What is a Museum?  Who Needs ‘Em

Task:

Visit MoMA or the Met and one smaller art museum. Write your first impressions, how do you feel at the entrance?  Sit and observe, look at the amenities, jot notes about your visit – you are now an observer – from three perspectives: emotional, informational, and social.  At least a day later, write 3 short reviews – pick a different ‘eye’ each week, eg. a teacher with 30 kids, a kid under 12, an adult (35+), a student (15-25), someone with a disability, a family group, a group of teenagers, someone who speaks no English.  Don’t forget to go to the restroom – and check out the website.

Visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Frick Collection

The Met

Walking along Fifth Avenue towards the steps of the Met almost seems festive, with the buskers, food vendors and art sellers.  The facade and steep steps leading to the main entrance immediately demonstrate the grandeur of the museum, as its position as one of the best in the world.  Walking in and getting through security was vaguely reminiscent of getting the Delta shuttle at JFK (not good).  Some confusion as I had a laptop in my bag, resulting in me being sent to a different line, to be given a yellow pass, but with no extra inspection – seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever.  First impressions once in the museum were wow, there is a lot of stuff in here, its bright, airy, and simply impressive.  The Met has a lot in common with Bergdorf Goodman: contains the most impressive things, delightful and knowledgeable staff, and full of white middle class ladies (and Japanese tourists) swathed in designer kit.  Everywhere around me there were classes, tours, people sketching – there was a sense of learning and activity.

Not quite enough chairs – I had lunch on the roof (beautiful) but having paid nearly $20 for my sandwich and class of wine, I’d like to have been able to sit perhaps.  This picture perhaps sums up the delight in visiting the Met – the little girl is sitting curled up with her lunch, nestled into one of the statues on the roof.

Every member of staff I spoke to was helpful, kind and knowledgeable, and there were a lot of them: one to herd us into the elevator and one to herd us out.  I think the Met must be rather well funded.  I arrived there feeling quite sad, and left less sad which is the sign of some jolly good art, and a good visitor experience.  NB restrooms,  a little pungent, but clean.

The Frick Collection

Is posh.  Ok, I can elaborate some more, but that’s it in a nutshell.  Utterly delightful – the Frick’s have a different taste in interior design to me and most of my contemporaries, but the green carpet in the West Gallery was so fluffy I wanted to graze on it.  There was no messing around on arrival to check your bag (to the right) and pay (to the left) – I felt  a little shepherded but nowhere near as bad as Terminal 5 at the Met.  Was impressed at the $5 student fee as opposed to $10 at the Met.  The museum was calm, relaxing, not crowded, space to sit and reflect, and again, full of Wasps.  Buzz buzz.

The place made everyone feel as if they had to speak in hushed tones, and I can understand why – like Space Mountain, you had to be above 3 feet tall to get in here.  The staff here were so friendly and helpful, to the extent that when I asked where the garden was, and then went to find it, the same staff member checked in with me to see that I had found it alright.  NB: restrooms, or washrooms as they are known as at the Frick – nicer than my own.

Different Perspectives

a) A Teacher With 30 Kids at the Met

“God I hope I don’t loose any of them, this place is HUGE.  Many helpers e.g. other parents would be needed on a trip here.  Initial galleries might be a little over the top of the heads of little children, but for the bigger ones, seeing all the things they’ve looked at in textbooks would be great.  And it’s not as though there is just ONE ancient Greek pot, there are heaps of them, its very immersive.  Toilets are quite a hike to find, but plenty of space outside them for the others to wait.”

b) Adult Over 35 at the Frick

“Clearly Crate and Barrel was not in vogue in the Frick’s day.  Awful wallpaper.  Amazing how the family have amassed a collection including Renoir. Monet and Degas.  It seems even more incredible seeing them in a private collection in a “home” as opposed to the Met across the street.  Everyone here looks the same, it could be very intimidating if I wasn’t used to museums.  My mother would like this.  Amenities all very good, the free audio headset is a nice touch, although $2 for a proper guide seems a little excessive.”

c) A kid under 12 at the Met

“WOW.  Big. Biggest place I have ever been to.  I want a hotdog.  I want to see the Sunflowers.  There are a lot of people in here, am bored of the white, old, crumbly statues.  Can I have an ice cream now?”