Learning in Art Museums: Engagement With Art

Maria MortatiIndependent Exhibit Developer

San Francisco, CA | AERA 2013

Center for Creative Connections,Dallas Museum of Art

Interactive Galleries, Contemporary Wing,Baltimore Museum of Art

Fort Collins Museum of DiscoveryChildren’s Creativity Museum

FORMAL

The Great Calculation, Exhibit & Events The Giant HandMachine Project @ The Hammer Museum

Desire Trails Public Program,Headlands Center for the Arts

INFORMAL

The San Francisco Mobile Museum

Museum experienceVatican Museum

Museum experienceOpen Field at the Walker

Museum experienceExperiments in Engagement

Engagement Platforms at Art Museums

Through the art and artists

• Civically Engaged Participatory Art– Queens Museum and art

projects that address local social and political issues (Tania Bruguera)

• Participatory Art– Open Field at the Walker Art

Center, Portland Art Museum’s Shine a Light Socially Practice projects

With the art or collections

• Center for Creative Connections, Dallas Museum of Art

• Interactive galleries at the Baltimore Museum of Art

THE CENTER FOR CREATIVE CONNECTIONS (C3)

Dallas Museum of Art

C3 is a 12,000 sq ft dedicated space for different types of participation.

It was about working an institution’s content in multiple ways.

Gallery as Lab: we went back to the original statement and interpreted it as the theme

What they bring to the table: The Framework for Engaging Art

Observers… Are somewhat comfortable looking at art, have the most limited backgrounds in art and art history, least comfortable talking about art. They tend to prefer a guided experience at the museum, may be new to art viewing and just beginning to experience it.

Participants…Stronger knowledge of and interest in art. Enjoy learning and the social aspects of their experiences and have strong interest in connecting with works of art in a variety of ways, including through music, dance, dramatic performances, and readings.

Independents… Individuals in this group like to view a work of art independently, without explanations or interpretation. These visitors are confident about their knowledge and seek intense interactions with art. Independents are often practicing artists. The group is less likely to use interpretative resources during their visit.

Enthusiasts…Are confident, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and comfortable looking at all types of art. These visitors actively participate in a wide variety of museum programming, they are the most emotionally affected by art, and are most interested in the artist materials and techniques, and in explaining the meaning of a work to a friend. They frequently use the museum and are most likely to be members.

Irvine Foundation Report

Source: Getting In On the Act, Understanding Participatory Arts Practices

Initial Definitions of Visitor Activity in C3

As we begin to think of how to define a spectrum for activity, we could consider in this way:

• Responding to a prompt or question about a work of art

• Reflecting on a work of art in an active way: visitor makes or does something that mimics or reflects the idea of an artwork

• Inventing something inspired by a C3 prompt or by simply having the environment and tools to do so

11/14/11 11C3#3 Concept Phase Interim Presentation

What outcomes do we want to have?

• Engagement with art, it’s ideas and the cultural community surrounding our visitors and museum.– How can we put ourselves in the position of

addressing the relevance of an object in our contemporary world?

Exhibit Planning Outline

1. Select a variety of objects that offer deep engagement

2. Use of an object's inherent entry points: and develop “interactives” tailored to them

3. Variety of activities for our demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, learning styles, FEA)

4. Modular exhibit approach with a gallery layout revised to mesh architecture with activity

5. Connect to current events in the contemporary world

Object vs. Theme-based Methodology

An Emerging Spatial Language

A new criteria for selecting objects emerges:

1. Ripe for visitor engagement • fosters curiosity • depth: potential for rich content • breadth: allows for entry points across a diverse audience • potential for community interaction• connects with the contemporary world today• lets us play with the subjectivity of art

2. Diverse across the Museum Collection • showcases the diversity of the collection

3. Diverse across the Gallery • there are visual dynamics amongst all works of art at any

given time

4. Able to be on loan for an adequate period of time

BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ARTNew Contemporary Wing - Interactive Galleries

Interactives & Conceptual Art

This is a place where art museums battle participation- where there can be an outright rejection of participation.

These projects highlight the potential and problems of such an approach.

Two new galleries: one a hallway to an elevator, the other, a small space off the atrium yet prominently featured in the architecture of the wing, flanked by the main galleries

Starting with Spatial Evaluation

Gallery 1: “Open Studio”

• This gallery became a space that explored the creative practice of a single artist through a variety of media, activities, and programs

• The artist we were opening with was Sarah Oppenheimer, who was producing a large, permanent installation that transected the entire wing of the museum.

Sarah Oppenheimer, W-120301, 2012

Sarah Oppenheimer, W-120301, 2012

Sarah Oppenheimer drawings

Research into the artist’s influences

Hands-on prototypes to get at the essence of playing with the grid of a building

Sketchbooks to let visitors try the artist’s approach on, surrounded by other contextual materials.

Gallery 2: “The Big Table”

• Initially, this gallery was going to be where visitors could dive deep and engage with the concept of one work of art and one artist.

• Things don’t always work out as planned.

We began with a work in the collection that could fit in the gallery, and have a visual in it that would provide a hook for visitors to play with.

Mel Bochner, Optic Chiasma

Front-end prototyping and evaluation

Magnet Activity

• Engaged for a few minutes and went to other activity

• Used the magnets to stack, slide, but not exclusively to mimic the painting

• Visitors looked at the work of art while completing the activity

• Liked that the activity was interactive

• Did not understand the connection between the questions and activity

 

Drawing Activity

• High dwell time

• Worked socially or in isolation

• Drawings were varied and arrangements were varied

• Visitors liked seeing what other visitors had drawn, and those drawings were also a helpful indication that they were allowed to sit and draw in the Museum.

• Visitors did not approach, and/or look at the work of art, although a few interviewees later said they noticed it.

Drawing Activity, #2

Worked out the conceptual and physical issues around space and perspective, and allowing visitors to move the pieces around, while keeping the drawing element front and center.

Starting Over

Working with a concept across contemporary art, vs. a work of art

Finding local experts to collaborate with and realize the vision

Baltimore Museum of Art

Baltimore Museum of Art and Post Typography

Pages deep letterform drawings

What do you think the possibilities are for children, art, and museum experiences?

THANK YOU.

MARIA@MORTATI.COMWWW.MORTATI.COM