I often seek comfort in literature...Italo Calvino wrote:
“The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space.”
As we stand on the edge of the fire line, it is time to decide our path.
For me, it will always be institutions that question truth: museums, theaters, concert halls, and libraries.
Image: Gabriel Dawe, Plexus 28, 2014, from the exhibition Gabriel Dawe: Plexus 28, Virginia MOCA.
What institution is worth the effort to make space for you?
It’s always kind of hard to say goodbye to an exhibition. I fall a little in love with each one we show.
Since Virginia MOCA doesn’t collect, I know that if I want to see these works again, I’ll have to travel.
On the other hand, something exciting is coming, so the potential for new love hangs in the air...
When was the last time a museum helped you fall in love? How could I help?
See this dynamic and colorful landscape? This is a painting entitled Yellow houses – a Street in Sophiatown by artist Gerard Sekoto and depicted Black life in a segregated South Africa in 1940.
The painting was purchased in that same year by the Johannesburg Art Gallery. It was their first acquisition of a Black South African Artist, 8 years before Apartheid began. 32 years would pass before they added another Black artist to their collection. I wish I could have heard the conversations in the Museum as they contemplated the purchase.
Museums have an obligation to serve the public trust with honesty, scholarship, and professionalism. What's on the wall matters. Visual literacy matters.
So how about you?
Has a museum ever shown artwork that changed how you see life, your community, or even the museum itself?
I’d love to hear your perspective.
I found love in kindergarten.
With Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day.
Acidy reds and oranges against cool blues and whites—
I felt the bite of winter.
And that little boy in a red snowsuit? Through a circuitous route... his footprints led me to a passion for art.
With a new school year beginning, I’m wondering: what started your passion?
#ArtForEveryone #ArtIsForAll #AccessibleArt #CommunityThroughArt #ArtForAll#MuseumLife #ArtEducation #ArtAndCommunity #ArtMatters #ArtEveryDay
Would you be tempted?
The National Gallery Singapore is showing an exhibition that is creating a bit of buzz. Although the artwork itself, Suzann Victor's Still Life, a wall-mounted 200‑eggplant installation, is divine, it is the visitor reaction that has caused a stir. People have been interacting with the artwork, everything from taking selfies to taking the sensuous fruit right off the wall. The staff hadn’t anticipated this level of engagement.
So, here’s the challenge: when an artist entrusts their work to a museum, there are both legal and ethical expectations of responsible stewardship. When someone touches or takes part of an exhibition without consent, it undermines both the artist’s and the experience of everyone else.
So, how do we balance that with the desire to engage? Ripe eggplants jutting from a wall might make me smirk but invite others to touch or take. Where is the line between curiosity and safety?
#NoGatekeeping #ArtForEveryone #BehindTheScenesArt #MuseumFromTheInside #LookDontTouch #ArtEtiquette #MuseumCulture #ArtAndEthics #GalleryTalk#ForbiddenFruit #OpenInvitation #SuzannVictor #StillLife #NationalGallerySingapore
Ok, this is interesting. On July 27th, George Lucas made his first appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con. The reason? To talk about the upcoming opening of his museum, The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
As a museum nerd, I am always thrilled when important art and objects are available to a wider public. I'm especially excited that it is art that resonates far beyond typical erudite art consumers (of which I am one).
I am curious, however, about the "restructuring" of staffing that included a 14% reduction in education and programming roles. Hmm...what’s up there?
Now yes, this is a museum of his personal collection. And it is a wonderful collection. But it presents the same questions that have always existed in the long history of American art museums.
So many began as private collections. Should they be shared strictly from the viewpoint, the character, and the personality of the collector? From the Getty to the Barnes, this has created problems.
I guess I'm asking the question: Who is this museum for? The public? The artists? Or does it exist mostly as a legacy of the collector? Should we even care?
#NarrativeArt
#LucasMuseum
#CuratorialThinking
#MuseumQuestions
#ArtAndLegacy
This week I read that the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (de Young and the Legion of Honor) laid off 12 staff members, which is 5% of their team. The reason? “Softening tourism and changing post-pandemic visitation patterns.”
Attendance dropped from 1.5 million in 2018 to 1.2 million in 2024.
An adult ticket is $20. Bay Area residents get in free, but only on Saturdays. That’s the busiest day. Is that enough?
I have so many questions.
First, what is a museum’s role when public trust, time, and money are stretched thin? It seems like this is a time for greater investment, not contraction.
Museums are one of the few remaining third spaces. A place to reflect and connect. But the community needs consideration. Museums are at their best when people truly feel connected to them.
Free admission. Local programming. Real investment.
Maybe it’s time to reframe the conversation—from ticket sales to shared purpose.
Ok, so tell me...
What would make you feel like a museum was yours?
What creates a sense of belonging that lasts beyond a single visit?
#ThirdSpaceMuseums #HamptonRoadsArts #MoreThanFreeAdmission #VirginiaCulture #YourMuseumYours
I love, love, love art that’s gloriously over the top, and Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa makes my heart go pitter-patter. I’ve been lucky enough to see it in person a few times. If you’re ever in Rome, don’t miss it at Santa Maria della Vittoria (they don’t even charge admission... heavenly).
I enjoyed this recent piece from Artnet: Is Bernini’s Baroque Masterpiece the Most Controversial Religious Artwork of All Time? It’s a great look at the sculpture’s spiritual and sexual tensions.
I’m team theater boxes. They are full tilt voyeurism.
#Bernini #BaroqueArt #EcstasyOfSaintTeresa #ArtInRome #ArtHistoryNerd #AccessibleArt #Artnet
It’s almost here! I had the honor of curating an exhibition for@waynewhiteart that’s opening at @hashimotocontemporary inLA tonight! I hope you can come!
“Blue skies, smiling at me…” It’s been FOREVER since I have posted. Thrilled to be edging back into the world. Thank you @friendswithyou , @alison___byrne , & @virginiamoca crew for a perfect day.
Finally got a chance to visit @fristartmuseum in Nashville & saw their exhibition with @osgemeos They never disappoint! It was beautiful, joyous, and uplifting. So worth the trip
