Module 13 & 14: Video Review

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art was about Phillipe de Montebello and his leadership in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. de Montebello was born in France and graduated from Harvard. Under his leadership as director, the museum's collection would grow to encompass all continents, eras and cultures. Currently, there are over 2 million objects in the Met. de Montebello discusses that while he does not always feel drawn to a specific piece of art, it is important to acquire pieces that are varied to express, convince and make an impact on us. The curators act as history writers; carefully choosing pieces that perfectly express cultures, eras, movements and mediums. de Montebello impresses that personal taste should not influence the decisions to purchase pieces, but more so the amount of impact a specific piece would have within the Met. The video also discusses conservation and how de Montebello completely revamped the museum's conservation ideals. There are over 100 conservation employees at the museum. The conservators also double as scientists; using chemical testing, X rays, and water. It is a constant battle between what you can do and what you should do in order to preserve the likeness of each piece. The video also discusses the exhibition; while museums present artworks in many ways such as books and online catalogs, experiencing art first hand in the round is the most important way to full immerse the viewer in them. Exhibitions can be large or small, focused on one topic or culture. 

The Tate Modern is 10 discusses the role of the institution and curator in exhibitions. The video discusses that the institution should work as the storyteller; giving new angles and perspective on art and its history. The Tate curators take away the anxiety of understanding different movements in art by arranging their collection in ways that make sense to the every day viewer. They arrange not by movement, or artist, but by how each work relates to the others.

The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art defines lowbrow art as art in which has no real category, but is created as a protest against 'high brow' or mainstream art. These artists were excluded from fine art galleries and the rest of the art world. It has often been classified as Pop Art Surrealism. Its origins lay within tattooing, hot rod culture, comics, and folk art. Lowbrow began after WWII and was influenced by McCarthyism, the opening of Disneyland, consumer culture, comic books, surf culture, and the ideas of the 60's. Ed Roth and Von Dutch were two of the first artists to begin influencing this movement. Polynesian culture was also a heavy influence on this movement. Lowbrow contrasts the fine art world in that it goes against the idea that the viewer needs to interpret the art. These artists created their own scene and culture and had their own exhibitions. This movement also gave many opportunities to women in art. These artists often walk a fine line with illustration and often work on album and poster art. They often set up their own shows in record stores and smaller galleries and did all of the work themselves. Their goal was to be accessible to regular people, and sell their art at reasonable prices. From this movement came Juxtapoz magazine to showcase these artists. Within the last ten years, Lowbrow has grown and now features more than 1,000 artists. 

2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

Yes, absolutely. It was interesting learning about exhibitions from each video and the ways in which the curators think so carefully about the pieces they include in each show or gallery. It definitely helped me think more carefully about what I was going to include in my exhibition.

3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

The most influential video I watched was The Lowdown on Lowbrow. It was really interesting to learn about these artists, and I have been a fan of Juxapoz for a long time, yet I never really bothered to learn about its history. Each video, however, helped me understand the role of the curator and how to think about my exhibition carefully.