Barbara Kruger: THINKING OF YOU. I MEAN ME. I MEAN YOU.

In September, the Barbara Kruger exhibition opened at the Art Institute, and I opted to visit during one of my bi-weekly visits to work at the museum on a day when it was closed to the public. The exhibit is not a retrospective, but features work Kruger has created over several decades and in a variety of media - from small photo collages to video to full room installations. The website for the exhibition states:

“For more than 40 years, American artist Barbara Kruger has been a consistent, critical observer of the ways that images circulate through our culture. Combining images with provocative text, Kruger uses direct address—along with humor, vigilance, and empathy—to expose and undermine the power dynamics of identity, desire, and consumerism. As shrinking attention spans collide with the voyeurism and narcissism that define contemporary life, her immersive installations and widely circulated pictures and words invite us to reconsider how we relate to one another. THINKING OF YOU. I MEAN ME. I MEAN YOU. encompasses the full breadth of her career—from early and rarely seen “pasteups” (works that use an analog technique for physically arranging a page’s contents with manual “cut and paste”) to digital productions of the last two decades. The presentation includes works on vinyl, site-specific installations, animations, and multichannel video installations…The exhibition at the Art Institute—collaboratively designed with the artist—interrogates the specific cultural context of our museum, as it transcends the traditional exhibition space and extends into the museum’s public spaces and the city beyond. Kruger’s work not only fills the entirety of the museum’s largest exhibition space, the 18,000 square-foot Regenstein Hall, but also occupies Griffin Court—an 8,000-square-foot atrium running the length of the Modern Wing—with new site-specific work. Kruger’s text and images address both the architecture and relational spaces throughout the museum—from the windows in the historic Michigan Avenue building and the Modern Wing to various public spaces, some of which will also feature an ambient soundscape. Kruger will additionally engage the surrounding cityscape, creating work for billboards, the Chicago Transit Authority, and Art on theMART, among other locations and organizations.”

Banners of Kruger’s work installed on the exterior of the museum.

Kruger work installed on the risers of stairs leading to Regenstein Hall in the Art Institute of Chicago.

I wandered around the museum to several of the locations where work was installed and spent the majority of my time in Regenstein Hall. The first gallery space immediately immerses you in Kruger’s work, with all of the walls and floor being completely covered in large text. Exploring the rest of the exhibit, each space had a different feel, especially varying when time-based media was installed. I was the only one in the exhibit, and the clear sight-lines to the large scale works and at times jarring audio felt overwhelming at times. It’s likely this experience changes significantly with visitors present. 

First gallery of Kruger’s work in Regenstein hall, with text wraps covering the walls and floor.

Video work by Kruger.

Photography collage by Kruger.

Two large-scale Kruger works hang on the walls of a gallery, with a text wrap covering the floor.

It was an interesting tour, and I left thinking about the content and messages of Kruger’s work, the tension between the messaging and the museum itself, and what visitors to the museum would make of the exhibit.

Two large-scale text works by Kruger hang in a gallery.

Two works by Kruger in a gallery; the piece on the right is a video piece.

Text wrap by Kruger covering a gallery wall.

Bisa Butler: Portraits

While working onsite recently, I finally made the time to go visit the Bisa Butler: Portraits exhibition. Being able to visit any exhibition at the museum is a big perk of working there, but I haven’t often taken advantage of this. In fact, even before the pandemic hit, I likely hadn’t wandered around the galleries in months. It felt good to finally remedy this.

The Safety Patrol, the first work you see when entering the exhibition.

Gallery view of Bisa Butler: Portraits

Butler’s portrait works are absolutely beautiful. Color and texture, shape and pattern, viewing her works felt like a balm for this worn out museum worker. The media of the works - largely comprised of fabric - lends a physicality that really drew me in. And I loved the fact that so many of her pieces are based off of archival photographs of Black folks throughout history. The exhibition website has this to say about Butler’s art:

“She strategically uses textiles—a traditionally marginalized medium—to interrogate the historical marginalization of her subjects while using scale and subtle detail to convey her subjects’ complex individuality. Together, Butler’s quilts present an expansive view of history through their engagement with themes such as family, community, migration, the promise of youth, and artistic and intellectual legacies.”

Gallery view of Bisa Butler: Portraits

Gallery view of Bisa Butler: Portraits, including the work Southside Sunday Morning (left), one of my favorite pieces in the show. It’s based on a 1941 photograph by Russell Lee of a group of boys seated on the hood of a car on Easter morning.

I found myself standing and looking at each of the pieces for much longer than I often do artworks in galleries, taken with the faces of the subjects in particular. The museum was closed to the public on the day I visited, so the galleries were largely silent and empty. In one gallery, however, the museum’s public affairs coordinator was working with a Chicago-based photographer on a shoot. The photographer was collaborating with Butler - who had not yet arrived by the time I headed back to my office - on in situ portraits with some of her artworks. Living artists represent a small fraction of the museum’s collections holdings and exhibition subjects, so it was so satisfying seeing this connection between contemporary artists play out in the gallery. This brought Butler’s life to work for me even further. 

Dear Mama by Bisa Butler

Detail from Dear Mama

The Princess by Bisa Butler

Detail from The Princess

This experience reminded me of how powerful artwork can be and the necessity of taking time to enjoy exhibitions like this one.

CMEG at the Field Museum: Scaling to Fit

The Fall meeting for the Chicago Museum Exhibitors Group (CMEG) was hosted by the Field Museum, and there were three presentations on the topic of scaling to fit. From the invitation for the event:

“Museum storytellers are often faced with challenges of scale. Will a nascent idea be enough to fill an entire gallery? How do we winnow down thousands of objects to tell a coherent story in the space we have? What do we need to do when scaling an existing exhibit to a new space or situation?

Explore the SUE and Brewing Up Chicago exhibits at the Field Museum, followed by a discussion about scaling exhibits up, down, and out through three case studies.

Presenters:

• Liz Garibay (Chicago Brewseum) on Brewing Up Chicago at the Field Museum

• Olivia Castellini (Museum of Science and Industry) and Mark Ewing (Luci Creative) on MSI’s Numbers in Nature traveling exhibition

• Susan Golland (Field Museum) on the new SUE exhibit”

Presenting on MSI’s ‘Numbers in Nature’ exhibit

The Chicago Brewseum pop-up inside the Field Museum

My work at my museum is indirectly related to exhibits, but I have enjoyed all of the CMEG events that I have attended, and this one was no exception. It was fascinating hearing about how folks in this field problem solve and find solutions to challenges imposed by space, logistics, budget, and time. In particular, I really enjoyed the conversation about SUE, and how the designers were focused on retaining and improving upon the visitor experience for this iconic dinosaur. Given how far removed my work can feel from the public, it felt like a breath of fresh air to hear about intent and impact so directly tied to visitors. And, of course, it is always a treat to visit a museum after hours to explore some exhibits!

Spending some time admiring the exhibits

CMEG at Chicago Architecture Center: Evaluating exhibits

I receive emails from the Chicago Museum Exhibitors Group (CMEG), and the organization recently announced a meeting dedicated to evaluating exhibits, entitled Everyone Evaluate. I’ve never attended one of their events, and this topic in particular intrigued me, so I decided to go. Evaluation of this sort does not factor heavily in my day-to-day work, so I welcomed the opportunity to learn more from the experts. Museums are known for exhibits, but more archives and libraries are organizing similar experiences in their own spaces. So perhaps I will be a part of exhibition design and planning in the future, and will therefore need to understand the basics of evaluation!

View of one of the exhibit spaces at CAC

The newly rebranded and relocated Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) was host for the meeting. Dozens of folks from across Chicagloand attended, including those who work at cultural institutions, companies, and consulting firms. I felt out of my element in this crowd of exhibit and instruction designers, and I enjoyed sitting back and taking it all in. I recognized a few faces from the Art Institute of Chicago and DuSable Museum of African American History.

First Michael Wood, the Senior Director of Program Strategy, provided some information about CAC, its recent change of name, and its move to new facilities. After having spent half an hour or so wandering around the new exhibitions, it was interesting to hear about all the changes the organization has recently undergone. I have had the opportunity to visit their old space, attend some of their tours, and take advantage of the wonderful annual open house event they organize. The exhibitions and their space seem to provide a sense of harmony with their new identity, though Wood made it clear that changes have not been without challenges. He also introduced the topic of evaluation and told us about the agenda and format for the meeting.

Katherine Gean of Katherine Gean consulting was first to present on the topic. She provided a high-level view of what evaluation looks like in the context of cultural heritage exhibits. She first stressed the importance of figuring out research questions: what do I need to know, what do I want to learn, and how to I want to study it? Gathering information and data becomes much more straightforward when there are clear parameters about the goals of the investigation. Gean then explained the difference between quantitative (numeric counts, generalizable) and qualitative (descriptive exploration, not as generalizable) data gathering, and how sometimes combining the two through a mixed methods approach works the best. In fact, she said that often the pursuit of answering one question via one method (quantitative or qualitative) often results in more questions arising, and different methods needing to be employed in order to answer those questions. The process is therefore often iterative. She also provided some examples of types of methods within each category:

• Quantitative: surveys, timing and tracking

• Qualitative: interviews, focus groups, follow-alongs, observation, cognitive interviews

Evaluating awe at the MSI

Jana Greenslit, who works at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) was next to speak. She described their efforts to measure awe using in situ evaluation. Evaluation was embedded within the exhibit and overall museum experience, so they did not rely on post-visit surveys or interviews. Observation of visitors within gallery experiences were challenging given the nature of the research question. Measuring awe as a passive observer is challenging, since feelings aren’t always visible or apparent. Instead, Greenslit opted for a combination of experience sampling and eye tracking to help gather information to determine how awe-inspiring the museum experience is. The museum used cheap cell phones that they lent to select visitors, or had visitors opt in with their own cell phones for the experience sampling data gathering. One staff member was then tasked with texting these devices to ask visitors to rate their experience on a numerical scale as they were experiencing it. Greenslit also decided to use eye tracking glasses to help determine what visitors were looking at, what they spent the most time with, and what they were saying as they moved through spaces. Essentially, this technology allowed for observation in both qualitative and quantitative ways (through analyzing the footage and encoding it) without a museum staff representative needing to be present. It sounds as though they have reached some conclusions in regards to their original query, and hopefully the findings will be published on their website soon.

Timing and tracking map for one exhibition area at the MCA

Rosie May, who works at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) presented last. May started by recommending reading the article ‘The Museum is Watching You’ in the Wall Street Journal, as it provides a helpful overview of evaluation and its value in museums. She then talked about how she began working at MCA in interpretation, and how evaluation played in important role in better understanding their visitors and their needs. Some of the initial questions she posed included:

• What are visitors’ behaviors in the gallery spaces?

• What interpretation tools (introductory text, videos, wall labels) do visitors use?

• How to visitors construct meaning, how do they learn?

• What is the value of the exhibit experience for visitors?

May opted to employ two methods to gather quantitative and qualitative data to help answer these questions. First, staff were employed to interview visitors after they experienced the galleries. A standard evaluation form was used to note the answers, and the interviews were recorded as well. A team of in-gallery observers were also used in order to measure timing and tracking in front of interpretation tools and the collections objects on display. May was able to see how visitors behaved in the space - how they moved where they spent their time. From this mixed methods approach, the museum learned that visitors struggle to navigate through exhibits, and that they want to know how long they should expect to be in an exhibit. Visitors expect wall labels to be next to every object on display, and they appreciate when these labels are concise and provide tools to help them look at an interpret objects. The data also revealed that visitors want active learning activities, since art museum exhibits tend to be fairly passive experiences. From all this information, the exhibitions team made concrete changes to improve visitors’ experiences in exhibits:

• Since visitors spent on average less than a minute in front of labels, interpretive text have been edited such that it can be read in this amount of time.

• Since standard tombstone information on the top of labels (donor information, identifying accession number) was found to be confusing, some of this information has been moved to the bottom of the label.

• Locating labels next to their corresponding objects has been prioritized in exhibition installation.

• Clearer wayfinding signage was produced and installed throughout exhibition spaces.

• More exhibits are featuring rooms in which visitors can actively respond to ideas presented.

Everyone attending this event then had the chance to put some of this practice and methodologies to use. Wood provided us with a prompt from his institution in the hopes that the group could come up with concrete research questions and methods to help CAC. In short, there has been a shift since they have moved locations and rebranded, and many visitors seem confused about what they can do there, and what they should expect. We broke into teams to discuss and explore. My group ended up coming up with the following questions: what is CAC and what do people think CAC is; what do visitors want and are they interested in the exhibit experience? Interestingly, folks identified the first two questions as aligning more closely with market research than audience research. Both sets of questions are important for the organization to answer in order to clarify their services and better provide for their visitors. For the identity component, it was decided that organizing focus groups for staff, visitors, and non-visitors would be helpful in order to gather some qualitative data about mission and services. This market segmentation can provide additional insights. The group decided that eye tracking may also provide useful data, especially given the seeming visitor confusion inside the spaces. Finally, tracking and tallying specific visitor questions could help reveal perceptions or misunderstandings among visitors. The group decided that the identity questions should be a top priority for CAC, but that they could use concept testing in the future to help out with the visitor experience questions. The goal of pursuing these questions and gathering data through these different methods would be to find ways of changing for the better. This could result in improved messaging in advertising, clearer signage on the exterior of the building explaining CAC to visitors, and better communication across all services provided by the organization.

This event was an amazing learning opportunity for me. I walked in with some basic understanding of how evaluation works, and left feeling much more confident about the process and specific methodologies. And crucially, I more fully understand what the aims of evaluation are (answering specific research questions) and overall goals should be (improving the experience and services offered). Cultural heritage exhibitions are important experiences that help connect the public with information and ideas through the display of objects, visuals, interpretive text, and hands-on activities. It’s exciting to think about the ways in which these experiences can be improved through strategic and iterative evaluation. And it’s also worth considering all the ways in which this type of evaluation extends beyond exhibits in information organizations.

Time-Based Media Workshop: Installation and Exhibition

The Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) hosted a symposium on time-based media in April, and I had the chance to attend the all-day event. There were quite a few other attendees from the museum, and folks traveled from across the country to attend as well. Backgrounds varied from curators to collection managers and conservators to exhibitions and audio-video crew. I think this range added considerably to the discussions, as different individuals were able to provide unique perspectives on the issues at hand.

The morning session was dedicated to digital projection and media players. An introductory session looked at the various ways to consider video display, especially as it relates to artists’ intent and available technology at the time time-based artworks were made. Nam June Paik’s works that are reliant on CRT monitors is a good example, as are early LCD pieces from the 1980s. The ways in which a piece may be altered by viewing it on newer display technologies can dramatically alter both the aesthetics and meaning. Next, there were two demos on display technology. The first looked at projectors, types of projector technology, helpful settings, and the impact of screen material on display. The second showed the Bright Sign player tool and its variants. The last session of the morning provided a birds-eye view of time-based media presentation. The presenter provided practical advice: always perform site surveys to understand the space, vet equipment prior to exhibitions, document choices and cable routing.

The afternoon focused on audio issues in gallery settings. There was a session that introduced audio generally. The presenter helped to outline objectives to consider in relation to the exhibition of audio: building a system, understanding space and equipment limitations, acoustics, the nature of the audio (mono, stereo, synched), and the sustainability of the system. Next, two representatives from AIC talked about a temporary exhibition that was installed at the museum at the time - Gregg Bordowitz: I wanna be well. Historical background was provided in order to understand unique factors in displaying his work, especially as it related to his relationship with institutions like museums. Given the fact that the artist is living, museum staff were able to collaborate with him in order to find compromises, meet his artistic goals, and meet the museum’s goals. There was therefore no right or wrong way to approach the display of his time-based work, rather they worked as a team to find appropriate presentation solutions. As it related to sound more specifically, Bordowitz stressed the need for good sound, distinct experiences between the pieces, and comfortable seating for extended viewing. Prior installations used tools like headphones to enable listening, which would not be feasible in a high-traffic exhibition like this one. Instead, exhibition crew worked to create distinct listening and viewing zones in the galleries, utilizing a range of acoustic and diffusion materials to control the sound. They also worked with Bordowitz to de-noise and normalize his audio to improve the visitor experience. The exhibition was a true collaboration, which necessitated the expertise of a range of individuals in the institution, as well as involvement from the artist himself.

The symposium also included some background information about the time-based media initiative at AIC and the Midwest Media Art Consortium. In 2012, the museum started an initiative to address time-based media challenges and opportunities, and work has been ongoing since then. Effectively, this group formed because there were needs that were not being addressed by existing policies and protocols. A variety of staff have been involved over the years, which is helpful since a multitude of perspectives is needed. The museum is fortunate to have a time-based media conservation fellow since 2017, who has been gathering information about these type of collections materials within the institution. She has worked to understand existing workflows around accessioning, storing, and exhibiting a range of formats, including both analog and digital pieces. She was instrumental in organizing the symposium, and she hosts regular meetings with staff to discuss various topics that relate to time-based media. Part of this work has also extended beyond AIC to include neighboring institutions through the Midwest Media Art Consortium. There is much that still needs to be addressed and resolved, but it is encouraging to see so many folks coming together to talk about these issues. And AIC has made notable strides due in large part to the fellow’s work.

I am not be directly involved in the direct life-cycle of these collections (and loan) pieces at the museum. I am glad I attended the symposium, because our department is often tasked with documenting these installations via still photography. It was incredibly useful understanding the impact of even what may seem like the smallest detail in the display of these works, and I hope we can translate better some of these ideas through our documentation. I am also interested in the role of technologies in museum collections, especially as it relates to both physical and digital preservation. Without efforts to document and preserve core components of time-based media, much will be lost to time.

California Museum of Photography Tour

I visited Los Angeles for the first time this spring, which provided me with an opportunity to visit one of my SJSU professors and the museum where she works - the California Museum of Photography. I took her class the previous fall, and it was focused on managing photographic collections. This visit helped further contextualize everything we discussed, and it provided me an opportunity to see some of the materials she discussed in person!

Exterior of the museum with a view of the room-sized pinhole camera!

We toured the collections storage areas first. It always feels like such a privilege being granted access to these spaces, and this visit was no exception. There are four total spaces - vaults - and we looked at two of these. The first housed prints, cameras, and other photography equipment. Prints were either stored in custom drawers (stereographs), or they were matted and housed in boxes (oversized prints). They were fortunate to receive grant funding several years prior in order to do some of this preventive conservation rehousing work. We also talked about collections care issues in this space. They have a sizable collection of 35mm, medium format, and large format cameras, most of which are made of a variety of types of materials. The 35mm cameras in particular may include various types of plastic, metal, and glass. Determining the optimal way of storing - bagging, boxing, no covering - and combating a less-than-optimal filtration system within the HVAC system poses an ongoing challenge. There is also an interesting room divider in the collection, which necessitates special storage and care. The screen has mounted mammoth albumen prints, which are light sensitive. The object must therefore be draped with light-blocking material, as even when the overhead lights are off, emergency lights stay on at all times.

The first vault

Part of the 35mm camera collection

The second storage space primarily houses negatives, though there is some additional photography equipment. The stereographic negative collection - both cut and uncut - comprises a large portion of this room. Some of these negatives are glass, and some are film, and they are organized by the code Keystone View company (one notable publisher) assigned them. What is notable about this space is the use of special seismic cabinets for glass plate negatives and fragile mechanical equipment. These units are designed such that they sit on metal plates, which in turn sit on metal bearings. The bearings allow the cabinets to move with vibrations, which helps protect the material inside.

Seismic storage units for fragile material

Stereographic negative and prints

We also spent some time in the library and viewing room, which is open to the public by appointment. They are currently working on cataloging all of the bound volumes, but it is challenging given current staffing levels and the demands of the UC (which the museum is part of) cataloging requirements. There is one collection manager, a registrar, and two curators who work with the collection. They do host student workers and interns and draw heavily on the undergraduate and graduate student body at UC. We talked about the value of this additional help, which can be tempered by the additional workload it creates for staff. Occasionally, the library space is also used to temporarily store large collections items, for which staff need to make additional space in their vaults and/or create custom housing enclosures. When I was visiting, I had the chance to see two such oversized cameras up-close: a custom machine-gun camera and a 24”x24” view camera.

Exploded view of a camera using actual components from a stereographic device

The last several hours of my trip were dedicated to seeing the exhibitions at the museum. I visited when the galleries were closed to the public, and it was so pleasant to explore and enjoy the photographs alone. I first stopped at In the Sunshine of Neglect: Defining Photographs And Radical Experiments in Inland Southern California, 1950 To The Present. From the website for the exhibition: “the show presents the title’s territory on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles Basin as an experimental tabula rasa playground for photographers, where nothing was at stake, so everything was possible” (UCR Arts, 2019). Some of the inspiration for the exhibition was drawn from “the work of New Topographics photographers Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, and Joe Deal, who are well represented among the show’s 194 works” (UCR Arts, 2019). The photographs on display covered a wide range of themes - including social landscapes, environmental impacts, and photography as performance - while all still being centered in this specific geographic area. The curation was thoughtful and images thought-provoking.

In the Sunshine of Neglect

In the Sunshine of Neglect

The second exhibit I visited, entitled Collected, covered the theme of museum collections through the lens of this particular institution. From the website for the exhibition, the show: “examines the first photograph collectors, people in the 19th century who assembled images of loved ones or photographs of interest, and also features several modern collectors whose gifts helped to shape the California Museum of Photography’s collection… the museum’s collection has been made possible through donations from collectors, both the descendants of early photographic collectors and those who collect photographs and cameras today… these gifts have helped the museum expand the breadth and depth of its holdings, and have contributed to the museum’s success” (UCR Arts, 2018). The relationship between museums and donors is something I have been thinking about more frequently, especially as there is an increasing need for transparency and accountability in these partnerships. The exhibit featured a wonderful sampling of photographic technology and genres of images, and it felt at times like I was physically stepping into some of my course lectures.

Collected

Collected

I feel so fortunate to have, once again, toured the facilities of and talked with another professional whom I greatly respect. Museum collections managers and archivists are chronically overworked, so I truly appreciate the time every one of these individuals has set aside to meet with me in the last several years. This visit was a wonderful way to start the trip, and it helped provide some much-needed background information about the region itself.

References:

UCR Arts. (2018). Collected. Retrieved from https://artsblock.ucr.edu/Exhibition/permanent-collection-gallery
UCR Arts. (2019). In the sunshine of neglect. Retrieved from https://artsblock.ucr.edu/Exhibition/in-the-sunshine-of-neglect

Oregon Historical Society - Oregon My Oregon

During our visit to the Oregon Historical Society, we spent most of our time in the permanent exhibit, Oregon My Oregon. It covered history from the earliest tribal groups to the post-war decades. Topics covered include geography, native languages and culture, exploration, missionaries, the Oregon Trail, 20th century immigration, and the growth of Oregon industries. Having been revamped in the last 15 years, the museum addresses what many would deem to be controversial topics: workers rights, systemic racism, genocide, environmentalism. This treatment of real issues, and the role they play in the state’s history and identity, helped the museum to win some accolades. From the exhibition website:

“The American Association of Museums has awarded the Modern Oregon Issues segment of Oregon My Oregon a Silver 2005 MUSE Award in the History and Culture category. The visitor-controlled display plays video narratives of current events in Oregon. The unique interface is themed on Portland's famous Newberry's lunch counter and its countertop jukeboxes. Selecting a topic from a jukebox initiates a presentation featuring real Oregonians discussing the issue.”

The museum was also recognized by AASLH for its permanent exhibit. It felt refreshing that the institution addressed very real parts of the region’s past, rather than simply retelling or glorifying the same story we’re often told of western expansion and settlement. Hopefully more museums will take a cue and more honestly portray the stories they’ve set out to tell.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago - Takashi Murakami

Since I’ve moved to Chicago and have been working in and learning about museums, I usually don’t visit museums and see special exhibits in a casual way. I really enjoy critically assessing what institutions are doing, and I appreciate having the background knowledge I do when approaching these experiences. Sometimes it’s nice to give myself permission to just enjoy a trip to a museum, though. The Murakami exhibit up at MCA Chicago was a great opportunity to do this. I still read the labels, considered the layout and design choices, and spent a good bit of time talking over the exhibit with my partner. At the end of the day, I approached this visit differently, and it was a nice break and an excellent visit.

Chicago Cultural Center - Theo Jansen's Strandbeests

The Chicago Cultural Center hosted an excellent exhibit of Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests this winter. I’ve long admired his mobile creatures, so it was wonderful to have the chance to see them up close. On display were black and white photographs of the beasts in action, a wide variety of the handcrafted pieces used in the sculptures, some hands-on demonstrations of engineering principles, and several retired Strandbeests. There were wranglers on standby for daily demonstrations, showing how the beasts harness and store wind power for self-mobilization.

I love the combination of engineering and aesthetics that go into Jansen’s work, and the exhibit showed off this pairing beautifully.

Open Archives at the Art Institute

October is a busy month in Chicago, packed with amazing cultural events around the city. This year, I took advantage of the Chicago Open Archives weekend and visited the Ryerson & Burnham Archives at the Art Institute. The archivist walked our group through highlights of the archives and gave some fascinating background information on the objects on display. Architecture is one of the primary reasons I moved here, so this architecture-centric collection is right up my alley.

Museum of Contemporary Art & John Cage

I left my position at Northwestern University Library in August, and one of my last jobs was the digitization of several John Cage scores. I attended an after-hours event at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and once again found myself face-to-face with Cage’s unconventional work. It was a fantastic surprise to stumble upon a project I had a small part in and watching others interact with and enjoy the exhibit.

Collection, Building, Action

Preparing for the exhibition Collection, Building, Action at the National Public Housing Museum was a whirlwind experience. From the beginning plans and outline to installation, our small team had around two months to pull everything together. And given the fact that the space used to house the exhibit (and two others, as well) is a gutted former public housing site, there were some interesting limitations around which we had to work. I’m so happy I got to be a part of this project, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the museum in the future.

If you’re in Chicago, take time to visit the Addams Homes to see all three exhibits (up through mid-November), and the rest of the Chicago Architecture Biennial.

Exploring the museum's collections. 

Entrance to all three exhibitions in the future museum site: Collection, Building, Action; House Housing; We Next Door. 

Collection, Building, Action - 3D collections items, a slideshow of images, and selected oral histories. 

House Housing, curated by Columbia University.

The museum's Youth Advisory Council curated We Next Door, a response to House Housing. 

Things vs People

This spring, I pursued and completed a certificate program in Museum Studies at the School of Professional Studies at Northwestern. I learned so much during the quarter and walked away with some wonderful resources and connections. What struck me the most in our discussions in class is this shift in museums as a whole - away from strictly serving the role of a repository and towards a space of facilitation and connection. Simply put, museums are trying to be less about stuff and more about people. Part of my interest in and motivation to work in cultural heritage institutions has been the stuff. I feel that there is so much we can learn from unique objects and materials. That being said, I understand and agree with the movement to make these institutions less static, more welcoming, and more relevant to the audiences they are supposed to serve. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the field, and I hope museums, libraries, archives, and galleries can adapt and embrace change.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the House of Terror in Budapest. This institution is dedicated to telling the story of Hungary under fascist and communist regimes in the 20th century. Wandering through the exhibition spaces, visitors are immersed in environments - not reproductions of historical spaces per se, but rather rooms meant to illicit emotion. There are objects and artifacts on display, but these are not the focus; interpretive text accompanying objects is minimal, instead there are paper handouts in nearly every room which provide background information to the topics covered. Multimedia elements, interviews and music in particular, are used frequently. The hardships faced under the regime were personalized by individual accounts, and it was clear that the intent with this was to generate a connection between history and visitors. While the subject of the museum may not be a welcoming one, the contemporary exhibition approach facilitates a relationship between those who lived under the regimes and those visiting the museum today. There are aspects to the exhibition I might approach differently, but I did find it to be an interesting example of this user-centered experience we discussed in our classes. 

The imposing exterior gives a good indication of the challenging subjects addressed inside.

Courtyard with victim portraits. 

Room dealing with justice under the regimes.

Room dealing with "normalcy" in popular media under the regimes. 

Re-created office of a communist party official. 

Art and Science Symposium

Last week, I attended a symposium for Northwestern University Library's new exhibition Art and Science:  Traversing the Creative Spectrum.  Speakers included S. Hollis Clayson, Professor of Art History at Northwestern; Harriet Stratis, Senior Research Conservator at the Art Institute of Chicago; Susan Russick, Northwestern University Library Conservator; and Oliver Cossairt, Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern.  The discussions all related to the intersection between science and art, and I was drawn to the discussions of imaging science in particular.  Using rapidly advancing technology has enabled researchers to learn more about historic works of art - Gauguin's working process via Infrared imaging, for example.  I always appreciate it when the cultural heritage imaging field is recognized for its contributions, and it was an interesting group of presentations.

Lillstreet Gallery - Midwest Contemporary 2015

After a year-long hiatus from exhibiting personal work, I recently had an image chosen for the juried Lillstreet Gallery Midwest Contemporary show.  The juror chose a wonderfully diverse group of images, and I enjoyed his statement.

The exhibit is up through April 19, check it out if you're in the area.