http://exhibitfiles.org/browse/index The most recent activity on ExhibitFiles en-us Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:56:17 -0500 The Detroit Institute of Arts’ exhibition, “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus,” is not what it sounds. Well, it is; but it's so much more. It’s the story of how an artist was profoundly influenced by the community in which he lived and how he, in turn, created works of art that influenced others to see familiar things in radically new ways. Judging from the title, you might assume that this exhibit would be targeted at Christian audiences. Maybe it is; but it doesn’t stop there. It's targeted at people of all faiths and no faith. And I think it hits the mark, appealing to that broad spectrum of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and agnostics. Apparently Detroit residents do, too, cause they’ve come out in record numbers to see the exhibit. When I was there on a recent Saturday afternoon I (happily) stood in line for 20 minutes to get tickets for a timed entrance two hours later. This is a good problem for the DIA to have to deal with. The exhibit has been sold out on weekends and the hours have been extended to 10:00 am-10:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 10:00 am-8:00 pm on Sundays. A good problem, indeed! The brilliance of the exhibit, co-organized by the Louvre, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the DIA, is that it explores a single subject in great depth—Rembrandt’s depiction of the figure of Jesus. Though Rembrandt was the first European artist to emphasize that Jesus was a Jew, his motivation was less a matter of theology than of cultural milieu. The exhibit challenges, and ultimately breaks down, assumptions and stereotypes by delving into the cultural exchanges between Amsterdam’s Jewish and Christian communities and illustrating the kind of artistic mixed marriages that can grow out of such an inclusive environment. To help refine their tone and approach to the subject matter, DIA educators interviewed 32 people from ten different community organizations including the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit, the Council of Baptist Ministers and the Interfaith Leadership Council of Metro Detroit. The goal was to make the exhibit accessible to visitors with different beliefs and different motivations—those looking for a profound emotional experience because of the religious subject matter; those seeking a more intellectual experience owing to the unusual angle on Rembrandt’s work; and those interested in aesthetics, the purely visual appeal of seeing works created by Rembrandt’s hand. One of the ways they appealed to such diverse audiences was to consistently use the name of the man Jesus, allowing each visitor to see him as Christ—or not. Another was to leave it to visitors to form their own conclusions about questions that do not have definitive answers. For example, many of those interviewed wanted to know what inspired Rembrandt. They were looking for a dramatic human-interest story that could explain his profoundly different depiction of the face of Jesus. But the truth is, no one knows whether losing his wife and three children led Rembrandt to search for a more human likeness of Jesus. So the DIA created a silent timeline that juxtaposes events in the artist’s life with works he created during each period ands let visitors draw their own conclusions—or not. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_J28-_IeMw) This approach of asking complex questions that leave visitors scratching their heads is also used to great effect in the TV spot for the exhibit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCvhQTbs05o) Asking the question, What did Jesus look like? makes the point that although people have wildly different opinions, no one really knows. It encourages visitors to form their own views and whets their appetite to learn how Rembrandt saw Jesus. The exhibition places Rembrandt and his work squarely within the cultural milieu of 17th century Amsterdam. In fact, a huge scale map of the city is physically and conceptually the centerpiece of the exhibition, mounted on a large platform in the center of eight surrounding galleries. (See image 1) It drives home the point that this was the place where Rembrandt reimagined the face of Jesus while looking around him at the faces of his neighbors. Key sites, like his home in the Jewish Quarter, the offices of the Dutch East India Company, and the Port of Amsterdam are marked with flags that seem a bit heavy-handed and out of scale with the map, sometimes obscuring other sites. This may have been compounded by the fact that the only light source for the map is what spills down from a large two-sided video screen suspended above. On one side visitors see "The Artist and His City;" walking around to the other side they see "Rembrandt in Amsterdam’s Jewish Community." The goal was for visitors to look down at the map to see locations referenced in the videos. I didn’t see much evidence of this but I’d be interested in reports of unobtrusive observations. The placement of the videos in the central gallery of the exhibition, instead of a separate orientation space, is novel and effective. It allows visitors to look around and make connections between the videos and the works of Rembrandt and his contemporaries. Seeing and hearing descriptions of Amsterdam’s inclusive environment, it doesn’t require much of a leap to imagine how Rembrandt might think about traditional religious themes and figures in new ways. The climate of interfaith and intercultural tolerance sets the stage for his choice of a young Sephardic Jew to serve as a model for the face of Jesus. This 17th century backdrop of an enlightened and prosperous culture also helps make the exhibit relevant to 21st century visitors of various faiths and cultural backgrounds. As they move to the next two galleries visitors can explore both established traditions and innovative devices Rembrandt used to tell religious stories. This section shows how his groundbreaking images grew out of a deep familiarity with biblical texts coupled with a virtuoso use of three artistic conventions: staging, light and gesture. Here, and throughout the exhibit, the DIA has employed an interpretive device that is familiar to its audiences—compare and contrast. Many visitors who have wandered through favorite areas of the permanent collection, from Native American to Italian Renaissance art, have probably had Aha! moments inspired by the effective juxtaposition of adjacent images described with an economy of words. From the staff perspective it also makes good sense to incorporate proven interpretive techniques. In working on the reinstallation of the entire permanent collection, staff members honed their skills at using comparisons to help visitors build looking skills and practice noticing subtle but profound differences that impact the meaning of a work of art. Swarupa Anila, Head of Interpretation, says “We try to lean on what we know, to marry innovation with what we’ve learned in the past.” A good example of this familiar technique can be seen in “Compare the Gestures.” (See images 2-5) "To the right and left, Rembrandt represents the biblical scene in which Jesus brings a dead man named Lazarus back to life. To the left, a towering Jesus drives the drama through a powerful physical gesture. Rembrandt shows Jesus’s left hand high above his head, raising Lazarus from the grave at his feet. A blinding light reinforces Jesus’s mystical power and spotlights the exaggerated expressions and poses of the astonished witnesses. In the image to the right made ten years later, Jesus’s gesture is more restrained. Rembrandt depicts Jesus’s lips slightly parted, suggesting the miracle occurs less by force of action than through the power of Jesus’s words." After passing through the central area with the videos and map again, visitors walk through a full-scale exterior façade to enter Rembrandt’s studio, described as “among the most creatively productive 1200 square feet in Europe.” Skrims borrowed from the Rembrandt House Museum evoke the studio and make it easy to imagine this space buzzing with industry. My husband, who may have visited a few more museums than he would have chosen to, loved this space. “I knew I was in a museum,” he said, “but I felt like I was in a workshop.” In the next gallery the theme of the exhibit is revealed in a group of six studies of a single figure, a young Sephardic Jew who served as Rembrandt’s model. For me, it was mind boggling to realize that these works are reunited for the first time since they left Rembrandt’s studio in the mid-17th century! Of the six works, only one is definitively by the hand of the master; the others are attributed to him or to members of his studio. Whether visitors are novices or art historians, there is something for everyone here. For connoisseurs, this series of paintings provides rare opportunities to compare brushstrokes, facial features, gaze and other nuances that distinguish the work of Rembrandt from that of his students. For novices, the following label does a good job of explaining art historical terms that were unclear to many of those interviewed. “Who Made It?" Students in Rembrandt’s studio learned to live, breathe, and emulate his techniques. Rembrandt had students copy his paintings in order to learn his style. As a result, some paintings look close enough to the master’s that scholars have developed a system to identify them. If the label says… the image was made by… Rembrandt van Rijn... the master himself Attributed to Rembrandt... very likely Rembrandt Studio of Rembrandt... a student in the studio, under close supervision, and possibly including areas by Rembrandt Pupil of Rembrandt... a student of Rembrandt Circle or School of Rembrandt... an artist influenced by Rembrandt who might have worked with the master at some point Follower of Rembrandt... an artist influenced by Rembrandt’s work but who never had direct contact with him As I moved through the exhibit I was struck by what seemed like convergent and divergent forms of expression. I felt Rembrandt moving back and forth, referring to art historical conventions and biblical traditions and then setting them aside to cast historical figures and stories in (then) contemporary terms. I’m usually not a fan of audio tours but I decided to give Acoustiguide’s Opus Click a try. I’m glad I did because it helped to weave together these two artistic impulses through several voices, often heard in conversation. I found the point/counterpoint an effective way to address a variety of sensitive or nuanced issues. I also enjoyed the added visual dimension of the Opus Click. At first glance I thought the illustrations were ridiculously small scale but once I reminded myself that I have no trouble reading the New York Times on my cell phone I enjoyed the opportunities to go deeper in exploring additional layers of information. For visitors interested in artistic technique there’s a segment in Rembrandt’s studio that illustrates two printmaking processes, dry point and etching. For those interested in cultural context, there’s a segment on "The Visitation" that explores how Rembrandt’s inclusion of an African servant can be read in different ways depending on whether one's perspective is the Dutch involvement in the slave trade or the state’s Christianizing mission of the time. In the last gallery is a powerful comparison between two works—Rembrandt’s "Christ with Arms Folded," 1659-61, and "Christ with Staff," 1661, by a member of his studio. Both are life-sized figures set against dark backgrounds with dramatic contrasts of light and shadow and penetrating eyes but one is a dark-haired Jew; the other a fair-haired European. This brilliant pairing elucidates Rembrandt’s radical re-envisioning of the face of Jesus. (See images 6 and 7) A short label, “Faces of Compassion,” sums it up by saying, "Their gentle eyes meet the viewer’s gaze, conveying quiet humanity. The glow emanating from the two faces recall Rembrandt’s use of mysterious light to indicate holiness. Stripped of any surrounding scene or characters, these paintings offer nothing more or less than the figure of Jesus for contemplation. Rembrandt represents Jesus as the divine embodiment of earthly compassion in images that reveal the artist’s unending search for the face—and meanings—of Jesus." This conclusion puts such a fine point on the artist’s interest in the humanity as well as the ethnicity of Jesus that I can’t imagine it ending any other way. I understand that there is one other painting in the final gallery but I have to confess that I was so taken by the pair of images that I didn’t even see it! Sometimes I get to the last page of a book and I think, Really? You’re going to leave me here? But other times I can’t imagine the need for another word. I hate to close the book but one more word, one more work, would be one too many. (Note: In the interest of transparency I want to disclose that I worked on the reinstallation of the DIA’s permanent collection as a consultant from 2003-2008. Though I have had no business relationship with the DIA since that time I still think of staff members as valued colleagues and I have a special interest in their work.) http://exhibitfiles.org/rembrandt_and_the_face_of_jesus http://exhibitfiles.org/rembrandt_and_the_face_of_jesus Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:38:10 -0500 This is one of those simple ideas that starts with an experience most children have had: trying to walk really quietly. It adds a note of challenge and competition and makes its point quickly. Part of a collection called Listen, which was developed with a grant from NSF, this piece was prototyped by an artist and in an early iteration, as I recall, was more beautiful both to look at and experience. The basic concept was a sort of "Zen garden" - a simple wooden frame filled with smooth dark stones - with microphones hidden in the stones. The user entered at the right, stepped up on a low platform, and walked across to the other end, a distance of maybe 10 feet (3m). A meter registered the sounds, giving continuous visual feedback at the other end of the path. This version has clearly been hardened, with a numerical readout and challenge to get the lowest possible number by the time you finish. Also, on-lookers can see only the walker's feet rather than the whole path; presumably the wall was needed to keep out ambient sound. And the rough gravel isn't nearly as appealing to the eye or the feet as the smoother stones I think were used early on. Still, people gather around with looks of delight. As part of the Listen collection, this experience heightens awareness of the simplest act, connects with childhood experience, engages the whole body, offers immediate feedback, and gets people talking together. I didn't notice the film mentioned in the sign, but I'm guessing most people don't need much explanation. My images are poor, taken during an "After Dark" event, but people were really enjoying themselves - and I was happy to pay a visit to one of my Exploratorium favorites. http://exhibitfiles.org/out_quiet_yourself http://exhibitfiles.org/out_quiet_yourself Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:05:33 -0500 What happens when a classic 1930's hall of natural history dioramas is brought into the 21st century? Marjorie Schwarzer, Margaret Kadoyama, and Sheila Pressley critiqe the newly renovated Tusher African Center at the California Academy of Sciences. http://exhibitfiles.org/the_tusher_african_center http://exhibitfiles.org/the_tusher_african_center Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:27:10 -0500 Read reviews of this traveling exhibition by Brian Horrigan of the Minnesota Historical Society and Ida B Tomlin of the Detroit Science Center. The exhibition tackles the continuously sensitive issue of race, and was created by the Science Museum of Minnesota in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. An important component of the "Race" exhibition was its development of "Talking Circle" discussion groups for visitors. The PDF file contains a discussion of the Science Museum of Minnesota's evaluation of this program by Kirsten Ellenbogen and Murphy Pizza. http://exhibitfiles.org/race_are_we_so_different3 http://exhibitfiles.org/race_are_we_so_different3 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:58:18 -0500 Having done no pre-visit research at all, I really thought I was going to the Museum of Science to learn about volcanology and archaeological scientific methods – maybe even some forensics – when I chose to take my wife to see "A Day in Pompeii" – a temporary exhibition in Boston, one of its only four destinations on its US tour. Once inside the exhibit, we were delighted to find richly colored fresco murals, marble and bronze statues of Venus and other patron gods, plates, bowls, and jugs. We were amazed to find fully intact tables and chairs upon which ancient Romans reclined and dined. We found exquisite jewelry and crude pottery. There were charred peach pits and loaves of bread... and... way in the back: I think I saw dead people. Organization The organization of the exhibit was not obvious at first, but that quickly cleared. The first arrangement of objects featured discoveries from common households and gardens, and the last display featured objects from the entire “city town” – from trade businesses, boats, community gathering places, public forums, and burial sites. The middle of the exhibit featured the famous body casts that suspend the horror of the Vesuvius eruption of AD 79 that destroyed (and preserved!) Pompeii under 12 or so feet of ash. Graphics Large, illustrated wall graphics created “chapters” in the exhibit whose themes organized the collections and helped the reader envision a living Pompeii: A Typical House, Medicine, Preparing Food, The Public Square, etc. The remainder of graphics were small object captions. The writing style was interrogative, encouraging the reader to look for details in each of the objects. We were invited to look for the hidden lizard in the fresco, notice the inscription on a piece of jewelry – a gift from a master to his slave, and compare the curvaceous shapes of vessels that once contained different foodstuffs. It was possible to view every item and read every word in the course of a two hour visit, which indeed we did. AV Media Two animated video theaters offered a glimpse into the daily life of Pompeians and what the eruption of Mount Vesuvius may have looked like. The theaterettes offered an informative place to rest and seemed to be popular with kids and families (what kid doesn’t want to witness a whole town get burned and buried by a volcano?!) The Body Casts The body casts were located in a secluded gallery, appreciable in the round, and complemented by a respectful soundtrack. This presentation fostered reverence in visitors. Design Critique I’m mostly critical of the exhibition’s entrance and exit experiences. The serpentine queue line at the front of the gallery held 60-100 people until our entry time. We were held in a rectangular foyer where an introductory video was projected on the narrow-end wall. In this orientation, the video couldn’t be viewed by people in the back of the line and so they chose to entertain themselves through conversation and cellphone use. Perhaps the wider wall would have been a better choice for the video? I suspect that packaging and promoting this material for science museums has compelled its producers to add scientific content and hands-on elements to the exhibition – at the end. The last gallery takes a look at the Ring of Fire and a history of volcanic eruptions around the globe, a timeline of the excavation of Pompeii, and some “interactive” playthings for busy hands. It really doesn’t fit the character or the mindset of the heart of the exhibition. To me, the conclusion was artificial, it was loud, and it was cheap. The scientific ideas that I was curious about: how the body cavities were found and how the casts were made, how an entire city was discovered and uncovered, and how historians know what they know, were not addressed in any detail. I really appreciated that the color scheme was unobtrusively dark and that the plinths and pedestals were non-decorative. The warm colors and organic shapes of the objects burst forth. Typographic treatments were equally benign. I was relieved to see no sign of the Herculaneum typeface and no simulated fresco textures. "Classy" I thought. Lighting was both mood-setting and set at the right levels for reading. I didn’t love that the cast bodies were displayed on beds of lava rock that resembled the chunks I put in the bottom of my Weber grill, but now I’m just getting picky. If you are able to see this exhibition, it’s an amazing peek beneath the ancient ash. I highly commend it for its authenticity and engaging interpretation. The exhibit requires an additional fee and a timed entry ticket. It is in Boston through February 12. Just google it to learn more about its touring circuit. http://exhibitfiles.org/a_day_in_pompeii http://exhibitfiles.org/a_day_in_pompeii Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:05:35 -0500 Billed as the Mammal Family Reunion, this permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History features exhibits that appeal to the whole family, and takes on the issue of evolution in its engaging approach. Read critiques by exhibit designer Barbara Brennan, museum educator Rebecca Singer, and visitor researcher Andrew Pekarik. http://exhibitfiles.org/the_kenneth_e_behring_family_hall_of_mammals http://exhibitfiles.org/the_kenneth_e_behring_family_hall_of_mammals Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:08:49 -0500 On a recent day off from school I lured my 10-year-old son to Oakland Museum of California’s exhibit A Walk in the Wild: Continuing John Muir’s Journey. This ambitious exhibition sets out to cover a lot of bases, but my interest was how well it engages a family audience. (An excellent, more complete review by Peter Samis can be found in the Nov/Dec 2011 Museum magazine.) Clearly organized into four areas entitled Wonder, Adventure, Discovery and Action, the exhibition uses the life of John Muir as lens through which to present the natural world, botany, environmental stewardship, and activism. The exhibition does its best to appeal to multiple age levels and learning styles (offering sensory, kinetic, aural, and visual experiences) and invites visitors to be active part pants at every step. The curved mural-sized photographs in Wonder create intimate alcoves where visitors can “experience” several environments that John Muir loved. They smell the forest, feel the “rough crystals in Half Dome granodiorate,” look through a magnifying glass at a spores under a fern frond, and listen to “water music.” The shape of the space encourages conversation. Cedar was a popular scent—“Mom, come smell this. This smells SO good!” But others, like the scent of the meadow or western juniper smelled a lot like a teenage girl’s shampoo. Scent is a hard to pull off successfully, and I give the OM credit for trying. But aside from the stunning photos, which were highly effective and sensory in their own right, the separation of elements according to sense rendered the experience a little clinical. Wonder concludes with a film that serves as an introduction and organizer for the exhibit. It tells the story of John Muir and introduces us to eight “Modern Day Muirs,” contemporary environmentalists who are following in Muir’s footsteps (sometimes literally). The film was beautifully produced and had great scenic footage (including views of people hiking up Half Dome which I’d never seen before.) But it was a little long (and maybe too close to the beginning of the exhibit?) for my restless companion. The granite-topped seating was elegant (though I imagine pricey) and invited my son to practice his boulder jumping skills rather than focus on the film. The Adventure gallery combines four of Muir’s iconic environments with archival cases containing his journals and sketchbooks. The immersive environments offer full body, active experiences: visitors walk into a giant sequoia, sneak behind a waterfall, jump over a photo mural of a crevasse, and send someone a picture of themselves “climbing” a photo mural of El Capitan. Alternatively, the cases of artifacts allow for more subdued contemplation of the “real thing.” In almost every way the combination of these two disparate activities works here, thanks to the exhibit design. The cases are in the center of the room, and the environments around the perimeter. The close proximity and easy sight lines allow family members to see, communicate, and lure each other into the activity they are enjoying. The pitfall of this design is excessive noise bleed from multiple narrations. A Scottish-accented voice reads Muir in the sequoia and behind the waterfall (a little long and difficult to understand), and five Modern Day Muirs also tell his or her story on command. The aural experience is more crowded shopping mall than great outdoors. And my son was unimpressed with the use of chains to simulate the waterfall - perhaps too urban in their allusion. My favorite exhibit for intergenerational learning features two backpacks that visitors can try on. One represents what Muir (a light traveler) would have taken into the wild and the other is a modern-day hiker’s pack. The contemporary backpack is so heavy it requires an adult to lift it out of the bin and set on eager youthful shoulders. A plexi-covered case shows all the items we 21st-century hikers feel compelled to take along with us. On my visit a docent had a group of kids look into the case and asked, “What five things would you take with you out into the wild?” Including that question on the exhibit label would have been a good way to get people talking when the docent isn’t around. Perhaps this appealed to me because I’d just been backpacking in the Sierra, but I also found it a great metaphor for how much stuff we weigh ourselves down with. The Discovery gallery is large, open, airy and packed with specimens and dioramas retrieved from storage during the renovation of the Oakland Museum’s science galleries. It’s focus is Muir’s legacy as a botanist, and the exhibits are designed to slow visitors to down for more intimate observation. “These little things are my FAVORITE things to look at,” my son gushed as he zeroed in on a diorama of a brook. “It looks so REAL!” Who knew that a child of the video generation would be so enthralled with an old time diorama? He also enjoyed opening drawer after drawer of specimens. Labels on some dioramas guide visitors to find plants and animals. While this approach is low tech and old fashioned, the labels provide a helpful prop for adults trying to engage a younger companion in close observation. Action is the final gallery where Muir is featured for his environmental activism (including his campaign to save Hetch Hetchy Valley from its eventual flooding.) His desk and other artifacts are on loan from the John Muir National Historic Site and reproductions of his hand-written correspondence are artfully arranged but hard to read. Each of the Modern Day Muirs have their say about environmental activism on separate text panels. And visitors can contribute their thoughts on a “Why do YOU love Yosemite?” post-it board or via an old fashioned phone. This was the least engaging gallery for us, perhaps because it was at the end, or perhaps because nothing in it was as captivating as the specimens we’d just been studying in the previous gallery. As an engaging family-centered museum experience A Walk the Wild definitely hit the mark. It gave us a lot of opportunities to interact in meaningful ways. And my son had a good time. “It was fun,” is a pretty high rating from a 10-year-old boy who most certainly would have preferred to be outside. http://exhibitfiles.org/a_walk_in_the_wild_continuing_john_muirs_journey http://exhibitfiles.org/a_walk_in_the_wild_continuing_john_muirs_journey Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:24:58 -0500 Paola Antonelli, who created Talk to Me at MOMA, broadcasts on a different channel than I can pick up with my antennae. Her last exhibition at MOMA, "Design and the Elastic Mind" infuriated me because of its self-congratulatory tone, its incoherence, and its absolute opacity to anyone who did not already speak her hermetic language. Those same characteristics permeate Talk To Me (which is closing monday november 7, tomorrow as I write this), which had gotten considerable positive buzz among the digerati and others in the know. The web site declares "Talk to Me explores the communication between people and things." I had assumed that this describes two way communication, in which people and objects interact with each other (the words "dialogue" and "interactive" pervade the text panels) The exhibit was almost entirely devoid of interactivity, and while many many screens talked to me (over headphones) virtually none of them listened to me in any way. The only interactive component of Talk to Me was web site called "Wilderness Downtown," a brilliant site created by Aaron Koblin, which everyone should visit and show to their friends at work. To have it in a museum is completely missing the point of the personalization of Aaron's work, and to have it as the only interactive piece in an exhibition devoted to interactivity between people and technology is a sad joke. I have included a few shots of labels for the exhibition, which again are so navel- gazing and incoherent as to be actually funny. I really did find myself laughing at them. The design of the exhibition was unattractive by any measure, with random size video screens dominating virtually all of the spaces. The drumbeat of "do not touch" in labels tricked out to look like 8 bit graphics highlighted the painful lack of interactivity in the exhibition. Even a small display devoted to alternative musical interfaces designed to withstand the pounding of musicians was covered in glass. To top it all off, there was no available bandwidth in the museum on this thursday afternoon, so the QR codes could not be accessed, nor could the online audio tour that was advertised. I have many qualms about the lack of soul of many of our science museum exhibitions, and have often wondered, written, and done panels about how we could learn from art museums. In this instance, MOMA is completely at sea in the world of digital tools and interactivity, and could have learned a tremendous amount from science centers and other informal spaces. To go back to the beginning, Ms. Antonelli is broadcasting on a channel I don't receive, but many others do seem to be drawn to her vision. I wish I could have written this review earlier so that others would have a chance to visit the exhibition and push back against my lack of comprehension. There is a lively web site that is worth checking out. On the other hand, the deKooning retrospective upstairs at MOMA is profoundly beautiful and not to be missed. His work changed as much over his life as matisse's and I had never seen his late work-as he headed toward profound alzheimers disease--in the context of all of his work. But that is another review for another website. http://exhibitfiles.org/talk_to_me http://exhibitfiles.org/talk_to_me Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:56:17 -0500 The Detroit Institute of Arts’ exhibition, “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus,” is not what it sounds. Well, it is; but it's so much more. It’s the story of how an artist was profoundly influenced by the community in which he lived and how he, in turn, created works of art that influenced others to see familiar things in radically new ways. Judging from the title, you might assume that this exhibit would be targeted at Christian audiences. Maybe it is; but it doesn’t stop there. It's targeted at people of all faiths and no faith. And I think it hits the mark, appealing to that broad spectrum of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and agnostics. Apparently Detroit residents do, too, cause they’ve come out in record numbers to see the exhibit. When I was there on a recent Saturday afternoon I (happily) stood in line for 20 minutes to get tickets for a timed entrance two hours later. This is a good problem for the DIA to have to deal with. The exhibit has been sold out on weekends and the hours have been extended to 10:00 am-10:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 10:00 am-8:00 pm on Sundays. A good problem, indeed! The brilliance of the exhibit, co-organized by the Louvre, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the DIA, is that it explores a single subject in great depth—Rembrandt’s depiction of the figure of Jesus. Though Rembrandt was the first European artist to emphasize that Jesus was a Jew, his motivation was less a matter of theology than of cultural milieu. The exhibit challenges, and ultimately breaks down, assumptions and stereotypes by delving into the cultural exchanges between Amsterdam’s Jewish and Christian communities and illustrating the kind of artistic mixed marriages that can grow out of such an inclusive environment. To help refine their tone and approach to the subject matter, DIA educators interviewed 32 people from ten different community organizations including the Archdiocese of Detroit, the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit, the Council of Baptist Ministers and the Interfaith Leadership Council of Metro Detroit. The goal was to make the exhibit accessible to visitors with different beliefs and different motivations—those looking for a profound emotional experience because of the religious subject matter; those seeking a more intellectual experience owing to the unusual angle on Rembrandt’s work; and those interested in aesthetics, the purely visual appeal of seeing works created by Rembrandt’s hand. One of the ways they appealed to such diverse audiences was to consistently use the name of the man Jesus, allowing each visitor to see him as Christ—or not. Another was to leave it to visitors to form their own conclusions about questions that do not have definitive answers. For example, many of those interviewed wanted to know what inspired Rembrandt. They were looking for a dramatic human-interest story that could explain his profoundly different depiction of the face of Jesus. But the truth is, no one knows whether losing his wife and three children led Rembrandt to search for a more human likeness of Jesus. So the DIA created a silent timeline that juxtaposes events in the artist’s life with works he created during each period ands let visitors draw their own conclusions—or not. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_J28-_IeMw) This approach of asking complex questions that leave visitors scratching their heads is also used to great effect in the TV spot for the exhibit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCvhQTbs05o) Asking the question, What did Jesus look like? makes the point that although people have wildly different opinions, no one really knows. It encourages visitors to form their own views and whets their appetite to learn how Rembrandt saw Jesus. The exhibition places Rembrandt and his work squarely within the cultural milieu of 17th century Amsterdam. In fact, a huge scale map of the city is physically and conceptually the centerpiece of the exhibition, mounted on a large platform in the center of eight surrounding galleries. (See image 1) It drives home the point that this was the place where Rembrandt reimagined the face of Jesus while looking around him at the faces of his neighbors. Key sites, like his home in the Jewish Quarter, the offices of the Dutch East India Company, and the Port of Amsterdam are marked with flags that seem a bit heavy-handed and out of scale with the map, sometimes obscuring other sites. This may have been compounded by the fact that the only light source for the map is what spills down from a large two-sided video screen suspended above. On one side visitors see "The Artist and His City;" walking around to the other side they see "Rembrandt in Amsterdam’s Jewish Community." The goal was for visitors to look down at the map to see locations referenced in the videos. I didn’t see much evidence of this but I’d be interested in reports of unobtrusive observations. The placement of the videos in the central gallery of the exhibition, instead of a separate orientation space, is novel and effective. It allows visitors to look around and make connections between the videos and the works of Rembrandt and his contemporaries. Seeing and hearing descriptions of Amsterdam’s inclusive environment, it doesn’t require much of a leap to imagine how Rembrandt might think about traditional religious themes and figures in new ways. The climate of interfaith and intercultural tolerance sets the stage for his choice of a young Sephardic Jew to serve as a model for the face of Jesus. This 17th century backdrop of an enlightened and prosperous culture also helps make the exhibit relevant to 21st century visitors of various faiths and cultural backgrounds. As they move to the next two galleries visitors can explore both established traditions and innovative devices Rembrandt used to tell religious stories. This section shows how his groundbreaking images grew out of a deep familiarity with biblical texts coupled with a virtuoso use of three artistic conventions: staging, light and gesture. Here, and throughout the exhibit, the DIA has employed an interpretive device that is familiar to its audiences—compare and contrast. Many visitors who have wandered through favorite areas of the permanent collection, from Native American to Italian Renaissance art, have probably had Aha! moments inspired by the effective juxtaposition of adjacent images described with an economy of words. From the staff perspective it also makes good sense to incorporate proven interpretive techniques. In working on the reinstallation of the entire permanent collection, staff members honed their skills at using comparisons to help visitors build looking skills and practice noticing subtle but profound differences that impact the meaning of a work of art. Swarupa Anila, Head of Interpretation, says “We try to lean on what we know, to marry innovation with what we’ve learned in the past.” A good example of this familiar technique can be seen in “Compare the Gestures.” (See images 2-5) "To the right and left, Rembrandt represents the biblical scene in which Jesus brings a dead man named Lazarus back to life. To the left, a towering Jesus drives the drama through a powerful physical gesture. Rembrandt shows Jesus’s left hand high above his head, raising Lazarus from the grave at his feet. A blinding light reinforces Jesus’s mystical power and spotlights the exaggerated expressions and poses of the astonished witnesses. In the image to the right made ten years later, Jesus’s gesture is more restrained. Rembrandt depicts Jesus’s lips slightly parted, suggesting the miracle occurs less by force of action than through the power of Jesus’s words." After passing through the central area with the videos and map again, visitors walk through a full-scale exterior façade to enter Rembrandt’s studio, described as “among the most creatively productive 1200 square feet in Europe.” Skrims borrowed from the Rembrandt House Museum evoke the studio and make it easy to imagine this space buzzing with industry. My husband, who may have visited a few more museums than he would have chosen to, loved this space. “I knew I was in a museum,” he said, “but I felt like I was in a workshop.” In the next gallery the theme of the exhibit is revealed in a group of six studies of a single figure, a young Sephardic Jew who served as Rembrandt’s model. For me, it was mind boggling to realize that these works are reunited for the first time since they left Rembrandt’s studio in the mid-17th century! Of the six works, only one is definitively by the hand of the master; the others are attributed to him or to members of his studio. Whether visitors are novices or art historians, there is something for everyone here. For connoisseurs, this series of paintings provides rare opportunities to compare brushstrokes, facial features, gaze and other nuances that distinguish the work of Rembrandt from that of his students. For novices, the following label does a good job of explaining art historical terms that were unclear to many of those interviewed. “Who Made It?" Students in Rembrandt’s studio learned to live, breathe, and emulate his techniques. Rembrandt had students copy his paintings in order to learn his style. As a result, some paintings look close enough to the master’s that scholars have developed a system to identify them. If the label says… the image was made by… Rembrandt van Rijn... the master himself Attributed to Rembrandt... very likely Rembrandt Studio of Rembrandt... a student in the studio, under close supervision, and possibly including areas by Rembrandt Pupil of Rembrandt... a student of Rembrandt Circle or School of Rembrandt... an artist influenced by Rembrandt who might have worked with the master at some point Follower of Rembrandt... an artist influenced by Rembrandt’s work but who never had direct contact with him As I moved through the exhibit I was struck by what seemed like convergent and divergent forms of expression. I felt Rembrandt moving back and forth, referring to art historical conventions and biblical traditions and then setting them aside to cast historical figures and stories in (then) contemporary terms. I’m usually not a fan of audio tours but I decided to give Acoustiguide’s Opus Click a try. I’m glad I did because it helped to weave together these two artistic impulses through several voices, often heard in conversation. I found the point/counterpoint an effective way to address a variety of sensitive or nuanced issues. I also enjoyed the added visual dimension of the Opus Click. At first glance I thought the illustrations were ridiculously small scale but once I reminded myself that I have no trouble reading the New York Times on my cell phone I enjoyed the opportunities to go deeper in exploring additional layers of information. For visitors interested in artistic technique there’s a segment in Rembrandt’s studio that illustrates two printmaking processes, dry point and etching. For those interested in cultural context, there’s a segment on "The Visitation" that explores how Rembrandt’s inclusion of an African servant can be read in different ways depending on whether one's perspective is the Dutch involvement in the slave trade or the state’s Christianizing mission of the time. In the last gallery is a powerful comparison between two works—Rembrandt’s "Christ with Arms Folded," 1659-61, and "Christ with Staff," 1661, by a member of his studio. Both are life-sized figures set against dark backgrounds with dramatic contrasts of light and shadow and penetrating eyes but one is a dark-haired Jew; the other a fair-haired European. This brilliant pairing elucidates Rembrandt’s radical re-envisioning of the face of Jesus. (See images 6 and 7) A short label, “Faces of Compassion,” sums it up by saying, "Their gentle eyes meet the viewer’s gaze, conveying quiet humanity. The glow emanating from the two faces recall Rembrandt’s use of mysterious light to indicate holiness. Stripped of any surrounding scene or characters, these paintings offer nothing more or less than the figure of Jesus for contemplation. Rembrandt represents Jesus as the divine embodiment of earthly compassion in images that reveal the artist’s unending search for the face—and meanings—of Jesus." This conclusion puts such a fine point on the artist’s interest in the humanity as well as the ethnicity of Jesus that I can’t imagine it ending any other way. I understand that there is one other painting in the final gallery but I have to confess that I was so taken by the pair of images that I didn’t even see it! Sometimes I get to the last page of a book and I think, Really? You’re going to leave me here? But other times I can’t imagine the need for another word. I hate to close the book but one more word, one more work, would be one too many. (Note: In the interest of transparency I want to disclose that I worked on the reinstallation of the DIA’s permanent collection as a consultant from 2003-2008. Though I have had no business relationship with the DIA since that time I still think of staff members as valued colleagues and I have a special interest in their work.) http://exhibitfiles.org/rembrandt_and_the_face_of_jesus http://exhibitfiles.org/rembrandt_and_the_face_of_jesus Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:38:10 -0500 This is one of those simple ideas that starts with an experience most children have had: trying to walk really quietly. It adds a note of challenge and competition and makes its point quickly. Part of a collection called Listen, which was developed with a grant from NSF, this piece was prototyped by an artist and in an early iteration, as I recall, was more beautiful both to look at and experience. The basic concept was a sort of "Zen garden" - a simple wooden frame filled with smooth dark stones - with microphones hidden in the stones. The user entered at the right, stepped up on a low platform, and walked across to the other end, a distance of maybe 10 feet (3m). A meter registered the sounds, giving continuous visual feedback at the other end of the path. This version has clearly been hardened, with a numerical readout and challenge to get the lowest possible number by the time you finish. Also, on-lookers can see only the walker's feet rather than the whole path; presumably the wall was needed to keep out ambient sound. And the rough gravel isn't nearly as appealing to the eye or the feet as the smoother stones I think were used early on. Still, people gather around with looks of delight. As part of the Listen collection, this experience heightens awareness of the simplest act, connects with childhood experience, engages the whole body, offers immediate feedback, and gets people talking together. I didn't notice the film mentioned in the sign, but I'm guessing most people don't need much explanation. My images are poor, taken during an "After Dark" event, but people were really enjoying themselves - and I was happy to pay a visit to one of my Exploratorium favorites. http://exhibitfiles.org/out_quiet_yourself http://exhibitfiles.org/out_quiet_yourself Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:05:33 -0500 What happens when a classic 1930's hall of natural history dioramas is brought into the 21st century? Marjorie Schwarzer, Margaret Kadoyama, and Sheila Pressley critiqe the newly renovated Tusher African Center at the California Academy of Sciences. http://exhibitfiles.org/the_tusher_african_center http://exhibitfiles.org/the_tusher_african_center Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:27:10 -0500 Read reviews of this traveling exhibition by Brian Horrigan of the Minnesota Historical Society and Ida B Tomlin of the Detroit Science Center. The exhibition tackles the continuously sensitive issue of race, and was created by the Science Museum of Minnesota in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. An important component of the "Race" exhibition was its development of "Talking Circle" discussion groups for visitors. The PDF file contains a discussion of the Science Museum of Minnesota's evaluation of this program by Kirsten Ellenbogen and Murphy Pizza. http://exhibitfiles.org/race_are_we_so_different3 http://exhibitfiles.org/race_are_we_so_different3 Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:58:18 -0500 Having done no pre-visit research at all, I really thought I was going to the Museum of Science to learn about volcanology and archaeological scientific methods – maybe even some forensics – when I chose to take my wife to see "A Day in Pompeii" – a temporary exhibition in Boston, one of its only four destinations on its US tour. Once inside the exhibit, we were delighted to find richly colored fresco murals, marble and bronze statues of Venus and other patron gods, plates, bowls, and jugs. We were amazed to find fully intact tables and chairs upon which ancient Romans reclined and dined. We found exquisite jewelry and crude pottery. There were charred peach pits and loaves of bread... and... way in the back: I think I saw dead people. Organization The organization of the exhibit was not obvious at first, but that quickly cleared. The first arrangement of objects featured discoveries from common households and gardens, and the last display featured objects from the entire “city town” – from trade businesses, boats, community gathering places, public forums, and burial sites. The middle of the exhibit featured the famous body casts that suspend the horror of the Vesuvius eruption of AD 79 that destroyed (and preserved!) Pompeii under 12 or so feet of ash. Graphics Large, illustrated wall graphics created “chapters” in the exhibit whose themes organized the collections and helped the reader envision a living Pompeii: A Typical House, Medicine, Preparing Food, The Public Square, etc. The remainder of graphics were small object captions. The writing style was interrogative, encouraging the reader to look for details in each of the objects. We were invited to look for the hidden lizard in the fresco, notice the inscription on a piece of jewelry – a gift from a master to his slave, and compare the curvaceous shapes of vessels that once contained different foodstuffs. It was possible to view every item and read every word in the course of a two hour visit, which indeed we did. AV Media Two animated video theaters offered a glimpse into the daily life of Pompeians and what the eruption of Mount Vesuvius may have looked like. The theaterettes offered an informative place to rest and seemed to be popular with kids and families (what kid doesn’t want to witness a whole town get burned and buried by a volcano?!) The Body Casts The body casts were located in a secluded gallery, appreciable in the round, and complemented by a respectful soundtrack. This presentation fostered reverence in visitors. Design Critique I’m mostly critical of the exhibition’s entrance and exit experiences. The serpentine queue line at the front of the gallery held 60-100 people until our entry time. We were held in a rectangular foyer where an introductory video was projected on the narrow-end wall. In this orientation, the video couldn’t be viewed by people in the back of the line and so they chose to entertain themselves through conversation and cellphone use. Perhaps the wider wall would have been a better choice for the video? I suspect that packaging and promoting this material for science museums has compelled its producers to add scientific content and hands-on elements to the exhibition – at the end. The last gallery takes a look at the Ring of Fire and a history of volcanic eruptions around the globe, a timeline of the excavation of Pompeii, and some “interactive” playthings for busy hands. It really doesn’t fit the character or the mindset of the heart of the exhibition. To me, the conclusion was artificial, it was loud, and it was cheap. The scientific ideas that I was curious about: how the body cavities were found and how the casts were made, how an entire city was discovered and uncovered, and how historians know what they know, were not addressed in any detail. I really appreciated that the color scheme was unobtrusively dark and that the plinths and pedestals were non-decorative. The warm colors and organic shapes of the objects burst forth. Typographic treatments were equally benign. I was relieved to see no sign of the Herculaneum typeface and no simulated fresco textures. "Classy" I thought. Lighting was both mood-setting and set at the right levels for reading. I didn’t love that the cast bodies were displayed on beds of lava rock that resembled the chunks I put in the bottom of my Weber grill, but now I’m just getting picky. If you are able to see this exhibition, it’s an amazing peek beneath the ancient ash. I highly commend it for its authenticity and engaging interpretation. The exhibit requires an additional fee and a timed entry ticket. It is in Boston through February 12. Just google it to learn more about its touring circuit. http://exhibitfiles.org/a_day_in_pompeii http://exhibitfiles.org/a_day_in_pompeii Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:05:35 -0500 Billed as the Mammal Family Reunion, this permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History features exhibits that appeal to the whole family, and takes on the issue of evolution in its engaging approach. Read critiques by exhibit designer Barbara Brennan, museum educator Rebecca Singer, and visitor researcher Andrew Pekarik. http://exhibitfiles.org/the_kenneth_e_behring_family_hall_of_mammals http://exhibitfiles.org/the_kenneth_e_behring_family_hall_of_mammals Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:22:41 -0500 http://exhibitfiles.org/michael_burns http://exhibitfiles.org/michael_burns Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:05:40 -0500 http://exhibitfiles.org/andrew_rankine http://exhibitfiles.org/andrew_rankine Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:35:16 -0500 http://exhibitfiles.org/amy_schleser http://exhibitfiles.org/amy_schleser Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:21:51 -0500 I did just see Wilderness Downtown in another art museum exhibit, this time at the Walker Art Center called "Graphic Design: Now in Production." This exhibit was very good, had a range of media represented and, yes, had some limited interactivity. My favorite bits were related to the new infographics revolution. http://www.exhibitfiles.org/bits/168-didn-t-see-this-exhibit-but http://www.exhibitfiles.org/bits/168-didn-t-see-this-exhibit-but Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:54:44 -0500 I'm disappointed to hear that Antonelli isn't getting it right... again. That's a huge opportunity missed. I felt that way with a number of SFMOMA design exhibitions. Just don't think they have the skill and the game has changed very quickly under their feet in terms of compelling exhibition design. Not to mention how awkward some of the high end finish can look against the economic backdrop of today. Thanks for taking the time to inform us and also make the case- love the wall tag shots. Says so much. As for your comment about de Kooning, where else might you be posting your review? The NYT? http://www.exhibitfiles.org/bits/167-felt-the-same-way-about-other-contemporary-art-museum-exhibits http://www.exhibitfiles.org/bits/167-felt-the-same-way-about-other-contemporary-art-museum-exhibits Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:33:37 -0500 I thin the best for video could be Vimeo or Youtube. both works well. For pictures, could be Flickr or picasa http://www.exhibitfiles.org/bits/166-video http://www.exhibitfiles.org/bits/166-video