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

American History Museums

“American”

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… “American”

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?

met museum_categorizing_curatorial choices — Marabou looking at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s first floor & mezzanine map and thinking about the physical and curatorial distances among objects that come from the same geographical areas.

… Categorizing at the Museum

Accessibility Museums ThinkLikeMarabou

Space and Seating at the Museum

Marabou wonders, why don’t more museums offer ample seating and navigable spaces? Is it because of aesthetics (that benches and chairs don’t look nice), curatorial value choices that determine which objects should have more time focused on them, or an institutional oversight?