University Museums
There is an interesting article in the NY Times Arts section today about the importance of University art museums. This article is no doubt spurred by the recent uproar with the proposal closure of the Rose Museum at Brandeis University. All that aside, the article makes some excellent points: University museums don’t need to generate visitors in the same way public museums do, University museums are primarily scholarly and educational whereas public museums have shifted into the realm of entertainment, etc.
Here is an excellent excerpt:
University museums are unlike other museums. They are not intended to be powerhouse displays of masterworks, though some have their share of these. They are, before all else, teaching instruments intended for hands-on use by students and scholars. As such, they often house objects that are considered of second- and third-tier value at auction but that fill out a deep and detailed account of cultural history.
The whole point should be that there are many different museum and educational experiences and to say that everything has to be like MOMA or like the Met really depreciates the true power of these other institutions. And Yale’s museum, about which the article is written, really is a top tier collection, but there are other university museums which may not be so high profile but still have a lot of value to our art education.
PS: YSL auction starting now. Be prepared for updates!
3 years ago | Tags: education museum university Rose Museum
