Yesterday during his keynote address at the TFAM40's conference, entitled "Art at the Heart of the City: The Role of the Art Museum in Building Sustainable Destinations," Professor Mike Robinson, Chair of Cultural Heritage at Nottingham Trent University and International heritage Consultant, explored themes such as the presence and engagement with art.
According to Professor Robinson, as museum and exhibition curators we should explore not only how audiences encounter and interact with art within museum spaces, but also how these spaces could be more inclusive and community-driven.
Professor Robinson emphasized the importance of understanding the needs of the broader community, underscoring the ambiguity of who precisely constitutes this "community."
Curators, in his view, should contemplate the role art museums can play in constructing sustainable communities and consider at the same time whether this responsibility genuinely falls on the shoulders of art institutions.
To illustrate his ideas, Professor Robinson provided examples of innovative projects that bring art beyond traditional museum walls and place art objects within unconventional settings.
His examples included Hotel Tugu Malang in Indonesia or the pioneering Rijksmuseum branch at Schiphol Airport that, opened in 2002, is the first art museum to operate in an airport.
At Schiphol Airport, travelers can explore the museum's collection free of charge 24 hours a day, and they can even purchase Dutch museum souvenirs from a nearby shop.
However, the potential for art to reach underserved communities goes beyond museum extensions: Professor Robinson cited Banksy's work in marginalized areas as an example and urged the audience to consider various strategies for bringing art to people, from establishing museum sub-branches in strategic locations to setting up displays in public or privately owned spaces.
This could encompass pop-up exhibitions, creative loaning programs with hotels and department stores, or placing de-accessioned objects in cafes and restaurants.
A tangible example of these strategies can already be observed in the underground tunnels of Taipei Main Station.
Walking around the tunnels, one might unexpectedly encounter displays of objects from Taipei's National Palace Museum.
These showcases feature original porcelain pieces, bowls, cups and vases, but also souvenirs (from bottle openers to bookmarks, decorative paper tape and phone holders) reproducing or inspired by original artifacts, small objects that help us bringing art into our everyday lives.
Among the others a miniature display cabinet seems to encourage viewers to spot on its tiny shelves the museum's most iconic pieces - the jadeite bok choy cabbage and the meat-shaped banded jasper stone.
These displays mirror Professor Robinson's vision and raise essential questions: are you a museum or exhibition curator or are you a visitor? Where do you envision artworks being accessible? Within your local community? In public spaces?
For those working with fashion and costume designs, where could fashion displays (garments or accessories? costumes? or even Haute Couture?) be installed? Try to find answers to these questions as it is imperative to consider how art can revitalize communities, address inequalities, and inspire all of us, especially those ones who never visit museums because they feel intimidated by these institutions.
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