My essential question is: " What is more important in curating a successful art show?" My best answer turned out to be: "Take into account how the customer views the art show as a whole."As an art museum, you are expected to present the art in a meaningful and aesthetically pleasing way. The best way to be able to know if your job was successful, is to watch the reaction of the audience. By viewing, I mean that they are able to understand the concepts and main theme.
2.) What process did you take to arrive at your answer?
To answer a question like this specifically, the process that I went through was one of self discovery. When I started off at AMOCA, I believed that museums of art were a much higher functioning entity. However, when I began to see the inner workings, I realized how much the museum focuses on the everyday people in hopes of drawing them in. For some reason I had a crazy idea that there was a committee of higher-ups that museums were trying to please. I was sorely mistaken after watching my first show turn (German Mettlach Ware). I witnessed the museum doing so many community outreach projects and collaborations, without one suit in sight. I feel that I have learned so much from being able to see both sides of the museum world. I have been able to experience it as a customer from my senior project, and also was able to experience the actual work that comes from behind the scenes. So with the culminated view of what I would see through the eyes of a customer, and as an art curator, I believed that this would be the best possible answer.
3.) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
One of the biggest problems that I faced throughout my entire senior project was the fact that when I had gotten my internship, I was given completely unrelated tasks. I decided that rather than complain about it though, I would just stick it out. After all, they were gracious enough to offer me an internship, who am I to complain and become picky about the extra work that they were providing? So I believed in that motto for several months, and finally branched off from photography. They had me in the photography lab for the longest time, but then realized that I had other talents. As I got to know them gradually, I started to explain my senior project more in depth with them and gave them a real explanation as to why I was there. Immediately after that, they started giving more important jobs once I had gained the trust of the employees. Now I am happy as to where I am within AMOCA, and I feel that I wouldn't have gotten there were it not for the hard work I had done beforehand trying to gain the trust and respect of the employees first.
4.) What were the two most important sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
There were two important sources that I utilized the most whilst doing my senior project. The first one was a book called: "Gallery Management" by Rebeca Zelermyer. This book was extremely influential by altering the way I approached my question. When I was originally approaching it, I was thinking in terms of, what would mean the best possible outcome for the museum? But with this book, I learned that it is much more important to satisfy the customer rather than the needs of the museum. After all, the museum is sustained by these people. The customers are the life force of an institution like this. If the public interest in art were to decrease suddenly, then there would be no grounds for these institutions to stand upon. The entire business would be forced to crumble. So, pleasing the people or at least intriguing them to the point of wanting to come is the biggest prerogative.
The second source which I found immensely useful was the interview that I had with my fourth person, Quinton P. Bemiller. He is the curator of the Cal Poly museum, and I was lucky enough to catch him at the right time. With his wonderful advice, I was able to draw the conclusion even further that the customer base is something that I should really pay attention to. For example, most of his main points were about finding the right location for your museum, and then making sure the people would show up. It was all about population and showing towards a specific demographic for him as well. I had the same conclusions from my other interviewees as well.
5.) What is your product and why?
My product is the ability to determine what is a quality museum setup and not. When I first would go to a museum, my eye would be drawn to what the curator wanted me to see. It was manipulated, and I never truly saw the entire exhibit. Now, after having so much experience about these kinds of things down to what type of paint you should use when repainting a pedestal, I have found that whenever I attend a museum now, I look at what is behind the scenes. What kind of lighting was used? Is their pedestal in place? Is the art in the optimum position? What angle would have been better? Now instead of seeing that museum as a place to learn, I also find it fun to pick apart the exhibitions. To see the tiny details that others would miss, all the way down to how they tucked their chords away for that one lcd display. This project has opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of the art world and museums in general. That is what my product is.
2.) What process did you take to arrive at your answer?
To answer a question like this specifically, the process that I went through was one of self discovery. When I started off at AMOCA, I believed that museums of art were a much higher functioning entity. However, when I began to see the inner workings, I realized how much the museum focuses on the everyday people in hopes of drawing them in. For some reason I had a crazy idea that there was a committee of higher-ups that museums were trying to please. I was sorely mistaken after watching my first show turn (German Mettlach Ware). I witnessed the museum doing so many community outreach projects and collaborations, without one suit in sight. I feel that I have learned so much from being able to see both sides of the museum world. I have been able to experience it as a customer from my senior project, and also was able to experience the actual work that comes from behind the scenes. So with the culminated view of what I would see through the eyes of a customer, and as an art curator, I believed that this would be the best possible answer.
3.) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
One of the biggest problems that I faced throughout my entire senior project was the fact that when I had gotten my internship, I was given completely unrelated tasks. I decided that rather than complain about it though, I would just stick it out. After all, they were gracious enough to offer me an internship, who am I to complain and become picky about the extra work that they were providing? So I believed in that motto for several months, and finally branched off from photography. They had me in the photography lab for the longest time, but then realized that I had other talents. As I got to know them gradually, I started to explain my senior project more in depth with them and gave them a real explanation as to why I was there. Immediately after that, they started giving more important jobs once I had gained the trust of the employees. Now I am happy as to where I am within AMOCA, and I feel that I wouldn't have gotten there were it not for the hard work I had done beforehand trying to gain the trust and respect of the employees first.
4.) What were the two most important sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
There were two important sources that I utilized the most whilst doing my senior project. The first one was a book called: "Gallery Management" by Rebeca Zelermyer. This book was extremely influential by altering the way I approached my question. When I was originally approaching it, I was thinking in terms of, what would mean the best possible outcome for the museum? But with this book, I learned that it is much more important to satisfy the customer rather than the needs of the museum. After all, the museum is sustained by these people. The customers are the life force of an institution like this. If the public interest in art were to decrease suddenly, then there would be no grounds for these institutions to stand upon. The entire business would be forced to crumble. So, pleasing the people or at least intriguing them to the point of wanting to come is the biggest prerogative.
The second source which I found immensely useful was the interview that I had with my fourth person, Quinton P. Bemiller. He is the curator of the Cal Poly museum, and I was lucky enough to catch him at the right time. With his wonderful advice, I was able to draw the conclusion even further that the customer base is something that I should really pay attention to. For example, most of his main points were about finding the right location for your museum, and then making sure the people would show up. It was all about population and showing towards a specific demographic for him as well. I had the same conclusions from my other interviewees as well.
5.) What is your product and why?
My product is the ability to determine what is a quality museum setup and not. When I first would go to a museum, my eye would be drawn to what the curator wanted me to see. It was manipulated, and I never truly saw the entire exhibit. Now, after having so much experience about these kinds of things down to what type of paint you should use when repainting a pedestal, I have found that whenever I attend a museum now, I look at what is behind the scenes. What kind of lighting was used? Is their pedestal in place? Is the art in the optimum position? What angle would have been better? Now instead of seeing that museum as a place to learn, I also find it fun to pick apart the exhibitions. To see the tiny details that others would miss, all the way down to how they tucked their chords away for that one lcd display. This project has opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of the art world and museums in general. That is what my product is.
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