When the Museum Texts Catch Your Eye

I recently spent a good 2.5 hours at the Tucson Museum of Art, getting close to various pieces to examine colors and techniques, and taking the time to read as much of the placard and exhibit text as possible. I could have snapped photos of so many of the neat artistic details that absorbed my attention, but that felt like pulling myself out of the experience. However, there were certain snippets of text that grabbed me, so I took sloppy pics of that, largely to refer back to the words rather than to actually visually document what I saw.

Makes for a less dramatic record this way, but I can detail a bit of what I read and why it resonated in true journal-tastic fashion.

From The West Multiplied exhibit text:

In this exhibition the American West is understood as: containing varied creative tradition and art-making practices; acknowledging the past, present, and future, even if uncertain; simultaneously rebellious and calm, local and expansive, nostalgic and timeless; strong, multicultural, complicated, and rich.

This region is defined by its people, histories, heritages, topographies, and climates. Through this re-examination, time and stylistic expression are broadened to represent a more holistic story of the American West--one that reflects stewardship that dates back millennia.

I've been feeling a lot of friction about the concept of "American West art" lately, how it is often reduced to cowboys and brothels and magnates of railroads & mines. And the native art that dominates seems to fit a particular aesthetic that is largely viewed through the same lens. Having lived in the American Southwest for twenty-nine of my forty-eight years, I've felt a gap between what I kept seeing billed as "Western art" and what I saw around me. Kinda like when your home town sports team is featured as the national game, and the TV crews spend a lot of time shoving b-roll of the usual suspects of your hometown. There's a recognition that, yes, that is part of your environment, but it's really just for clueless tourists.

I read these words after walking through the exhibit, and it was a perfect capstone for what I had just experienced, resonating with the art and that disconnect I'd been feeling about "Western art" in general. "Through this re-examination, time and stylistic expression are broadened to represent a more holistic story of the American West." Indeed. So much of this exhibit description struck a chord. I would love to see similar exhibits throughout the region, each with their own hyperlocal perspective on this region.

From the TMA's definition of contemporary art: 

The art of today is diverse and pluralistic, global in scope, and multi-disciplinary, often reflecting and commenting on modern-day society.

And this statement after a broad definition of contemporary art as "created between 1970 and the present." I've always understood "contemporary" as current to our era, but hadn't really thought about it beyond that in terms of why such a large tent had meaning as an art concept. That quoted text above seems obvious in retrospect, but also profoundly reasserting the importance of such a category. Yes, the modern-day commentary is crucial, but so is the very necessity of a category that is so broad, as that range of creation is itself a reflection of modern-day society, worthy of consideration as a whole.

From a piece description in the Human Condition: Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art exhibit:

We've been here and we haven't forgotten our history. Our DNA carries the information we are not completely aware of from the surface, connecting us to our lineage.

I wish I had taken more of a contextual picture so I can remember exactly what art this elaborated. I know that there was a companion spoken-word piece by hip hop artist Priscilla "Nefftys" Rodriguez (excerpt: "Dust that was once our ancestors' skin"). The image of DNA as stealthy information superhighway stood out to me and primed me for the spoken-word piece. And, of course, it's exactly the kind of turn of phrase my own scientific background loves to find in the wild.

From the descriptions for silver incense burners (in I think the European Art collection; again, should've taken more contextual photos):

...there is a difficult history behind these works. Silver mines...created both enormous wealth and staggering inequality, with Indigenous and African laborers pressed to work in grueling conditions...reminding us of the human cost of luxury objects.

Not a lot of space to offer much commentary in a small display that was just a corner of a larger collection, and there's certainly a lot glossed over. But in a snippet that started out about the playful incense burners the wealthy would commission at the time, it makes sure enough context is there to deepen the moment and invite retrospection.

I know how much effort I put into the words that describe my art and my artistic practice, so I try to read as many of the placards and text as I can, especially when I'm in a museum or gallery by myself and don't have the press of someone else's schedule and agenda for the visit. I enjoyed finding these quotes all throughout the museum. And now I've learned how much I need to document contextually around any detail I find interesting in these places of art. The words still have the same power over me, but I can't quite set the scene for full resonance as they are due.