shown among the museum's staff to show rank and how the individual departments are related and collaborate on topics. There are two main jobs in a museum that interested me. I would be interested in curating because of the writing and research required. I would also enjoy working in the public relations department of a museum to help attract visitors in and keep them interested in art.
ReplyDeleteBefore this class, I had never given much thought into the behind-the-scenes work of a museum. I’d never thought of the functionality, the long planning that went into exhibits, the pressure to collect members, or how a setup can hurt or help a museum. There are so many things that I think about now when I walk through a museum- like when I visited the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and I saw that print was posted on colorful walls, and I thought about how that may be bad for visitors with low eye sight. I appreciate much more now the work that goes into museums. There is a level of difficulty in maintaining a museum that I don’t think many people understand.
ReplyDeleteBefore this class I always thought that I may be interested in being a museum curator. Now, I find that I am even more interested in this path. I would love to be able to curate a show, to talk with artists as well as other museums, and pick the pieces that will best fit my show and my viewers. I find that the curator works in so many different aspects of the museum, and gets to work with so many other people, such as the educator for example, and I think that this is something that I would really like to do!
Overall I was surprised with just how small a museum staff is. Seeing all the different work one person has to achieve, like the curator or education director, is something that I had no clue about. The communication system between all the directors and staff is so intricate and determines whether a museum succeeds or fails at their mission. Also it was very interesting learning about the constant battle between the art work, the audience and which should come first.
ReplyDeleteBefore, I was deciding whether or not I wanted to pursue career as a curator or working in the archives. This class has helped me discover I no longer have any interest in being a curator but would be very interested in pursing a career as a registrar. I like the setting of working closely with the artwork and the process of analyzing the different pieces.
Going through this class every little specific job has been logical, but silent. As we went through the list of jobs I would sit there and think; ‘that makes a lot of sense, why didn’t I think of that before?’ I personally think that it is because most of the jobs aren’t meant to be seen, kind of like a theater. All the audience sees is the finished product and if it is done well enough the audience would be none the wiser to of all the puppetry behind the curtain. Even more so, no one can see the stresses of the very taxing work to organize every last detail, the stay in control of every little thing that can happen. I feel like much like the government, somewhere there is a museum with a zombie apocalypse plan.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty though, I when I started the class I was only toying with the idea of working in a museum. It seemed like a thing that I would apply for and maybe a few years before moving on to something else entirely. I still don’t know what specific job I would want to do in a museum, but the constant change of hands, always moving myself around, since there is a large availability of jobs, kind of fits what I see myself doing, staying in the same place has never been a good option for me, but now I know that I can get my foot in the door at a museum and work my way up and towards my goals.
This class was an interesting experience for me, as I had some idea of the inner workings of museums, but not to the extent that I do now. However, I will say that the evolving trends in museums, as they were portrayed in this class, worry me. I am someone who firmly believes in the intrinsic value of cultural institutions and their continued existence, and the continuing inclusion of capitalist rhetoric in museum disturbs me. It is my opinion that the world of money grubbing, penny pinching, and general concern with money to the exclusion of all else which lays like a fog over everything we think and do should be kept at bay in some cases, and my belief is that museums are one of those. Alas, it seems that my way of thinking may already be outmoded.
ReplyDeleteThis class has strengthened my sense of doubt that I would be a particularly useful asset to a museum as my ideas about museums are outdated to a certain extent, and I can hardly take on the whole institution of capitalism itself. In any case, I can remain comfortable in the idea that at least for the foreseeable future there will always be jobs at small liberal arts colleges for people like me, who refuse to allow the language of money to corrupt their ideas about history, culture, and art. Maybe, if I'm lucky I'll grow out of it and I'll be able to get a foot in the door in the museum world with the knowledge I learned in this class!
From taking this class I feel like my perception of museums changed significantly . I find it so interesting how a museum is like a beehive, there is such an intricate design that makes a museum be successful. Along with that simile there are so many workers that make museums work smoothly. That was one of the things that made this class so fascinating to me. Learning about all of the different jobs and how each one may has a very important purpose in the museums success. My perception changed especially through discussions of how people in this industry think of visitors, especially the idea of only the elite being worthy of museums. I had always though of museums being such a welcoming environment but from this class it makes me think otherwise.
ReplyDeleteIf I am to go into museum work I would be most interested in preservation and condition reports. I find that really interesting and I am very good at detail oriented work.
My perceptions of museums have changed in the sense that I did not realize how much work went into running a functioning museum. When I used to visit museums, I would get the sense that everything is always about the works on display, but I did not notice all the work that is directed back at the audience. Of course I knew about all the jobs that went into running a museum, like directors, curators and the such, but its those things that are not usually visible to visitors that can be difficult to understand. Finally, I realized museums are truly meant for everyone to enjoy, not just the social elite looking to one-up their other elite friends. Rather, it is a place for all to enjoy the beauty that is art.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found myself most interested in the part of class where we looked at conditions of works and making sure they are all up to date on how they are presented to the public. It is this kind of hands-on work I would like to do someday in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis may be a simple answer, but I just never realized how complex and deep the museum world is in regards to operation. Everything is so interconnected an led it seems that if one area ends up failing the rest of the museum is affected. It also seems a lot more political than I expected. I find it a bit hysterical that the board of the museum could potentially be a significant downfall. The help provide the money, so what they say goes even if what they say is terrible.
ReplyDeleteI am still extremely interested in curating. However, I can also see myself designing museums since I am an Architectural Design major. This class has significantly helped me in understanding the backbones of museums so that I would be able to design a beautiful and properly FUNCTIONAL museum. I'm extremely grateful for all of the things I have learned in this class and hope to put this information into good use in the future!