Video review

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach 

Key Concepts

• Henry Tate; Millbank London; opened in 1898
• Million people in 47 days; 4 mill. by end of 1st year.
• Most popular museum of modern art in the world.
• Ignores women artists of the 20th century.
• Alfred Hedgbar Jr.: 1st director.
• white walls, flexible lighting, categorized to particular rooms/by particular artist.
• chronological sequence suggests art developed primarily in response to other works of art.
• expanded to include changes in gender, race, class.
• 4 sections organized by theme: landscape/matter/environment; nude/action/body; history/memory/society; still life/object/real life.
•  contrast/rebellion against period norms.
• maximization of space.
• thematic categorization.
• expanding audience to view modern art is difficult due to unfamiliarity of modern art.

Relate to art exhibit project:

Yes; showed how to categorize artworks by theme.

Opinion:

Good info/advice on organizing artworks by theme/type/style/time period/category.

The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art 

Key concepts:

• Lowbrow: art that can't be categorized as anything else.
• reactionary to highbrow culture.
• actual definition of "lowbrow:" uncultivated; lacking in taste.
• Robert Williams: 1979; coined the term with a book he wrote.
• "pop surrealism."
• All inclusive.
• roots in pin-up; car culture; cartoons.
• history in folk art; tattoo; scrimshaw; car painting.
• post WWII period/the atomic age: important to pop art; B Movies; surf movies; post-war paranoia/propaganda McCarthyism; submersion in product development.
• early 80's: "ground zero."
• concept art, paintings, sculptures.
• categories made by critics.
• broadcast = flyers, CD/record covers.
• Metallica, Offspring, Skinny Puppy album covers all examples.
• controversial, graphic.  

Relate to art exhibit project:

This style of art is actually the type I chose to represent with my exhibit project after visiting the Burchfield Penny Gallery with another class & seeing the Spain exhibit. He was more underground during his time period of the 50's, but his stuff is definitely Pop Art.

Opinion:

Loved this film, gave me great info/leads for artists that I'd never heard of before, as well as museums that have collections of Pop Art that I can look into for this project.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology:

Key Concepts:

• Native Americans want the bones of their ancestors being stored in museums back.
• Anthropologists studying; archaeologists digging them up.
• Indian burial grounds = sacred sites.
• Iowa; 1976; 1st state in U.S. that passed law against excavating these sites.
• Museum exhibits from the time of the 1st settlers called into question.
• 1990: Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act; bones have to go back to tribes.
• problems figuring out where they go; very time consuming; caused conflicts/strain.
• conflict of scientific theories/facts vs. N.A. cultural beliefs.
• traditions/values/history passed down through elders.
• many common views of N.A. turned out to be stereotypes after scientific research.
• N.Y. = National Museum of the American Indian

Relate to art exhibit project:

No, has nothing to do with my style/theme/style of art.

Opinion:

Interesting film about Native American struggles, found the film touching, yet didn't really add depth to my project.

An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello & The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Key Concepts:

• 1963- curatorial assistant.
• 1977 - curator.
• born in France, educated at Harvard, background in European painting.
• collection nearly doubled during his time as director.
• 84,000 works of art acquired.
• 31 years as director, 8th longest.
• would rather not represent a particular artist/ style/movement/civilization if he couldn't get an "outstanding" work to do so.
• Didn't want to simply "fill in the gaps."
• museums are always growing/changing collections, never finished/complete.
• respects objects in collections even if he personally doesn't like them.
• The way history is presented changes history.
• evaluates ever piece.
• justification of acquisition of piece can rely on the eye of the beholder/intuition.
• conservators decide how to display artworks for maximization of piece.
• Restoration = no room for error.
• sometimes although damaged, a piece works best without restoration/simply as it is, with no restoration.
• aesthetics important in placement of pieces.
• houses only Egyptian temple in Western Hemisphere.
• growing collections cannot be just placed anywhere/in any room; must create right atmosphere to house them.
• need different room designs to house the many different collections/to display collections the right/best way.
• varied aspects of collecting & conserving are culminated in exhibitions.
• must consider all ways to present artworks.
• every exhibit need something to throw it off a bit to make it distinctive.

Relate to art exhibit project:

Shows all the thought that should go into putting together an exhibition.

Opinions:

Definitely gave new understanding & depth to the concepts & work that go into putting together an exhibit, & a better idea of how to present my own in my exhibit.