Open Forum

Kathrine, I am a huge fan of displaying something from a museum's collections or relating to an exhibition, in a museum entry lobby.  When people enter a museum there should be a sense of transition from the outside world to an inner world that is unlike anything people will experience elsewhere in their lives.  That transition starts when they approach the museum.  After they walk through the front door(s) signals should be obvious about the purpose of where they are.  As one who believes the only thing that makes museums unique is having collections of meaning, I have always wanted to place one or two or three or more obviously in the lobby.  Deciding what to place on view for how long, where, and how requires great care.  Lobbies are busy places and thus security is important, as you allude to.  The how, where, what, why and duration for selecting items for lobbies will depend on several factors.  What is the architectural space being defined as a lobby?  Is there a way to show objects to their best visual and didactic advantage while protecting them against theft, damage, climate changes when doors open and close, etc. 

When I was a curator at the Museum of the City of New York, we often used the space under the grand spiral entry stairway in the lobby for displays.  These were easy to do with vitrines, barriers, cases and bases and a guard was on duty anyway at the entrance.  At the Western Reserve Historical Society when I was able to acquire the 20' high face of the Cleveland Indians logo Chief Wahoo, we attached it to the wall of the entrance to the library.   It was the sign from the old ballpark that was being retired, as has the logo now.  We accompanied the exhibit with a book where people could express their opinions about the Chief.  The exhibit designer and i wrote a piece for Museum News at the time.  The lobby of the Bennington Museum was small and had limited space for objects for two walls could accommodate framed items.  These could be securely attached to the walls and protected with glass or Plexiglas covers.  Following a substantial renovation and expansion project at the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ, there was ample room for displays contained in cases, on bases, etc.  These were under the watchful eyes of the admission desk staff.

While the examples I cite above worked out well and there are many, many others in museums across the country, I have seen some that don't.  Historic house museums often fail in this regard when all sorts of crap is deposited in the entry halls of these important buildings.  I won't name names but there is a photo of one in my museum studies textbook The Anatomy of a Museum.


Have fun,

Steve

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Steven Miller
Executive Director Emeritus
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-22-2018 10:02 AM
From: Kathrine Page
Subject: Installing high level artwork in lobby or atrium

All,

I'm gathering feedback.

Would any of you (Curator or Executive Director) ever consider installing artwork in a lobby of a museum, especially if it would be near a kitchen and near bathrooms?

Kathrine

 

Steve,
Many thanks for your thoughtful response and siting specific examples. I've wrestled with the idea based on how to mitigate risk for the artist assessing relative moderate severity vs. moderate probability. Having a bevy if exemplars you provided helps to augur my decision. I sent a separate survey to artists and curators I've worked with over the past 12 years: the response has been mixed. Emphatic negatives and enthusiastic positives.
Many thanks!
kathrine

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Kathrine Page
The Gretchen Hupfel Curator of Contemporary Art
The Delaware Contemporary
Wilmington, DE
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2018 09:09 AM
From: Steven Miller
Subject: Installing high level artwork in lobby or atrium

Kathrine, I am a huge fan of displaying something from a museum's collections or relating to an exhibition, in a museum entry lobby.  When people enter a museum there should be a sense of transition from the outside world to an inner world that is unlike anything people will experience elsewhere in their lives.  That transition starts when they approach the museum.  After they walk through the front door(s) signals should be obvious about the purpose of where they are.  As one who believes the only thing that makes museums unique is having collections of meaning, I have always wanted to place one or two or three or more obviously in the lobby.  Deciding what to place on view for how long, where, and how requires great care.  Lobbies are busy places and thus security is important, as you allude to.  The how, where, what, why and duration for selecting items for lobbies will depend on several factors.  What is the architectural space being defined as a lobby?  Is there a way to show objects to their best visual and didactic advantage while protecting them against theft, damage, climate changes when doors open and close, etc.

When I was a curator at the Museum of the City of New York, we often used the space under the grand spiral entry stairway in the lobby for displays.  These were easy to do with vitrines, barriers, cases and bases and a guard was on duty anyway at the entrance.  At the Western Reserve Historical Society when I was able to acquire the 20' high face of the Cleveland Indians logo Chief Wahoo, we attached it to the wall of the entrance to the library.   It was the sign from the old ballpark that was being retired, as has the logo now.  We accompanied the exhibit with a book where people could express their opinions about the Chief.  The exhibit designer and i wrote a piece for Museum News at the time.  The lobby of the Bennington Museum was small and had limited space for objects for two walls could accommodate framed items.  These could be securely attached to the walls and protected with glass or Plexiglas covers.  Following a substantial renovation and expansion project at the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ, there was ample room for displays contained in cases, on bases, etc.  These were under the watchful eyes of the admission desk staff.

While the examples I cite above worked out well and there are many, many others in museums across the country, I have seen some that don't.  Historic house museums often fail in this regard when all sorts of crap is deposited in the entry halls of these important buildings.  I won't name names but there is a photo of one in my museum studies textbook The Anatomy of a Museum.


Have fun,

Steve

------------------------------
Steven Miller
Executive Director Emeritus
Boscobel House and Gardens
Garrison NY

Original Message:
Sent: 06-22-2018 10:02 AM
From: Kathrine Page
Subject: Installing high level artwork in lobby or atrium

All,

I'm gathering feedback.

Would any of you (Curator or Executive Director) ever consider installing artwork in a lobby of a museum, especially if it would be near a kitchen and near bathrooms?

Kathrine