Opinions on Interpretation

In which a wandering museum studies student has opinions on interpretation.

[tlatollotl]

What’s Wrong With This Diorama? You Can Read All About It

The American Museum of Natural History corrects a Native American story in full view of visitors, inviting them to “reconsider this scene.”

This diorama at the American Museum of Natural History was amended in a way that allows museumgoers to see the historical inaccuracies it perpetuates.Credit Andrea Mohin/The New York Times

On the first floor of the American Museum of Natural History, a diorama depicts an imagined 17th-century meeting between Dutch settlers and the Lenape, an Indigenous tribe inhabiting New Amsterdam, now New York City. It was intended to show a diplomatic negotiation between the two groups, but the portrayal tells a different story.

The scene takes place in what is now known as the Battery, with ships on the horizon. The tribesmen wear loincloths, and their heads are adorned with feathers. A few Lenape women can be seen in the background, undressed to the waist, in skirts that fall to midcalf. They keep their heads down, dutiful. In front of a windmill are two fully clothed Dutchmen, one of them resting a firearm on his shoulder. The other, Peter Stuyvesant, colonial governor of New Netherland, is graciously extending his hand, waiting to receive offerings brought by the Lenape.

Critics have said the diorama depicts cultural hierarchy, not a cultural exchange. Museum officials said they had been aware of these implications for a while, and now they have addressed them.

The narrative, created in 1939, is filled with historical inaccuracies and clichés of Native representation, said Bradley Pecore, a visual historian of Menominee and Stockbridge Munsee descent. “These stereotypes are problematic, and they’re still very powerful. They shape the American public’s understanding of Indigenous people.”

About a year ago, the museum asked Mr. Pecore to help solve the diorama problem. Should it be removed entirely? Could the protective glass be temporarily taken out, and what was behind it altered?

Lauri Halderman, the museum’s vice president for exhibition, said, “We could have just covered it over.” Instead, museum officials decided on a more transparent approach. “What was actually more interesting was not to make it go away,” Ms. Halderman continued, “but to acknowledge that it was problematic.”

The solution offers a lesson in the changing nature of history itself. And it’s written on the glass.

Keep reading

[obscuritiesoffbeat]

I was so impressed by the exhibit design at the San Diego Museum of Man. Super cool concepts.

[jessie-and-the-dead]

Monticello Is Done Avoiding Jefferson’s Relationship With Sally Hemings

A new exhibit grapples with the reality of slavery and deals a final blow to two centuries of ignoring or covering up what amounted to an open secret.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

I never know what to make of interpretation here -- I’m never sure if awkwardness is due to direct translations from Chinese falling flat, diferent theories about interpretations, plain old dry interpretation, or something else. Most of the text-based interpretation I see here I opt not to comment on. 

But! I really appreciate when signage tells you why you can’t do something. (In this case, sitting on the nice grass compresses the dirt around the pines’ roots, which is bad for them.) Telling visitors this gives them a reason to comply beyond “the sign said so”, gives them a window into how their actions impact the landscape, and make them feel more like partners in conservation.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

New research shows what type of signs are most effective at communicating safety messages in national parks - and what not to do.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

Renegade Museum Tours Lure Newbies, Bros, and the Easily Bored

Nick Gray is hacking tour culture with idiosyncratic themes.

Opinion: I love it. Please let me lead tours like this?

[prostheticknowledge]

Hacking The Heist

Project by Cuseum for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is using Augmented Reality to present artworks which were stolen from their collection:

On March 18th, 1990 thieves broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole several invaluable masterpieces. 28 years later, the frames remain empty. 

The total value of the 13 stolen artworks is more than $500 million, making this heist the largest art theft in history. To this day, the case remains unsolved and frames which once held masterpieces by world’s most renowned artists are left empty on the walls… until now. Inspired by the anniversary of the heist and our love for this local museum, we decided to put our technology to use. Leveraging augmented reality, we’ve digitally placed the stolen art pieces back in their frames. We wish for the safe return of the stolen art, but in the meantime, we hope this project instills feelings of wonder, hope, and inspiration.

More Here

[do-you-have-a-flag]

Oh I made a post about this exact art heist and how ridiculous it was a while ago!

http://do-you-have-a-flag.tumblr.com/post/76475229161/wikipedia-wandering-find-of-the-day-one-of-the

[nyxira]

@copperbadge this seems relevant to your interests.

[copperbadge]

Very cool! They’ve always had pictures available in the galleries, but it’s neat to get the augmented reality involved. 

[opinionsoninterpretation]

National Taiwan Museum

I went to the National Taiwan Museum today and, while there were definitely aspects I enjoyed, I found their approach to discussing Taiwan's First Nations people...off-putting. To put it gently.

Background: I went to school at the University of New Mexico, where there are whole classes dedicated to NAGPRA and Navajo as a heritage language. In Taiwan, the government only apologized to First Nations people in 2016. (The President who issued the apology is the first Taiwanese president with indiginous heritage -- she has a grandmother who is Paiwan.)

Let me say up front: my ideas of how museums could better include and serve First Nations people is colored by me being a white woman who studied in New Mexico. I'd really love to get feedback on this from Taiwanese First Nations people or museums studies professionals.

First point: is it even appropriate to include aboriginal people as "subjects" in a natural history museum? Taiwan has a history museum and museums dedicated to aboriginal people. The National Taiwan Museum, while not solely a museum of natural history, was originally founded as such and the majority of its exhibits are about Taiwan's plant and animal life.

Moving on to exhibits. NTM has two main exhibitions that deal with indigenous people, both (I think) permanent. The first one introduces tribes in Taiwan. I really can't speak much to this, since all the interpretation was in Chinese.

The second exhibition was about naturalists in Taiwan. It seemed a bit newer, and it had English labels. Here's one of the first labels you see:

It's clear that early explorers in Taiwan, like so many other places, actively dehumanizing the First Nations people they met. Why not deconstruct this in the label? Expand on it? Talk about how those views affect people?

(This room, by the way, profiled explorers who wrote about people right along side those who wrote about plants and animals, all lumped under the “Natural History” label.)

The above label, in the same room, discusses how modern Atayal weavers are studying the museum’s collections. The label is beneath a video interview with an Atayal woman and is one of...two? three? portrayals of modern Taiwanese First Nations people in the whole museum. I thought the label and video were moving in the right directions, but they left out any discussion of why traditional craft skills were lost or how the museum got traditional Atayal clothing in the first place.

My gut reaction to a lot of the interpretation was “wow, this is Bad”, but that simplifies things way too much. I am woefully ignorant of both Taiwan’s First Nations people and of their relationship with museums. I’d love to read others’ thoughts on this, either via reblog or the inbox.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

My mother visited the Estuarium on Dauphin Island in Alabama and took lots of pictures for me. She mentioned in an email that she didn’t like the mission statement hanging in the lobby -- it seemed “too much like lesson objectives” and she didn’t see the point of it. I’m generally in favor of posting mission statements, so after she emailed me I thought we disagreed. We didn’t, as it turns out -- we both thought that the mission statement would have been fine if it was contextualized more and a little less, well, “lesson-plan-y”.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

Out of the Branches, into the Woods | American Libraries Magazine

At public library branches in seven states, staffers are sending patrons to the trails instead of the stacks with stocked hiking backpacks.

This isn’t exactly interpretation, but a LIS friend sent it to me and I loved the concept. (h/t Emily)

[opinionsoninterpretation]

How Museums Are Becoming More Sensory-Friendly For Those With Autism

An increasing number of institutions are developing programs that make exhibitions more accessible to those with developmental disabilities

Quick opinion: yes! good! let’s keep this up and make it even better!

Expanded opinions:

We need to do a better job of making museums sensory-friendly in general, outside of special hours. Cut out unnecessary sound, make visitors aware of busy hours, lowering lights, putting down carpets -- all these things can make museum going less exhausting for all visitors.

We also need to do a better job of bringing autistic adults in to advise on exhibits or programs or to lead trainings.

On a similar note, the article mentions in passing that giving interpretive staff special training produced good results. Compared to starting whole new programs or adjusting exhibits, I’d imagine it’s also fairly affordable. Why not encourage that more?

I wasn’t aware that Autism Speaks was involved in this, which makes me uncomfortable. I think it also reveals a bias here: museums are getting the most feedback from caregivers, not autistic people themselves. It would be awesome if there was a consulting group made up of adult autistic museum specialists who were doing this instead.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, AL: Artworks

Artworks is a free children’s art museum located inside the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama. Artworks made such an impression on me that I can describe nearly a dozen aspects of it even though I haven’t visited in several years.

Artworks has great kid-focused interpretation. It’s got lots of opportunities for touching art, making art, becoming art, and seeing cool art that other people have done (like with the interactive Hopper painting in the above picture). It’s cozy and fun and it’s FREE.

(Above: label on a “please touch me” wall that displays replicas of art throughout history.)

(A “design your own quilt” activity in Artworks. This activity is colorful, interactive, has a kinaesthetic component, and is culturally relevant for the area.)

This opinion post is a bit lacking because I haven’t been to Artworks in a while. My general opinion is pretty solid: I like the interpretation here. My mother was kind enough to take pictures the last time I went without me even asking, which is why I’m making this post now. I’m a fan of Artworks. If you’re in Montgomery be sure to check it out, with or without kids in tow.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

Why Can't People Stop Touching Museum Exhibits?

After years of watching, one researcher thinks she's got the answer.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

The Rise of the Made-for-Instagram Museum

The age of Instagram has given rise to a new genre of installations, which seem to exist only to produce the perfect photo.

I am not really concerned about experiences designed around Instagram or about museums like the MET using Instagram and Instagrammers to reach new audiences. I am, however, a bit concerned about experiences like the Museum of Ice Cream calling themselves “museums”.

It’s interesting how the article notes that interpretive decisions are being made around what looks good on Instagram. White light is harsh and draining in person, but makes for better pictures. If your whole model is to create a sub-par experience for visitors then leave them with pictures that make them look adventurous and artsy, what are you actually selling?

[opinionsoninterpretation]

An upstairs Dwelling House room at Canterbury Shaker Village provides Shaker-style clothing for children to try on. I love dress up nooks, but in this one no labels welcomed visitors to try on clothing. Many of the other items in the village had labels that read “deny thy temptation”:

Since:

 a) visitors familiar with historical museums are conditioned not to touch objects and

 b) all visitors have been told frequently throughout this museum not to touch objects,

I felt that a "please touch” label would have been useful here.

[opinionsoninterpretation]

The Case of the Missing Artist, Peabody Essex Museum

A little nook in the Maritime Art hall of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, brings visitors into art history by asking them examine a work of art and decide who painted it. The above label is across a hallway from the other three walls that make up this exhibit.

The painting in question hangs at eye level on the middle wall (below). The walls to the left and right (above) build up cases that the mystery work was created by Buttersworth or Jacobson, presenting artists’ analysis alongside two paintings by each artist.

The text to each side of the mystery painting connects the content on the adjacent wall with the painting in question, encouraging visitors to make their own guess. The best, most current answer to this real-life puzzle lays beneath the question mark.

I enjoyed the way this exhibit demystified part of the curatorial process and encouraged visitors to look for specific, easily describable features in the paintings. I frequently find art museum interpretation to be too expert-oriented and ephemeral for me to really engage with it, so this more down-to earth approach stood out. Although I saw it by myself, I imagine it also fosters conversations between groups of visitors (and possibly between strangers).

[opinionsoninterpretation]

Exhibition Review: ‘It’s Alive’ at the Peabody Essex Museum

“Kirk Hammett, best known as the guitarist of the rock band Metallica, is also an avid collector of classic horror and sci-fi movie posters. This exhibition explores the interplay of creativity, emotion and popular culture through 135 works from 20th-century cinema, including posters by an international array of graphic designers, rare works by unidentified masters as well as related memorabilia such as electric guitars, lobby cards, film props and costumes. Hammett has dedicated the last three decades to creating one of the world’s most important collections and acknowledges his poster collection as a source of inspiration for his own musical creativity.” (From the PEM website.)

When you walk in the door to It’s Alive, an exaggerated squeaking door sound effect plays, inviting you to embrace a subject that might be seen as “too kitschy” for an art museum. 

The introduction label (above) is short, to-the-point, and easily skimmable. My biggest gripe with art museums is that they overload the senses with bright floors, walls, ceilings, and lights. It’s Alive’s use of a dark color scheme and ambient lighting not only set the tone for my experience, it also helped ward off museum fatigue.

There was plenty of space to move -- I never felt cornered or unable to see the art. I neglected to photograph any object labels, unfortunately, but they were brief and interesting.

Several costumes and props were on display. They were placed on raised platforms that suggested flying saucers and were high enough not to be a tripping hazard. The rail around the edge keeps visitors from sitting and children from crawling.

I am always in favor of more seating in museums, but this exhibition had two seating areas, which seemed more than sufficient for the volume of visitors it was getting. (Above is my father, appreciating the last seating area.)

The first seating area was modeled after a 1950′s living room. Clips played on the television, books and magazines were scattered around, and toys lined the cabinets on the walls. (The text on the table playfully reminds visitors not to take toys with them.)

I felt the exhibit did a good job of addressing the “what the heck does Metallica have to do with this” question without making the exhibition feel like it was designed by (or was a shrine to) Kirk Hammett. Screens played interviews where Hammett described the first horror film he saw and how it impacted his musicality. While this was interesting to me as someone who writes dark fiction and is frequently inspired by music (while Hammett writes music inspired by dark fiction and art) and will surely interest Metallica fans, it might be the weak point in the exhibition for some visitors.

The final section of the exhibition included original music by Kirk Hammett, guitarist for Metallica/collector of horror ephemera, as well as a kiosk with a survey. I didn’t take a photo of the survey, but it included basic demographic questions (including “third gender/non binary” and “I prefer to self-describe” as gender options) as well as questions on the visitor’s previous knowledge and the purpose of the visit.

Also visible in the above shot: the designers’ playful attention to detail, seen in the goo that drips from the exit sign.