Module 13 & 14 - Video Review

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

• The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art - The key points of this film are to address Low brow, which is according to many artist interviewed is varying degrees of obvious, uncultivated art. Cartoons, pornography, and many varieties in between. It is decidedly different than mainstream art. The artist who weighed in on the genera that they were included in identified themselves as admitted outsider artists, and they are proud of it. It is usually narrative, involving action, and not viewed as sophisticated. The internet is credited with the growth in lowbrow popularity has been attributed to the fact that people can gravitate to it without the stigma that traditional, art interpretation casts of the genre.

• BBC Culture show: Tate Modern is 10! (Parts 1-4) - The key point of this film is about the focus of the Tate Modern museum on the experience of patrons. It is fun, but the art is not always taken seriously. Some of the most popular aspects don’t necessarily have intended purposes, but mean very different equally impact full things to each unique person. It brings people together, and breeds interaction, but can also lead to a lack of respect for the contemporary art aspect of the art and the art itself. People take away what they want from the experience

• An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art-The video accentuates the importance of the Curator(s) in the design, layout, and content of museum.  This is an art itself, but rather than working in brush strokes, colors, and mediums, the curator uses art to and the way they related to one another. The difficulties lie in acquiring pieces and using them to work with other pieces. It was interesting to learn the how many different aspects, of the art is assessed: quality, value, trend, authentication, time period, cost. I was surprised by how many curators there were at the met, and that ultimately a board decides what art is acquired.

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

• Each of the videos relate to the creation of my Art Exhibition project. All three videos provided an aspect of art and how it is related to an exhibition. The importance to encompass all types of art without bias. The importance of having a focused exhibit with a good blend and contrast of art appreciation and personal experience. Finally, the critical analysis and collaboration that is required to produce world renowned exhibits and what my evaluation should be of the pieces that I chose because I am acting to fill all the roles.  
• In The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art the point that I took away with regard to creating an exhibit was the iteration that art is a really subjective experience for most people. Even Though I may not particularly care for a style of art, like many people were reported to feel about lowbrow, it is important to incorporate a variety of styles to be diligent and thorough about art. It is also important to recognize the variety of tastes that are out there and not to be swain by my own subjectivity, when working as a curator.

• In BBC Culture show: Tate Modern is 10! (Parts 1-4) the power of the museum experience was highlighted. It was very impact full to see how effective the museum had been in making the art experience tangible. The curators and museum staff was very conscientious about the individual experience. I found it interesting that though, they succeeded in having a fun museum with many exhibits that people enjoyed they face the unforeseen problems of people disrespecting some of the art, and not necessarily appreciating the art, only how they experienced it.

• An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, provided a great insight into the multi faceted decision process that is involved in the obtaining, evaluating, and displaying of art. The Metropolitan is a huge conglomerate but I took away the importance of having many minds and many opinions that go into making it as diverse and successful as it is. I will be extra mindful of my limitations as only having my own experiences and my own character resources to work from. I am committed to thinking outside my comfort box to ensure that the exhibit assignment holds something for everyone of my imaginary audience.

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 films were fantastic. I really enjoyed the message that each was meant to deliver with regard to the Art Exhibition assignment. They emphasized the importance of diversity, objectivity, and the viewer experience. I wish that there was some way to make the exhibit interactive, in the style of Tate Modern, or at least to have part of the exhibit be interactive without taking away or taking people out of the mindset of the art experience over the personal experience. I hope to incorporate all of the points I learned from these videos into the overall experience of the exhibit.