Attendant's View

Cartoons and musings of interest to gallery assistants, museum attendants, front of house staff... and anyone who enjoys their art and history. www.attendantsview.com www.facebook.com/attendantsview https://twitter.com/AttendantsView

[attendants-view]

Unsolicited artistic nudes

That got strange fast.

When an artist you don't know uses your personal facebook account to contact you, rather than any work related channels.

You politely, yet in a friendly tone, explain that you don't exhibit unsolicited original artwork.

They offer to send you images of their work, to see if it'll change your mind.

They further explain that they are painted nudes, and she is very beautiful (this is from a male artist)

Uhhh.... Nope, thanks, bye, and block.

[ratliker1917]

weird how they call it “the british museum” yet practically none of the items on display are british or have any justifiable reason to be in britain

[sherlock-is-ace]

[attendants-view]

Let’s Talk Freely About Free Admission- Does It Really Impact Who Visits? (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider

Do free admission museums have lower income, younger, or more racially diverse visitors? Here’s the data. As we often say at IMPACTS and on this site, "being data informed means getting comfortable being uncomfortable." The good news about data withRead More ›

Does free admission attract a more diverse museum audience? As it says in the article, get ready for some "stone cold, high-confidence, unbiased science on how free admission actually affects visitation."

[installator]

“This picture shows artist Nola Hatterman at the Stedelijk, busy hitting a nail into the wall. It was taken during the installation of the exhibition of De Onafhankelijken in 1931. Behind her we see fellow artist Anneke van der Feer holding a painting.” (@Stedelijk)

[attendants-view]

Science Museum plans 200 hectare site to show off lost treasures

Huge range of objects little seen for decades will be exhibited in facility near Swindon from 2023

Language, it's a funny thing isn't it, how we want it to entice and excite?

How can 300,000 objects be "lost treasures", if they have "been in storage for decades."?

Admittedly the Science Museum Group’s managing director has said they "are unearthing things that we really didn’t know that we had" but "oh, that notebook belonged to James Watt!" isn't perhaps what the public are imagining!

[attendants-view]

A Cat Museum designed by Philippe Geluck will open in Brussels - Brussels Express

It’s official, the most famous feline in Belgian comics will see his Chat Cartoon Museum in 2023. The Chat, designed

As if Brussels couldn't get any better as a city to visit  - there's a cat museum coming.

[attendants-view]

When visitors are frankly discussing display content, totally unaware there's staff around the corner.

"That's massive. F*ck me sideways."

"With that? You sure you can take it?"

"... Well, not what I meant, but, I'd give it a go for the YouTube fame."

[archaeologysucks]

things I have seen adult, professional archaeologists do, on the clock

Eat a worm.

Chant “EAT IT! EAT IT! EAT IT!”

Launch water balloons across the site at the portable toilet when someone was using it.

Back the work vehicle up against the door of the portable toilet to trap someone inside.

“Gently” tap the crew vehicle in front of them with the bumper of their vehicle.

Discreetly vomit in the bushes due to hangover.

Intentionally run over roadkill while laughing maniacally.

“Moon” the work camera.

Topless Day

Throw a co-worker into the bog of water-screening run-off sludge.

Flint-knap right next to a test unit.

Chase one another around with a dildo they found (and then bag it as an “artifact” and send it back to the lab).

Draw a smiley face on their hardhat in their own blood.

Write off a shovel probe because there was a horse standing on the spot that wouldn’t move.

Yell out, “I peed on a snake! :D”

Have a shovel fight.

[attendants-view]

ooohhhhh yes...

- Hurriedly lift a square of turf, poo, replace turf, because they were desperate and the portaloo was occupied. 

- Sing “We know what you’re doing” every time a guy goes to pee behind a wall.

- Build a throne out of turf sods, spades and shovels on the spoil heap.

- Gently shake the stepladder when someone was trying to take bird’s eye photographs from it.

- Cook enough rice to feed the crew for three days because the person on cooking duty had never cooked rice before and didn’t reliase it expanded.

-  Hand a newbie something to hold, then casually mention it’s human bone in an effort to freak them out.

- Throw colleagues into the sea.

[huntingtonlibrary]

Carnivorous plants are getting out of hand (heh) in the Conservatory.

[attendants-view]

This free to download comment card is a very interesting idea. As museums and galleries are increasingly being challenged on their traditional interpretation, this is one way to raise concerns by popping something in the comments or donations box. 

I'm especially fond of "Totally Impenetrable", which applies to a few art galleries I've been in. 

Created by Alice Procter and available (along with other thought provoking things) at https://www.theexhibitionist.org

[attendants-view]

A Local Museum for Local People (called David)

Our location is a Very Rural tourist information centre, with two visitors, two volunteers and a boarder collie. 

Me: We did try to visit the local museum, but it was closed.

Tourist information lady: That is strange. It's after Easter and before October, and it's a Tuesday, and it's not gone half one yet. It should be open, David is very keen.

Her friend: Unless The Other David was due on today?

TIL: I'll phone David for you and ask him to pop down and open the museum. 

Me: Stammers about that not being necessary, really, even as she's making the call. 

*quiet fear that this is about to go full League of Extraordinary Gentlemen*

TIL: He's not picking up.

Me: THANKS BUT DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, WE'LL CHECK OUT THE OLD CINEMA INSTEAD!

*visitors politely flee*

[attendants-view]

Today is a "First, let's consolidate all these half finished to-do lists into one new list" sort of day.

[attendants-view]

Want to talk about a book that's changed you as a museums and galleries type person?

The Museums Journal are looking for folks who want to write 250 words on a book that’s influenced your career for their Bookshelf slot. Have a look at this example - Basically describe the book, how it’s been relevant to you and how it's influenced your professional outlook.

If you're interested, feel free to send your words or ask questions here: [email protected]

[quitesorry]

Medieval Menagerie is LIVE on Kickstarter! Pledge to receive a beautiful and quirky hard enamel pin creature straight from the manuscript margins! 

The campaign is running until Aug 19th! 

Check it out here: http://kck.st/2uzw0QQ 

Please reblog to get the word out!

[attendants-view]

“ The British Museum is seeking to borrow the Trump Baby blimp, which flew over a protest against US president Donald Trump’s tour of the UK last week, for its upcoming exhibition, I Object: Ian Hislop’s Search for Dissent. The museum has approached the activists behind the Trump Baby blimp with a view to flying the blimp at the museum for the exhibition opening in September. A spokesman for the museum said the talks were at an early stage and nothing had been decided, but the museum was looking to borrow the blimp rather than acquire it for the museum’s collections.”

[attendants-view]

New museum observation comic! 

See it in full here: 

http://www.attendantsview.com/cartoons-and-blog/attention-to-detail

[ashmoleanmuseum]

FIFA World Cup

Are you ready for the England v Tunisia #WorldCup game today?

Whilst we don’t have any footballs in our collections, we do have these carved stone balls from the Late Neolithic Period in Britain (3000–2500 BC). Hundreds of these were found in the north-east of Scotland, with these samples coming from Marnoch near Aberdeen.

It is not certain what these balls were used for, though there are many existing theories. Some believe they were used as weapons, while others suggest they might have been oracle balls used to interpret messages from the gods. Either way, we’re not sure we’d want to play football with one.