You are a collector of many things.
One thing is for sure, you are a collector of information, ideas and many memories.
I now ask you to reflect back on the earliest beginnings of the semester and all the way through it.
Reflect on your own experience with the course and respond to what you are taking away from it.
What does this collection of thoughts look like?
500 words, minimum.
Student Responses:
Project #1.11: Final Reflection I can say without hesitation that this was the one course that I took this semester that I looked forward to every single day. What I will take with me is a smorgasbord spread of new and exciting artistic influences, philosophical concerns about the nature of art and collecting, practical curatorial information, and finally momentous movements in the art world that all budding museum studies or cultural enthusiasts should know. I think the course was perfectly plotted for a comprehensive exploration of the field of curatorial and museum work, and covered every intellectual avenue I could have ever wanted to go down.
From the lectures of the first week alone, I was already immersed in the newfound knowledge of Andres Serrano and Antony Gormley. Whether or not I agree with their artistic visions or practices is inconsequential because my vision of art history across the world is becoming more complete and I can now appreciate their works in an informed way. I will also add Leigh Yardley to this list of newfound artists because her works were like nothing I had ever seen before. Working with her was truly amazing for a first-time installer because it was challenging but she was incredibly welcoming.
In hindsight, the Vogel Collection reminded me of the Art Park in so many ways, and I believe that being able to see the collections of ordinary (in terms of daily life, not in terms of personality because the Vogels and the Riesters were clearly incandescent people) who amassed so many objects of beauty. They did it because they could, because they loved art and because they wanted to take care of the works for others to appreciate as well. This attitude and their daily submersion in the things they loved really inspired my plans for the future and showed that art is accessible to all. I loved seeing the conflicts within the collections themselves among media and colors yet there was such a clear delineation of their respective aesthetics. Beyond this, I think the articles provided like Glenn Fleishman’s “A Racist Message Buried for Thousands of Years in the Future” and “New Racism Museum Reveals the Ugly Truth Behind Aunt Jemima” by Jennie Rothenberg Gritz should be made mandatory readings for all museum studies students because they capture the cultural importance of collecting.
I believe our visits to the Hubbard Collection and to the Stickley Museum were the most useful to my sense of the physical practicalities of museum work. Archives have always been an area that intrigued me, but what truly scares me is the lack of resources that museums have despite their professional status and the importance of their collections. The revelation that the library and collection did not have windows that were uniformly protected against UVs floored me, but it was clearly not for lack of trying but rather for a desperate lack of funding. The same went for the Stickley Museum and Amanda’s anguish over her need for more archival space that is climate controlled. These issues are not due to oversight but because museums and gallery spaces are chronically under-funded.
Finally, the resource from this semester that will always haunt me was The Art of the Steal. If any movies have to be jettisoned for the next round of FA351, I think it is imperative to keep this one. This hammered away the importance of ironclad protections and clear chains of leadership for museums -- but it also illustrated how feasible it is for legal channels to be manipulated. It was a terrifying watch. This was the perfect final reminder of how controversial the simple act of collecting can be, and yet its necessity to preserve culture for future generations.
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When I first enrolled for this course, I was very excited for it to begin in the Spring. Even though for my major it is a mandatory class, I was excited to learn more about this field of study. I have always loved visiting museums, and to make a living in an environment which I love to be around would be amazing. After taking this class, I have an even greater appreciation for museums and other not-for-profit organizations. The most rememberable lessons that I have taken away from this course, however, would be the process of acquiring items for a collection, how museum workers in smaller organizations are often doing more than one job, and finally, the role museums can have for a community.
At the very beginning of this class, we discussed what collections were, and how they can impact the way we learn about the world around us. Not only can this create an unknown bias, but it can also create a false narrative unknowingly if curators are uncareful with how they display items and information. With that said many small-scale museums have a specific focus within their collections. For example, the Hubbard collection in Cazenovia only takes donated items relating to the village of Cazenovia. However, when you visit you can see displays of exotic and extinct birds, to an ancient Egyptian artifact. This is because they were collected by the founder Robert Hubbard, and there for a part of Cazenovia’s history. Many will try donating unwanted family possessions, that had more personal ties to Cazenovia rather than historical. Many of these small-scale museums have to turn down items more often than except them, which is something I never would have expected.
With each small-scale museum, we had the chance to visit, one thing was constant throughout. Often-times staff had more than one role within their organization. Whereas with larger scale museums andgallery spaces like for example the Everson, staff would have a specialized field most of their work was concentrated in. Not to say they never assisted other departments to meet a common goal, but for the most part, they each specialize in one focus. Whereas with museums like Stickley staff like Amanda Clifford curates, leads group tours, cleans the facilities, and mandates the museum's website and social media page. She and her boss Mike Danials are the main force behind the entire museum and the company’s ever-expanding archive. If you are thinking about going into the field of Museum Studies or Education, you can’t be above picking up a broom because you never know what scale organization you’ll be working for.
One thing, however, was the same across the board for each organization we visited or learned about. That one common thread was the role which they play on a community. If it’s a small town like Cazenovia, or an exhibit targeted to raise awareness for the LGBTQA community museums provided that public platform for learning and growth within our modern-day society. For example, the Gage House runs a program to educate leadership skills to local girls, in hopes of increasing women's role in their community, state, and country. Like Matilda Gage who though soft-spoken used her writing skills to change the political policies of her time, the foundation teaches visitors how talents can be used to change the world we live in.
After taking this class I myself know that I either want to pursue a Masters degree in Museum Studies, Museum Education, or Historical Preservation. No matter which path I choose to pursue, it is safe to say that a career in a museum will be in my future. This class has been not only very informative but quite honestly one of my favorite courses I have taken at Cazenovia College so far. The only change I would make would be to have it during a longer class period. The class often seemed to be over before we had a chance to really discuss and go over the information, as well as prove to be too short a time for classroom field trips. Despite all that, I did enjoy this class and would recommend it to anyone within the arts.
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This class has definitely been an eye opener for me and a new door to walk through. When I first read what we would be doing in the class when I was signing up for my spring classes I said, I need to take this class. I have learned so much about the museum world and what it takes to be a part of the museum experience from all different perspectives.
I switched from my education major to liberal studies and I don’t regret it. The Museum as a Medium class has led me down the road of possibly taking an arts graduate program. I have explained that my children love art and they love expressing themselves through it. I believe that art is such an important part of children’s lives and being able to broaden their horizons through their achievements is something I hope to bring to them.
My favorite part is when we went to the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park right in Cazenovia, NY. The home of Dorothy and Bob Riester was such a treasure and enjoyment to me. Walking into this house made by two people passionate for art and history was just something special. I want my children to experience the feelings I had when I walked into that house and saw all the work Dorothy did and I want them to believe in themselves no matter how hard the struggle. The documentary on Dorothy and Herb Vogel was another part of the class I really enjoyed. The film makes me believe that I can start my collection on local art and not look back. I have so many friends that are artists, one being in Philadelphia, and after watching the film, I want to buy pieces. They were so in love with just the simple life and enjoyed what they wanted, local art. They made close friends and created a world class exhibition which they openly donated to the National Museum without hesitation.
This was the one class that I was so happy to be a part of. It is lively and interactive, and Jen is so open to change and always worked around us. She is dedicated to her profession and takes her student’s lives as a priority. It was really fun doing many projects and being a part of student exhibitions and Leigh Yardley’s right at school. This class is a great hands on learning experience for anyone really, not necessarily just art majors.
There was a lot of information to take in and I wish we had more hours in the day to really sit and discuss more with one another. If there is anything, I would change about the class it would be to make it more than an hour because I feel like we had to rush a lot. During the installation part of the exhibitions I feel like were the hardest to do in that hour, although we could have stayed longer if possible. Another thing I would do is to always try and double check our trip day schedules to make sure the museums are still ready for us, so we don’t have to cancel important visits.
All in all, this class is a great necessity to the art majors at Cazenovia College and Jen is definitely a gem to have as a professor. She is full of knowledge and energy and made the class really enjoyable. The trips were excellent and new experiences for me and the films and TedTalks were informative as well. I hope that the next spring class is ready to take on all the excitement of Museum as a Medium because we really need more people active in the museum and art community.
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What I am taking away from this class is the behind the scenes of what goes in to making a museum a museum. I didn’t know how many different roles a manager or a curator had to take on in order to keep a museum running. All the minor details like the layout of the building or how the pieces/artifacts have to be displayed. Helping with the gallery was also a great because I was able to get experience in putting up a show, something I would need as an artist later in life. Seeing the different ways, a piece can get installed and the process of the order of where each piece goes in gave me a few ideas in putting up pieces of my own.
How Museum as Medium has Affected Me
During the course, Museum as Medium, I have learned so much information. This class has given me a good amount of knowledge about museums. This course has taught me differences in museum types, what museum employees do, and how to do some behind the scenes work. While overlooking this knowledge that I have gained, I can see that this collection of thoughts has really affected me, in many ways.
I have learned a lot of useful information in this course. One thing I learned was the differences in museums. Museums may be different depending on the type of artwork there is inside. Not only that but, museums don't even have to be for art; there is science museums, technology museums, and many more. Museums come in different shapes, sizes and, are located all over the world. More information that I have learned was about the museum staff. I have gained knowledge of the museum staff titles and their job descriptions. Some more important job titles are the curator, the registrar, and the archivist. The curator is like a manager and is at the top of the museum hierarchy. The curators determine and manage the collections for the institution. The registrar is responsible for applying policies and procedures that relate to the wellbeing of the art collections of the museum. The archivist maintains records of computer collections in the database. The database may be accessed by museum staff, educators, and the general public. The archivist also works with paper records and historical documents to find the best ways to handle the art/artifact. Another thing I have learned was how to do some of the behind the scenes work. The two main things I have learned were installing/deinstalling artwork and accessioning/deaccessioning artifacts. One major thing I remember from installing/deinstalling is that it helps to take pictures before you take out the objects so you can put it back together! Also, I remember to always to leave the artist work better, if possible, then they brought it. One major thing I learned from accessioning/deaccessioning artifacts is that accessioning is the formal, legal process of accepting an object into a museum collection. This course has taught me so much.
The information that I have learned has changed me in many ways. One way is, I have more appreciation for museums. Due to learning everything the museum staff does; I have begun to understand more about the process they go through while working. Another way my gained knowledge has changed me is, my career. Becoming less ignorant and shedding light on museums has really shifted my interest. I would not go as far to say it has changed completely, however; I am super open to museum work. I have always felt that all this was too hard for me to learn, but now since I have, I want to put my knowledge to good! The course, Museum as Medium, has changed my perception of museums, forever.
Museum as Medium, taught by Professor Jen Pepper, is a course I shall never forget. This course has enlightened me and has even exposed me to a new career option. Before this class I wanted absolutely nothing to do with museums, just because I knew nothing besides all the bad information, I have heard about it. This course has really implemented the life lesson, don't judge a book by its cover.
Take Away
This course has taught me way more than I expected over the semester. I have gained experience that I can use when applying for jobs in Arts Administration. I learned a lot about how museums work and the collections within them. I’ve discovered even more of a passion for art from the videos and collections we have looked at.
I really love that there are collections that are someone’s pride and joy. Collections start with a curiosity, and it really shows. Charles Willson Peale was the first person to start a natural history and fine arts museum in the United States. He had his own exhibition room in his house. He made history for his portraits of George Washington and the Revolutionary War, but he was taught to me because of his collection. It makes me very happy to see that he is known for his appreciation of the arts.
When our class visited the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, it was my second time going. However, I don’t think I will ever get tired of going there. Dorothy and Bob Reister were passionate collectors right here in Cazenovia. They had a love for the arts and traveling the world. They wanted to advocate for the art world so much that they made their home a public place for people to view their collection of art and to allow others to place their art there. I love learning about couples that collect art together, it sounds like the most romantic way to live a life.
After visiting the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, we eventually watched a documentary on Dorothy and Herb Vogel, who were also art collectors, I realized how this is something so valuable to share between two individuals. The Vogels started collecting work when they were very young, buying from struggling or rising artists in New York City. They have one of the largest art collections that is now at the National Gallery. There are pieces done by Pat Steir, Roy Lichtenstein, Sol LeWitt, Richard Tuttle, Bruce Neuman and many other renowned artists. Watching them collect actually started off my own personal art collection. I have now bought two pieces from my fellow studio art peers and plan to continue doing so.
Our class helped install two gallery exhibitions, a solo exhibition for the installation artist Leigh Yardley and the second, The Annual Juried Student Show. These were both amazing hands-on experiences. We helped Yardley hang up her work, and got to see her amazing and inventive hardware use. This helped teach me new ways of installing my future artwork. The student show was completely installed just by the class. We had to experiment with placing different pieces in different places around the gallery. In the end, it looked awesome! Everyone’s art looked amazing where it was displayed, it was very rewarding. We took down the show as well and put the gallery back to its original pristine condition with spackling, sanding and painting the walls. The FA351 Museum as Medium course-work is now going to be a part of any cover letters I write to arts administration job openings.
This course aligned so well with what I want to do. I love art, but I stay with art because I want others to be able to love it as well. I want to advocate for being curious, and exploring new things. I now am advocating by starting my own collection and supporting local artists, knowing how to install other artists’ works and my own work, and knowing how to write all the required informative documents for gallery exhibitions. I am grateful for my peers, my professors, my experiences, and everyone I met on the way because of this class.
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What I am taking away from this class is the behind the scenes of what goes in to making a museum a museum. I didn’t know how many different roles a manager or a curator had to take on in order to keep a museum running. All the minor details like the layout of the building or how the pieces/artifacts have to be displayed. Helping with the gallery was also a great because I was able to get experience in putting up a show, something I would need as an artist later in life. Seeing the different ways, a piece can get installed and the process of the order of where each piece goes in gave me a few ideas in putting up pieces of my own.
I really enjoyed going to different museums, I would have never gone to them if it wasn’t for this class. The Stickley museum was probably my favorite as I never knew the importance of furniture in history. I want to go back one day and just draw some of the furniture there and see if I can make one of my own. It would be cool to try and incorporate their building techniques with my own ideas.
Installing both Lee’s work and the student show taught me the importance of placement of the pieces. How grouping pieces based on not just subject, but also color and medium types a well. Making sure there is a break between paintings or photos or even making sure not all the blues are together. I also took notice of the different ways to install pieces. From drilling holes into the walls to hang wire or just using tacks on the work itself. I like how Tiff had tacks casted directly into her sculptural piece because now she can just stick it into any walls she wants.
Watching the documentaries was also very helpful, they made me see the true importance of collecting and preserving art. I mean I knew how important it was before, but now I see how it affects everyone around them. The Art of the Stealvideo made me mad because I couldn’t believe the documentary showed how the city of Philadelphia openly broke someone’s will like that. I really wish something was done about that. At least with Herb and Dorothy Vogel their collection was given to a place that will respect it. They were amazing people and I would have loved to have met them. That is my goal, to one day just start buying large quantity of art and having it be one of the most important collection of its time.
This class has been a lot of work but I am leaving it with useful information that I can use in the future. Although to be honest I wish the amount of work wasn’t so drastic for this last project. I’m not sure about everyone else but for me it is a lot to do. Still thank you for teaching this class and I will be sure to take what I learn to good use.
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Throughout the entirety of this course, the main takeaways that have stayed with me are the responsibilities that come with a gallery and/or museum. In addition to understanding the deeper importance of what a museum is, a museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. The largest museums are located in major cities throughout the world, while thousands of local museums exist in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The goal of serving researchers is increasingly shifting to serving the general public.
There are many types of museums, including art museums, natural history museums, science museums, war museums, cultural museums and children's museums. Amongst the world's largest and most visited museums are the Louvre in Paris, the National Museum of China in Beijing, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the British Museum and National Gallery in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and Vatican Museums in Vatican City. According to The World Museum Community, there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries.
Moving on to all of the employee aspects that I did not even realize existed and the extent to the responsibility. Although I did know the director and the curators were on top and sometimes they are the same person, but what did occur to me was the actual extent of how much a curator does. A curator determines and manages collections for a gallery or museum. Also, a museum director is often considered the highest-level curator. Most curators specialize in fields such as zoology, art or history. They acquire and store artifacts, plan and set up exhibits, and promote museum objectives in meetings with the community, media, and educational institutions. They also find funding for special projects by commencing grants or presiding over fundraisers.
Another job that I had no idea was important or that was in existences was an archivist. Archivists preserve records of computer collections in databases that can be accessed by museum staff, educators and members of the public. They work with paper records and historical documents to find the best ways of storage, preservation, security, and retrieval. They also create policies for document access, instruct museum staff on educational programs and exhibit design, and conduct lectures and workshops on what their jobs entail.
In addition, a job title that I should have known because it is one of my duties at the art gallery at the college, is a preparator. A preparator performs a wide variety of semi-skilled and skilled duties in the preparation, installation, and care of museum exhibits and works of art; and performs related duties as directed. Preparators are responsible for the installation and de-installation of museum exhibitions, which usually includes the deconstruction and construction of walls, packing objects to be shipped to a new location, unpacking of incoming objects, and arranging for a new installation. I had no idea that one of the responsibilities that I enjoy and have at the Reisman Hall Art Gallery at Cazenovia College had a proper term to it.
Now I know there are many other positions in a gallery or museum, but these are the ones that stood out to me as some of the most important variables in such an institution. Throughout the semester I enjoyed learning and experiencing these kinds of positions. Knowing what I know now helps narrow down what kind of field in the arts I seem to be gravitating towards and I thank this class for the eye-opener!
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Response Paper
What I am taking away from FA 351
While I always knew I was passionate about museums, I never had a deeper understanding of the how museums function, and all of the (very extensive) work that goes on behind the scenes. After taking the Museum as a Mediumcourse I still love museums, but now have a fonder appreciation for them, as well as those who work in museums to ensure museum goers have an experience that they will remember and gain knowledge from. I was not aware of how much work it was to put together an exhibition; all of the little, very important steps that need to be taken in order make or show successful, or for there to even be an exhibition at all.
While I cannot pick out an individual favorite part of the course, I enjoyed the site visits a lot. Learning in a hands-on way is always more effective in my case, and seeing different museums and galleries helped me gain a better understanding of how these places function in relation to one another. My favorite place we visited was the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park. While I had been there before on my own, I did not know about the Reister’s and their dedication to art. SQHAP truly is a gem, hidden in the hills of Cazenovia, and I now have a deeper appreciation for the park. I also frequently recommend it to friends and family, as I believe it is a genuinely special place, where are and nature intertwine.
Another project I enjoyed was the final. Making a model of a gallery was not only fun, but gave me a better understanding of space and how it functions in a gallery setting. I did not expect the final to be as much work as it proved to be. Writing and gathering all the documents necessary for a gallery opening is a monumental task, that should not be taken lightly. I now have an understanding and an appreciation for the work that gallery/museum directors do on a day to day basis.
While I was scared (as I did not want to break anything) at first to install and uninstall shows in the Reisman Gallery, I quickly overcame that fear when push came to shove and time was not on our side. Installing The Annual Student Juried Show was an experience I will not soon forget. Not only did I gain practical museum curator skills, it also is now a line on my resume and a talking point when applying for internships in the museum field. Experience installing a real show in a real gallery is priceless, and the experience alone made the Museum as a Medium course worth it.
Through projects, site visits, and hands on experience I have gained a deeper understanding of museum work, and how hard museum employees work every day to simply keep the doors open. This is something that will always be on my mind when I visit a museum or gallery from here on out, and I will definitely appreciate not only the items contained in the museums, but all of the work it took to put them there too.
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