Museums, which by definition are object oriented, must contend

Transcription

1 THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS IN PRESENTING FOLK ART RESEARCH by Yvonne M. Lange Museums, which by definition are object oriented, must contend with certain constraints that cannot be ignored if visitors are to be attracted in ever-growing numbers. The first of these limitations is that the museum, with rare exceptions, cannot preselect its audience. There is no such thing as an "average museum visitor." Age, intelligence, literacy, education, ethnic background, language, interests, and eyesight vary widely. Hence, the museum, in dealing with such audience complexity in the presentation of its information, must be prepared to compromise. It will never find an all-encompassing method or means of presenting information that will satisfy every one of its visitors. For example, the exhibition presents many problems. Since eye level and eyesight vary greatly, there is no "correct" height at which to hang or affix an object. Long, explanatory labels in technical and scientific jargon may enthrall the scholar, but are certain to turn off the eigth grader. Perhaps most significant is the fact that visitors on the average spend less than a minute before an exhibit case. It follows that label captions must be in large print, brief, and to the point. These limitations have been mentioned because they have a direct bearing on the options and strategies used for the presentation of research in any museum setting. We must always remember that museums are object oriented and not word oriented. The visual impact is all important. I shall recount some of the methods that have been used at the Museum of International Folk Art to present folk arts research. To expose the public to the complexity involved in defining "folk art," we organized what Is FoZk Art? This exhibit challenged visitors to examine objects and ascertain whether these objects confirmed or 8

2 disproved their personal views on folk art. Stereotyped notions were explored by means of such selected questions as: Is folk art always rural in origin? Is the folk artist always untrained? Is folk art always utilitarian, traditional, and decorated? Is the folk artist conservative or innovative? To make the point visually, we displayed on opposing panels objects generating conflicting answers to the same question. We tackled-- and illustrated visually--the impact of specific agents of change (political expansion, technology, trade, etc.); philosophical arguments such as "fine arts," "arts and crafts," "hobby," and "primitive art"; and the facts that although some concepts and human manifestations, such as religion, magic, and play, underlie man-made objects and are global in spread, the objects themselves are essentially local, regional, and even national in expression because they are the product of distinct cultures. To let the visitor know what we, the organizers of the show, had to say in response to the questions raised, a brief label at each exhibit case explained the most recent philosophy or research on the topic. We admitted without shame that a neat, compact definition of folk art with universal application had not been achieved because it involves two distict factors--the producer (folk) and the product (art). However, we posed some final questions at the exit: Who are the folk? What is art? What is folk art? We asked visitors to put their answers in a box. No one produced a satisfactory definition, but the exhibition did stir up discussion among visitors, and I suspect it swept away some very old preconceptions. In short, involving the public in a direct challenge by posing questions proved to be an effective tool in exposing people to some of the concepts and philosophies that continue to generate inquiry and heated discussion. The experience showed me that I could not avoid decision-making because this highly complex problem defies definition. I would make judicious decisions, but I would also make honest mistakes. In terms of museum management, I prefer the broader term "folklife" to the more restrictive "folk art" because I tend to visualize objects in their social context. How to convey this amalgam of information not in three-dimensional form is the problem. The museum must be prepared to dispense its information at different levels of sophistication by using varying methods. For instance, if the museum has certain holdings of core material, but does not have a specialist to deal with it, the museum must be prepared to engage a guest curator or specialist on a term basis to research and document the col 1 ecti on. The one cardinal sin a museum must never commit is to deceive the viewer by dispensing inaccurate information. For example, when I realized that our museum was a repository for the world's most outstanding collection on Palestinian costumes, ranging from the 9

3 mid-nineteenth century to the early 1940s, we secured the services of Dr. Yedida K. Stillman to research the objects in depth. Her catalogue of the collection, Palestinian Costume and Jewelry, is a well-illustrated and researched Dublication that constitutes a sound contribution to knowledge on material culture of one geographic area of the Middle East. However, to serve the general public, we organized an exhibition of Palestinian costumes. Labels were brief, and the public was free to enjoy the spectacular sight of the costumes as artistic achievements in themselves. Those wishing more information could purchase the catalogue. Dr. Stillman also gave a slide lecture to complement the project. To capitulate, the methods of broadcasting the information generated by the same research project included an in-house exhibition with brief, factual labels in uncomplicated language, a scholarly publication, and an illustrated lecture. The same tiered or layered approach was used for Spanish Textile Traditions of New Mexico and Colorado with three major differences. We had a resident expert, exhibition labels included both text and line drawings of design motifs that helped the visitors to identify them, and the exhibition went on a two-year tour, thus making these textiles and accompanying information available to a larger audience. For the Bicentennial we organized h'as de Pas, Dz'as de Menos (Days of Plenty, Days of Want), an exhibition of life on the frontier, incorporating pithy proverbs current in Mexico. This allowed us to arrange individual cases with objects that were disparate in themselves and yet made sense together because they reflected the proverb's message. The proverbs and captions in Spanish and English were collected into a modest bilingual publication. The exhibition attracted Hispanics, who probably had never come to the museum before, and large numbers of children arid teachers. It reinforced the pride that people take in their own culture when they see it prized and given recognition. In addition to exhibitions and publications, the museum also had a film program, and, when appropriate, uses film in conjunction with museum events. Live demonstrations by crafts people also expose visitors to unfami 1 i ar techniques, Audio equipment that permits the visitors to listen to prerecorded information can be very effective. However, because such equipment may frequently go out of order, it is safer to consider audio as a supplement to and not a substitute for the written label. Television and radio can also be very effective, but I have found that their successful use depends upon the rapport that the museum establishes with local and regional station managers. In brief, a museum is a public trust responsible for the acquisition, conservation, and interpretation of objects compatible with its stated purpose. Its objective is to provide information at varying levels of complexity that allows the public to grasp the essential fact that because of the cultural roots of people vary, their 10

4 artistic traditions and expressions will also differ. I shall depart from the theme of this conference session, "The Role of Museums in Presenting Folk Arts Research," because the word "presenting" is too restrictive. It does not allow me to indicate some action that a museum can take to further the cause of folk art in general. I speak of "craftsmanship," which is closely allied to outreach programs, By acting as sponsor and assuming administrative and fiscal responsibility for grants, the museum is able to Give unpara1 1 eled support to some very worthwhile projects. For example, the Museum of International Folk Art helped 36 women from the small rural community of Villanueve to complete a series of tapestries on local history for their church. The museum's role was to write and administer the grant, raise the matching funds, and insure that the tapestries were mounted in a professional manner and hung correctly in an old adobe church. It also tape recorded interviews with the artists and photographed the entire project. The tapestries generated a great deal of pride: individual pride for the artists, who never suspected they could express themselves in such a manner; family pride because family events were recorded and the names of the embroiderers would go down through time to remind their descendants of who had created this marvel; and collective pride because the village's cultural roots, struggles, and successes were on display not only for the benefit of the inhabitants, but also for all the world to see. A second grant that the museum administered allowed local weavers to attend a natural dye workshop. The group studied the museum's collections of weavings to distinguish between natural and chemical dyes and sought out weavers who knew local plants and herbs to teach the techniques of extraction. The third grant administered by the museum permitted the full illustration of The Woodcarvers of Cordova, New Mexko: Social Dimensions of an Artistic Revival by Charles L. Briggs. It is a socio-cultural account of art, patrons, and people of Cordova, one of New Mexico's mountain villages where wood carving has a long tradition im certain fami 1 i es. Finally, with grants museums may also improve their buildings of objects produced by 1 iving American artists, entice folklorists to undertake research projects the results of which document local and regional fol kl ife, promote seminars to improve field-collecting techniques, and bring scholars together for a discussion of approaches to the study of the folk object. 11

5 G U ESS WHO? Recognize this gentleman? The first person to identify correctly the mystery archaeologist will win a year's free subscription to the Newsletter. One quess per person; all entries must be postmarked no later than March 31, Send your entries to: Editor, CMA NewsZetter, Lowi e Museum of Anthropol ogy, University of Cal i forni a, '3erkeley, CA USA. 12