I admit to being a voyeur when I travel to museums. I love to watch people looking at art, trying to figure out what they are seeing, responding to or connecting with when confronted with the objects and ideas in art museums.
Museums
If you had any question that the Metropolitan Museum was the reigning champion of museum attendance in the US, then their latest figures (5.68 million in FY 2011) should dispel any doubts.
This summer the Studio Museum in Harlem is hosting five extensive exhibitions that hold true to its mission and bring both established artists and those in training under the same roof. Packed into the museum’s intimate space on 125th Street, the shows offer a tremendous range of mostly thought-provoking work, with only a few glitches along the way.
The Bronx Museum’s Artists in the Marketplace (AIM) program has helped emerging artists in the New York area navigate the business side of art since the 1980s. AIM is now celebrating its 30th anniversary with two joint exhibitions at the Bronx Museum and Wave Hill: Bronx Calling: The First AIM Biennial features 72 participants from the 2010-2011 program and the smaller Taking AIM on the program’s history. I recently journeyed up to the Grand Concourse for the Bronx Museum component of the show.
There’s more compelling art being produced in the Crescent City these days than at any point in its history. And there may be no better place to start looking at it this summer than the Great Hall of the New Orleans Museum of Art.
@MuseumNerd, that anonymous art personality on Twitter, has blogged an interesting graphic that lists the attendance to New York museums, their Twitter following, and how they measure up.
A study suggests that men who enjoy cultural activities and attend museums are happier. The study suggests the same isn’t true for women. No word if the benefits extend to art blog readers.
When is a rainbow a bad thing? When it’s ruining your carefully planned minimalist wedding reception booked at the Art Institute of Chicago, that’s when! In this tale of horror, an installation by artist Pae White causes couples to reconsider hosting their weddings parties in the museum space.
Though it faces a budget crisis and problems with a misdirected leadership, New York City’s South Street Seaport Museum will remain intact and its working tall ships will stay moored in New York City Harbor rather than sent away for storage. Under a new plan, the museum’s president and board of directors will be replaced and land sold to the city to raise funds.
Think Beijing’s historic Forbidden City is pretty well guarded? Well, you’d be right, the place is infested with security. Yet that didn’t stop a thief from grabbing $1.5 million worth of artifacts from the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City.
