Review of "Time-Traveling With the Muses in Boston", the New York Times, January 15, 2010

The magical museum experience begins, for many, at a young age. Walking into a hushed room, surrounded by artifacts told to be “old” and “important” creates a sense of awe for a small child, or for anyone for that matter. As retold by the author of this article, Holland Cotter, his love for museums, all started on midwinter Saturday mornings in his childhood, when he and his family would visit the museums in Boston. And, as he describes it, he “got hooked on museums the way many kids do, through the thrills and chills of Egyptian art.” It is here that I can say I, from personal experience, agree. The life of the ancient Egyptians continues to fascinate me, and is a major selling point for a museum if there are some Egyptian artifacts present.
Cotter continues to describe what pieces of art at the two museums on which the article is centered upon, the Museum of Fine Art and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, both located in Boston, Massachusetts. He was especially interested in Asian art, and has a personal love for the more hidden pieces, such as Fra Angelico’s “Death and Assumption of the Virgin”. Cotter disproves of the more famous pieces in a way that seems to be a dislike for following the norm. Considering how he later describes the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s creater, Isabella Gardner herself, this description would fit.
Isabella Gardner is described as having “a decent fortune, shrewd advisers, eclectic tastes, personal chutzpah, and a belief in more is more”. When reading this portrayal of the legendary Isabella Gardner, along with the fact that in her will she mandates that should anything in her prized exhibit change the whole exhibit must be auctioned off, I picture a woman with such a passion for her work, and who wouldn’t let anything hold her back from doing as she pleased. This mental image is of a woman who wouldn’t want her visitors to love only the well-known pieces, but instead would want them to glory in the discovery of new art placed in the museum. The museum experience should be more than just walking in a line, shuffling along with others from one piece of artwork to the next; it should be a joy and an adventure to stroll the halls, look at the unique artifacts displayed, and learn more about the different cultures of the world.
After discussing all of this, Cotter starts his conclusion by discussing the largely unchanging nature of the museum. What he remembers seeing at a young age is still there, waiting for a new youngster to discover them and fall in love as he did all those years ago. And so the cycle continues, as it should; people coming and people going through the doors of a museum, falling in love and finding a passion for the simple wonders of the world.

architecture vs experience

When I have been to museums in the past, the architecture of the museum has kind of influenced my overall experience. For example, the way that the objects in that museum are displayed on the wall or in cases has either emphasized that object, or deemphasized it (in relation to others). Featuring one object along a wall rather than several next to one another, would draw my attention to the solitary artifact rather than the row. Moving on to the overall structure of the building, if the museum has an older feel, or older architectural design, I would expect to find exhibits from that time period or genre. Walking into the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle, WA, I would personally be thrown off if instead of housing important and memorable artifacts to the music world, the EMP was displaying objects of natural history (not only because of the name, but the modern design of the museum itself does not broadcast a "natural feel"). The contrast of the EMP's bright colors and abstract shape against the cityscape of Seattle reflects what I believe to be a modern take on music, hoping to draw in those who (while may also enjoy classics) has a soft spot in their heart for the pop and rock side of the young culture of today's society. Similarly, if the EMP had the same exhibits but they were surrounded by columns and old-world architecture, it would all seem out of place and more confusing than educating and enjoyable as a visitor.

effectiveness of museums

The article written by S.E. Weil on the factors that affect the quality of museums, he outlines four basic criteria. These criteria are: purposiveness, capability, effectiveness, and efficiency. Based on personal experience, I would say that the quality of my museum visits can be traced back to whether or not the museum has a good mission statement, and/or if the mission statement is made, and the quality of the resources the museum has. Whenever I go to a museum, I look forward to learning something new, and so if the mission statement includes the goal of providing knowledge to visitors, then I will most likely have a better experience at that museum. Also, the quality of resources of the museum has available affects the organization and presentation of the exhibits. With this point I am not necessarily talking about the content of the exhibits, but rather the way that the artifacts are being presented to me. Looking at a display that is constructed haphazardly and disorganized restricts my ability to understand the point of the exhibit and my learning of the new information. Thus, if the resources (including the people constructing the exhibits - more professional means clearer designs) the museum has available are of high-quality, then I am more likely to have a good experience at that museum.