four ?

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beards! Trying out different shapes and colors. Hopefully there will be a group to show by the end of the week.

And now for a bit of a rant. I went to the Charles LeDray exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art this morning. The artwork was fascinating, but I found the museum experience annoying. I was actually feeling angry by the time I left and had to analyze why. I have had a number of experiences where the way the show is set up is so distracting to me, trying to figure out what someone was thinking when they set it up, that I have a hard time focusing on the artwork. It seems that chronological order is out of fashion as a way to organize a show- I guess I can understand that if there seems to be some other theory, but it means that the fun of seeing how an artist grows and builds upon what they’ve done before is difficult or impossible. Then there is the lighting. Yes, light can damage artwork, but keeping the lights so dim that the viewer is straining to see the artwork seems crazy. Lastly, what is up with placing the artwork so that it is too far away to really look at. One of the pieces in the show was called Village People and was comprised of 37 hats. They were hung high on the wall- maybe 8 ft above the ground? I certainly could not see any of the detail work, and this is an artist where the detail work is everything. Sigh. I have been to several shows in the last few years where I had the exact same complaints- even worse was the Joseph Cornell show in Salem. Doesn’t make me want to rush back to an art museum any time soon. The thing is, I really liked the artwork. I was trying to imagine what venue would have been perfect to see it in. I guess that seeing it in the artist’s space would be the most fun and illuminating for me.

7 thoughts on “four ?”

  1. Mimi,
    When I saw your collection of beards, my first thought was that this idea could be expanded and made into an art exhibit. Then I read your thoughts about exhibit design. I wonder how a grouping of fabric beards would be displayed?

  2. Love the idea for a beard and mustache display.

    I know exactly what you mean about poorly hung exhibits.
    Very frustrating and I am glad you spoke up.

  4. Yah. I hate it when the little card with the name of the work is too small to see, or too far away. The way it is hung is everything for an exhibit. There seems to be one school, where they are trying to make the exhibit a meta piece of art, and that does not work for me. I just want to see the art, clearly, well lit, as close as possible, no weird angles.

  5. When I started reading this post, I thought you were going to mention the over-aciduous guards in N. American galleries; I’ve never been told so frequently NOT to stand so close to the exhibits — nor even point in their direction — as I have in NY and Washington. And don’t even THINK about getting a camera out! Have you noticed any of this?

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