Native Americans and Manifest Destiny at The Met

american art, landscape, frederic edwin church, hudson river school — “Heart of the Andes” (09.95), Frederic Edwin Church, 1859. In The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing.

… Native Americans and Manifest Destiny at The Met

American Art Metropolitan Museum of Art Museums US History

Kara Walker on The Met’s American Wing

Kara Walker, American History, American Art

… Kara Walker on The Met’s American Wing

American Art American History Class Metropolitan Museum of Art

Class, or lack thereof, in the American Galleries

Marabou wonders, if there is a lack of representation in a museum’s collection (ex. race, gender, class), should it be the museum’s responsibility to fill in historic contextual gaps with extended label content or other means?

… Class, or lack thereof, in the American Galleries

American Art American History Metropolitan Museum of Art US History Women's History

American Woman

Marabou wonders, who is the American woman, according to The Metropolitan Museum of Art?

Marabou_MadameX — Marabou wonders why “Madame X” is so popular among visitors to The Met’s American Wing. “Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)” (16.53), John Singer Sargent, 1883-4.

… American Woman

American Art American History Metropolitan Museum of Art US History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Narrative

met museum, american art, american wing — The Charles Engelhard Court in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing filled with natural light and artwork signifying American ideals.

… The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Narrative

African Art Colonization Decolonize Imperialism Metropolitan Museum of Art Museums ThinkLikeMarabou

Object Labels at the Museum

Marabou wonders, if a museum has objects that have been acquired due to violence, war, and/or illegal means, is it the museum’s responsibility to explain this acquisition history to its visitors?

… Object Labels at the Museum

African Art American Art Colonization Decolonize Imperialism Metropolitan Museum of Art Museums ThinkLikeMarabou

Categorizing at the Museum

Marabou wonders, can hierarchies of value be challenged or completely shattered if museums reconsider their methods of categorization? Why not tell the story of Africa, the entire continent, in one hall? Why not include all American objects in “The American Wing”?

How might we think differently about history when all the objects of a geographic location are together? When these objects share space, how might the narrative they create challenge the stories that are currently perpetuated?