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Baltimore Museum of Art will host an exhibition curated by the museum's guards
- rocketpastsix 5y agoThis is really fun IMO. The article makes a point that the security guards probably know the art pieces better than most people since they are constantly patrolling and looking around. Plus it gives them a chance to have some fun curating the collection.
- wpietri 5y agoWhat interests me is it's not just the pieces they know well: it's the audiences. I am a huge fan of analytics and user testing because it helps me understand the experiences of the people I'm building for. I would love to hear how the guards think about art in terms of the zillion people they've seen react to it.
- rocketpastsix 5y agoyea definitely, it will be super interesting to here the "why" behind their selections. Is it because they know its a big crowd pleaser, or do they like the piece for personal reasons. That will be fun to know.
- beardyw 5y agoI would imagine they must be building that in, or it just becomes a random collection of art.
- johnchristopher 5y agoI could walk around Guernica or la Joconde all day for years and I wouldn't grasp their significance and values without external insights. Only their aesthetics and at a non historic level.
- naturalauction 5y agoSure but the guards likely overhear all the external insights given out in tours and when subject matter experts see and discuss the piece.
- te_chris 5y agoYou refuse to read the explainer plaques?
- arbitrage 5y agoi mean, the primary aesthetics of guernica are "it's BIG" and "war is bad". i suspect you can pick up on those broad themes on your own.
- mejutoco 5y agoArt is not a formalism only. Knowing that Guernica was the location of one (maybe the) first bombing of civilians, or how it was protected, insured during the covil war, or why (as there were before) there are 2 guys with rifles guarding it, all adds to understand the artwork. Some of these things cannot be learned from staring at the artwork.
- xivzgrev 5y agoMaybe, but I would be open to seeing what insights they come up on their own. I think that's the great thing about art - there's no right way to interpret it, and I wouldn't assume that guards are only capable of appraising on aesthetic level. The article also cited it would be done in collaboration with other folks from the museum, so I think it's going to be well done / may surprise you.
- alistairSH 5y agoThe security staff isn't building the exhibit in a vacuum. They're working alongside professional curators.
- throwaway290232 5y agoLooks like it's getting hugged to death: https://web.archive.org/web/20210716193902/https://artbma.org/about/press/release/bma-security-officers-take-center-stage-as-guest-curators-of-a-new-exhibition-opening-in-march-2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20210716193902/https://artbma.or... I love the BMA. It's a free museum with a great restaurant, cool exhibits, a nice park across the street. Nearby is The Book Thing, a free book store. Also another (non-free) book & record store, Normal's. And another, Urban Reads. And another bookstore/coffee shop, Bird in Hand. And a farmer's market. And a vegan restaurant. And the quirkiest diner ever, Papermoon. And a small rock venue. And a worker-owned co-op coffeeshop that President Obama visited. All in a four block radius. Dang, I miss Baltimore.
- matthewdgreen 5y agoIt really gets better every year.
- throwaway6734 5y agoAmen to that! It's been exciting watching the city come back from 2015
- leetcrew 5y agoI'm a lifelong resident, but I can't say I share your optimism. the per capita murder rate is still well above the worst years in the 90s, with 2019 setting an all time high. the population is still falling, rapidly in poorer neighborhoods but offset somewhat by growth in the wealthier ones. our current mayor has not been convicted of any crimes committed while in office (a low bar in other cities), but otherwise does not seem far from the standard fare. at least one key employer (t rowe) is hedging its bet with new offices outside the city limits. what exactly are you seeing improve? I guess it's a great time to sell property in the white L or be employed by the johns hopkins medical system, but other than that, I'm not seeing it.
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- ww520 5y agoThey will probably pick some pieces that have repeated viewing quality. Most pieces become boring after seeing them day in day out. The ones they still enjoy after seeing them daily are something special. Looking forward to see the list.
- b0rsuk 5y agoThis is peculiar because it treats security guards as humans and challenges unspoken hierarchy. It also implies the museum doesn't save on security (17 guards is a lot) and there isn't a big turnover (unless there's a special type of security guard that mostly works in museums). It's borderline unthinkable in the 5th roundest country in the world where I live. They would hire students. I was hoping it would be more about burglaries, stealing famous works of arts, selling stolen works etc. The law enforcement / security perspective. Instead it appears to be a pretty standard exhibition except with an unusual method of selecting curators.
- loonster 5y agoI would assume a place like that would have security 24/7. 24×7/40=4.2 Security Guards. It's not much more than 1 watching cameras and 3 rovers.
- crooked-v 5y agoThey also need people to physically stop the more annoying visitors from touching/licking/poking the exhibits, among other things.
- pradn 5y agoI think their selection makes sense. The day-to-day experience of a guard at a museum is to tell people to stand a bit farther away and not take photos (in some galleries). What would be more interesting is if they channeled their long presence among artworks, and their ability to observe crowds and their transience.
- arbitrage 5y agoHello there in Poland : ) Indeed, in the US, there are museum guards who only work in museums. Sometimes, they are called docents. As with most things in the states, however, there is a lot of regional variation. What's especially interesting here is that an organisation is treating its employees like human beings, as you said. It would be weird for any museum here to say, "I think people would like to know what our employees appreciate in art." Not weird in that it's unthinkable; weird in that it just never happens that way in the States.
- dogorman 5y agoThis is an excellent idea. The guards are doubtlessly more in touch with the culture of the common people of Baltimore than the professional curators could hope to be.
- blunte 5y agoAt the very least, they will have perspectives and sensibilities which are possibly representative of a different group of people that can be enlightening and can broaden the interests of regular museum goers.
- mabub24 5y agoInterestingly, I see the value in what you are proposing, but also the value in the different points of view and challenging artworks that the curators present. A gallery and museum can conform to local tastes, and also challenge them for the better. Maintaining a balance between those two ambitions is how you end up with museums and galleries that are woven into a local area and art scene, honouring local history and culture while fostering the vital energy required for dynamic and creative art.
- Jeremy1026 5y agoIts nice to see my city on the front page, for a good reason.
- bane 5y agoIf anybody ever visits Washington D.C., it's very easy to get overwhelmed with the world class Smithsonian and National Gallery museums (amongst the dozens of others). But I highly recommend taking the time to go to Baltimore and visiting this museum as well as the nearby Walters Art Museum, both also very very good museums. Other great places for awesome museums within a day-drive of D.C.: Richmond, VA - Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Dulles, VA - Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum Various National Battlefields sprinkled all over the area A bit further out, but possible in a day and easily world class, the Philadelphia Museum of Art
- mesofile 5y agoFor any art aficionados visiting Baltimore, I'd also recommend the American Visionary Art Museum, a fantastic experience. https://www.avam.org/ https://www.avam.org/
- moron4hire 5y agoCame here to say the same thing. It's a brilliantly wonderful place. Also in DC, don't forget the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. It's one of my favorite modern art museums in the world, and I live 20 minutes from it. I don't go anywhere near often enough.
- whimsicalism 5y ago> Hirshhorn Museum One of the best in DC, although it is currently closed.
- alaxsxaq 5y agoWhen I'm in DC for a conference at the convention center, part of my breakfast routine is a walk to the Sculpture Garden at the Hirshhorn with a take-out breakfast. I always make a point to listen to the Sunset Song exhibit through at least once.
- atombender 5y agoAnd while one is in that general area, don't miss a visit to Glenstone [1], a superb combination of art, architecture, and modern museum in the Potomac area, just west of D.C. While the art collection is fantastic (hosted in an older set of gallery buildings by Charles Gwathmey, and a newer building by Thomas Phifer and Partners), the huge park it's located in makes it a particularly unique experience, featuring permanent outdoor pieces by the likes of Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Serra, and Michael Heizer. I've been to many of the art and science museums in D.C. and Baltimore, but Glenstone is my favourite. [1] https://www.glenstone.org/ https://www.glenstone.org/
- jedimastert 5y agoI think guards are in a really interesting position. Art curators are going to have inherit biases that are pretty hard to get past: It takes a certain kind of person to become one in the first place, and they're inherently affected by the state of the modern art world by being plugged in and a part of it as part of their job. A guard, on the other hand, will probably not have any of these biases, while being exposed to far more art than the general public on an incidental basis. I wonder how many picked he job because of an existing love of art, vs just being a job?
- donohoe 5y agoMaybe a few? "The group reflects a broad range of backgrounds and interests with officers who are also artists, chefs, musicians, scholars, and writers."
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- lindseymysse 5y agoMy vacations in the before times were to go to Europe to copy paintings. I sometimes spend a week at an institution just copying paintings, so I get to know the guards. So many of them are spectacular artists in their own right. In my utopian vision of the world, museum guards are given rolling pedestals and pencils and told to roam the galleries copying. They can pay attention to what's going on around them and draw. The result is that we have people there to answer questions and make sure nothing bad happens, but also is someone who's just getting better and better at drawing and painting. Then that person can become a great artist in their own right. Our society's reward is an enormous amount of people who can paint really well. Murals everywhere. Good paintings everywhere.
- CyberRabbi 5y agoI love your utopian vision, seconded. In fact, something like this would boost the economy ever so slightly, creating a new source of skilled productivity. Guards with new skills would gain the option of becoming illustrators, likely slightly but perhaps noticeably increasing the supply of illustrators available to lend their services to new projects.
- delaynomore 5y ago>about ways to fulfill the museum’s commitment to be more diverse, more inclusive, and more representative of the community it serves. A truly innovative and interesting DEI initiative. I hope we see more of this elsewhere.
- millerthomas 5y agoThis is fantastic. I hope it's paired with a livable wage.
- throwanem 5y agoThe job posting [1] doesn't cite a pay range, but judging by the benefits I'd expect it to be at least halfway decent. Hell, I've never worked a job that paid hourly and had benefits half so good. [1] https://s3.amazonaws.com/artbma/documents/jobs/2018-SecurityOfficer.pdf https://s3.amazonaws.com/artbma/documents/jobs/2018-Security...
- rampantprint 5y agoSimilar project from 2020 at MoMA: https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5203 https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5203
- pradn 5y agoAlso notable is the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. Their guards are also docents, so you are encouraged to talk to them about the art and ask them questions. After experiencing this more human interaction, it was a bit of a shock for me to go down the street to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where I asked a guard a question and they flat out rejected my asking, haha! Arts workers need to be paid well and also have enriching roles in the museums. And I don't think this sort of thing necessarily requires a 4-year degree or whatnot. I believe people are naturally curious, and we need to lean into that.
- dfxm12 5y agoDocents are usually volunteers, so it's not like there are general budgeting concerns. There's also usually bodies to fill these positions since it's almost like a title/labor of love for someone who doesn't need the money or a resume builder for someone who does in the art world, where good paying jobs are hard to come by. It must put a lot of pressure on a security guard to do double duty like that. What if someone defaces a Warhol while they're talking to someone else about it? I'm sure The Broad probably has redundant controls in place, but in general, you shouldn't really expect to be able to bother or distract security guards. It's not about leaning into a person's natural curiosity; most museums take care of all the staff with regards to entrance & tours if requested. It's about liability, insurance, etc.
- xanaxagoras 5y agoThey don't produce anything of value, they provide a service that basically anyone can do. They're free to take the job or not take it. Who doesn't need to paid well in your utopia?
- spbaar 5y agoEveryone should be paid well, which imo means healthcare, retirement, and not crazy hours to pay for room and board. Utopia right?
- xanaxagoras 5y ago
- spoonjim 5y agoIt’s cool but it feels a little noblesse oblige which I thought was a faux pas in the US? I thought you’re not supposed to acknowledge class boundaries?
- IggleSniggle 5y agoInteresting take! The US is a very big place, closer to the European Union than it is generally portrayed. And, within the US, each city is its own complex ecosystem (as all cities are). In Baltimore, class boundaries and class-related issues are common discussion points. It is often painted in racial terms (especially to outside audiences), but it's pretty widely acknowledged from the inside that the racial issue is primarily a class issue. I think being a majority-black democratic city helps make this frank acknowledgement possible. Baltimore also has some relatively old (in US terms) institutions that inherit some class politics from "the Old World." There is very much a "Johns Hopkins" subclass with its own rules of aristocracy...along with other institutions founded around the same time like Peabody Conservatory. In part because housing is cheaply available, Baltimore has a thriving arts scene, supported by a number of different colleges and universities, but especially MICA. "The Wire" is a pretty good investigation of the class system in Baltimore in many respects, although I think it's a bit dated now. In particular, the Port City crowd often gets left out of casual conversation, but it's still a powerful force in the city. This is very partial list, just trying to give a sense that there's a lot of awareness and acknowledgement of class within the city. The rules of conduct between the various groups are very, very different. More obviously so than in most other places that I've lived. There is a pretty healthy tech/entrepreneur environment in Baltimore too, that lives sort of at the place where the various class-groups wash into each-other.
- dkn775 5y agoI agree with what you’re saying. The white blue collar “bawlmer” types are as critical to the culture of the city as our black population. I think the two groups have a nice symbiotic relationship in a way.
- gautamcgoel 5y agoA few years ago I was in Baltimore for a conference at Johns Hopkins. Decided to visit the museum. I was blown away by how good it is, and it's completely free. Definitely recommend it if you're ever in Baltimore.
- jazzkingrt 5y agoRecently visisted a "staff show" at Pace Gallery, in which the entire staff (assistants, front desk, archivists, art handlers, ...) was invited to submit their own art. It seems to have done well! https://www.pacegallery.com/exhibitions/atmospheres/ https://www.pacegallery.com/exhibitions/atmospheres/
- mirekrusin 5y agoThat's called full-stack.
- mirekrusin 5y agoI should have said - if they can also paint, that's full stack right there!
- self_buddliea 5y agoThat reminds me, I really need to watch Pink Flamingos by John Waters.
- seemslegit 5y agoKey quote: >In addition, the team is working with renowned art historian and curator Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims, who is providing additional mentorship and professional development. In art as in politics - nothing says grassroots like the additional mentorship and professional development by a renowned establishment member.
- mnot 5y agoI was a guard at the BMA when I was in university - great group of people, this is a wonderful idea.
- Cogito 5y agoI love this! Something similar is the Archibald Prize's 'Packing Room Prize'. The award is chosen by the gallery staff who receive, unpack and hang the entries, with 52 per cent of the vote given to head packer Brett Cuthbertson. [0] It's almost as prestigious as winning the main prize! [0] https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/art-and-design/article/2021-archibald-prize-finalists-packing-room-prize-announced https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/art-and-design/articl...
- cphoover 5y agoHa I know a few people that work at BMA and two of the security guards (Rob and Dom) were on the same pool league team as me. If y'all see this whats up Smaltimore home sweet home
- visarga 5y agoI would love to see an exhibition curated by CLIP, an OpenAI neural net connecting text and images.
- selcuka 5y agoReminds me of the movie The Maiden Heist [1] where three museum security guards become attached to the artworks they guard. [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1107860/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1107860/