Week 4: Reflection

 


Museums are a reflection of their audience. The only problem is museums audience are mainly white and able-bodied people. This knowledge has made museums reevaluate their actions. But it also shows that museums are not safe for being criticized either. Over the course of three week the topic of audience has made me reevaluates the way I personally look at museums. I understood museum are known for being only for whites and not being welcoming to “others”. But the extent of the issue was new to me. While learning about the social injustices of museums it hit differently when I understood number of people are being affected by museum chosen ignorance.

 I did not know some museums are purposely set up their museums to excluded the blind and people in wheelchairs. While reading my peers blogs, they wrote about the Denver Art Museum. The Denver Art Museum is one of those museums that have purpose built an extension limiting people that can see the art display on a staircase.  The easiest solution for the Denver Art Museum to have never made that mistake is too hire people that are handicap on to their directive border or just as employees. The staircase is not just a social justice issue it is an ethical one too.  This module showed me that most people do not think outside of themselves.

 Same goes for racism in museums. Black and Hispanic peole are not participating in museums because they are not represented in the staff or in the art pieces. Art museums can put in exhibitions done by colored artist that are representing their culture the best they can. Because people that live within that culture are expert in that culture.  Not say people outside of the culture cannot be included in being experts. However, people in that culture are not given the credit they deserve. Kehinde Wiely is an artist museum need to show. He is an example showing his culture in the best light. Kehinde Wiely made a name for himself by “remixing” old master painting with black people as the subject.  Art like this can attracted all people. Museums need to let go of their self-valid title of being the keeper of high society. 


On the left: Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alp, 1801
On the Right: Kehinde Wiely, Napoleon Leading the Army Over The Alps, 2005


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