One of the things that resonated most deeply with me from the LTC 8900 Seminar: Visual Literacy and Visual Culture* course I took last spring was the fact that ‘The Image is not the thing’. (Herb Karl) The Magritte painting is one that instructor Nicholas Kremer borrowed from author / comic artist Scott McCloud to illustrate the point – Lesi n’est pas une pipe – This is not a pipe. It IS a painting of a pipe. One could argue that the museum paintings viewed yesterday were not the thing either, but for the purposes of this course, I will assert that in this case, being actual art versus a print, they are. (Actually, I’m not thinking about this any more, it’s starting to make my head hurt, it seemed like such a great idea.) It is with this in mind that I approach the museum experience.
How do museum experiences differ from experiences with digital images and/or prints?
I thoroughly enjoyed our class VTS museum experience. In a world where we are continually bombarded with a steady stream of visual input I believe that our brains become numbed to digital images/prints. Of course we have the ability to recognize that the images/prints are representations of the actual object, however, the connection of viewing the actual piece of art permits engagement, in my opinion, on a far deeper level. When viewing the actual piece of art one can take in the scale of the piece, observe physical evidence of the artist’s hand such as brushstrokes, (or, the tablecloth texture, in the case of the Benton’s Order #11. The formal setting of the museum, to me, elevates the work as something to be considered as ‘valued’, worthy of being viewed, studied, and interpreted.
What benefits would a museum VTS experience have for your students?
Being military dependents, some of my students have had the opportunity to visit places that to date I’ve only dreamed of – the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Louvre, the Sistine Chapel, sigh….However, one museum study indicates that the average viewing time per piece of art work is 17.0 seconds. (ttp://baywood.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,9,11;journal,21,58;linkingpublicationresults,1:300310,1) That’s not much time for interpretation or developing a connection on any level. I feel it safe to say that my student’s experiences would be no exception to the findings of this study. Additionally, our local community offers little to no opportunities for viewing art. If I am able to provide my students with a museum VTS experience I believe they could begin to understand the importance of looking closely at art, realize the importance of discussing art, and, most importantly, realize that they are capable of understanding the message that each piece of art communicates.
What obstacles would need to be overcome?
The main obstacles would be finding a museum that is close enough a.) for me to visit prior to the visit to view and select objects appropriate for my audience, and b.) that we would have adequate time to view and discuss the art.
Taking my focus group would also mean that I would be required to take the two other third grade classes as well. In order to conduct VTS sessions I would need to find a couple of other engaging museum activities that classroom teachers or volunteers could facilitate in order that I might have one class at a time. Ideas anyone?
*Shameless plug, LTC 8900 Seminar: Visual Literacy and Visual Culture, another AWESOME MU online course which I loved - relevant, engaging, and fun! The course investigates the juicy connection between visual media and the written word.
Karl, Herb. “The Image is Not the Thing.” Images in Language, Media, and Mind. Ed. Roy Fox. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 1994.
McCloud. Chapter Two: “The Vocabulary of Comics.” Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperPerennial, 1994.
No comments:
Post a Comment