Three museum visits are embedded in the good side of my brain. The first was all the way back in 2000 when I was just a wee spud, I finished a semester studying literature in Ireland and made my way across Europe in what now seems like a cliche rite of passage. Even so, I ended up in the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt, Germany as a means to kill time http://www.mmk-frankfurt.de/. I traveled by myself so I had plenty of time to peruse. And that I did. All I remember is spending perhaps twenty minutes staring at a Salvadore Dali painting - focusing intensely on a figure the size of a salt shaker in the lower left side that looked like a supersonic angel or wisp of smoke. Maybe this is more about the painting that the museum as I don't remember much about the latter.
My second was a recent trip to the deYoung Museum in SF with my girlfriend . We went for the morning which was great because there were only a few people milling around. Neither one of us know a great deal about art, but we shared what we did as we strolled in and out of the exhibits. We took more time in exhibits that interested us and moved quicker through others, but always within earshot of each other. (I mention are proximity as it can be related to our reading, not to show how inseparable we are, eww). We dwelled on a piece that suspended charred pieces of a church burned down by racists in the South and photographs of pastoral landscapes overlain with provocative words. We were also excited/sickened by the gigantic black and white piece in the foyer that played with our eyes. We went up close and touched it; examined mid-range perspectives; and finally ran up to the second level to see it from far away.
The third visit was to the Smithsonian with my eighth graders http://www.kazooschool.org/images/slideshow/slides/annualmtg263.php. It was terrible because a) I went with eighth graders and 2) it was crowded.
I prefer quiet contemplative museum spaces, but now I'm trying to imagine one that isn't. hmmm.
Sun Sun I appreciate your sharing of different museum experiences with companions. I am just wondering how your experience in the deYoung Museum would be different if you were there alone. Would you have similarly explored the black and white piece the 3 different ways too? I am just connecting to something read about being with companions actually encourages more exploration/experimentation; rationale being there is collective courage so that if the exploration turns out to be an embarrassing moment, there is at least someone to laugh together with. Having said that, I think again, it matters who that companion is, what your learning style is and what is the motivation of that visit.
Dan Gilbert Thanks for sharing Jason and nice comments Sun Sun. I am interested in learning more about your concept of collective courage and what role it might play not only in museum settings but also in other learning settings including schools. This class is trying to generate some risk-taking with ideas and requires some collective courage. One thing that stands out in the contrast between your deYoung experience and Smithsonian experience is the role of crowds and just how much that influences the overall experience even more than the learning. A place like the Smithsonian is so insanely crowded at almost all times that visitors, teachers, and museum staff need to set different expecations about what people might actually experience there. I lived in DC for 6 years and I was always hungry when I went there and of course disappointed about how few food options there are in/near the Mall.
Sara Adelmann Jason, I can really relate to your descriptions of your museum experiences. Crowds make me feel tired and cranky. I think it it is an interesting problem to want to control crowds without interfering in peoples' flexibility to roam the museum freely. I wonder how the actual layout and space of the museum could help with spaces that tend to be loud and crowded? I have to also admit though, that museums that are too quiet make me feel uncomfortable and I feel pressure not to talk about the exhibits with my companions. Therefore, there are two balancing acts which are presented, one between keeping the noise down while still allowing conversation about exhibits, and one between controlling crowds while allowing for free movement through the space...interesting dilemmas. <<<<<<<
=======
Jason Thanks for your comments. The issue of crowds is an interesting one that provokes questions that delve straight into theory. For instance, who is art for? How can a designer reconcile displaying the same work of art to the aficionado and the novice? Is that a function of space, access, or program organization? In short, how can we make room for everyone? This line of questioning transgresses the realm of art and is equally difficult in education. How do we create spaces that satisfy the needs of the diverse student body with the parameters of cost and cultural expectancy. English learners, special needs students, advanced students, and cultural and religious are all populations that deserve a "free and appropriate education."
Dan, I don't understand what you mean by collective courage?
Sun Sun I read about this concept of collective courage (not sure if these are the exact technical words) in courses involving organizational behavior and group decision making. I understand the essence as being that it boils down to accountability issues. No one likes to take any blame alone -- human nature i guess. Hence group decisions tend to be bolder since the group as a whole will shoulder the responsibility of failure. The thing about it is that it can either work in advantage of or against group goals. It depends on the group dynamics, how well the synergy is harnessed and how well the decision making process has been executed. Thus it becomes very important that the decision making process is optimized such that many perspectives are taken into account and possibilities considered.
Packer and Ballantyne (Page 8) also mentioned that the possible reason for the seemingly different physical interactions with exhibits between solitary and group (paired) visitors is the social risk perceived to be involved. He mentioned that research has consistently shown that people are more likely to engage in risky or adventurous behaviors when they have a companion and I tend to agree with him on that.