Museums are a puzzling concept, considering their premise is to present collections of items, usually from the past. Yet most museums today serve as an educational resource to inspire the future. Why would this be this so, when the concept sounds seemingly redundant? Why capitalize on the past narratives and material histories when they seem outdated and can be considered conceptions of the past? Learning about past generations and civilizations provides background knowledge for what has already occurred and more importantly how we can improve upon it. We cannot strive towards better technology, a more sensible political ruling, nor a more inclusive social and cultural atmosphere without stepping back and assessing the actions of history. We cannot learn how to make a difference without knowing what went wrong. With this, museums present a crucial space where history can be learned by the everyday person simply by visiting a curated and intentional space with the mandate to provide educational resources.
In the twenty-first century, the fields of museology and knowledge keeping has developed far beyond technology and accessibility that was ever available in human history. Over the past century, museums have made strides towards concepts which would have been thought of as unthinkable. Access to information and the assumption that an average individual is educated and has resources available to learn is at an all time high. The world we are living in today provides little opportunity for people to be ignorant of what’s happening around them, or what has occurred to make our society what it has developed into. This abundance in access to knowledge has fostered an environment for creativity and critical thinking to flourish. Museums provide a space which homes bite sized chunks of our collective history, and the entire concept of making this accessible is exactly what makes museums so meaningful in the twenty-first century.
Taking a look at the exhibitions of the J. Paul Getty Museum that are available online highlights the sheer amount of information and access we have, in comparison to the past when open access was not always possible. Thanks to the internet, we no longer have to visit the countries or cities where these museums hold these collections of rich history. The J. Paul Getty Museum located in Los Angeles California offers a variety of exhibitions and educational analyses on their collections in a fascinating way. Not only are there pages which contextualize the exhibits in an informative and accessible manner, but there is also the opportunity to wander around the museum as if you were there in person. The museum accomplishes this by using a large collection of photos assembled into a 3D sphere to give the illusion that you can move around as you please. The image quality is extremely clear, even allowing you to move the perspective of the camera as if you were moving your head around. The combination of these two styles of presenting information leave the virtual visitor feeling as if they were not only there, but gaining knowledge about what they’re looking at. This is a vital resource which allows individuals the opportunity to educate themselves from home. Many museums and galleries now offer similar services, opening up spaces that were typically accessibly by the elite.
Eat, Drink and Be Merry was an exhibition that was particularly fascinating to delve into, taking a look at the depiction of food in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This exhibition was organized by the Manuscripts Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Food is one aspect of art which can be overlooked, but as the exhibition mentions, food was an integral aspect of Christianity’s depiction of devotional practices and daily lifestyle (Scaccia, 2015).
What captured my attention was the focus on the mundane in past generations. What makes the learning experience at a museum even more meaningful in the twenty-first century is the ability for the viewer to relate to the subject matter. Though learning about concepts completely foreign to an individual is educational and can evoke new perceptions and ideas, which makes subject matter, specifically in the visual arts, so powerful with it’s ability to empathize and relate to either the emotions or scenes being depicted. In the works featured, there are two completely separate depictions of the importance of food to the social and economical periods of the time. The first Psalter, Initial D: A Nun Feeding a Leper in Bed (1275-1300), presents a man suffering from leprosy sores being nursed by a nun using the depiction of food as a remedy and a step towards healing (Scaccia, 2015). This concept can resonate with any viewer from the 21st century, who when they have felt sick or have aided someone in need has likely presented a meal or has received a meal in a similar fashion. There is a strong reaction of love and nurture which can be related to such symbolism. Though this manuscript was created in the 13th century, this is a scene which could be mirrored today. Presenting a familiar scene to viewers in a museum showcases that civilizations and dated art and philosophy is not far off from what we believe and practice today.
When a museum can portray concepts in ways that are relatable to its audience, it makes the other ideas that are unfamiliar more accessible, due to the knowledge that these people were just like us. A similar theme is explored in the 15th century Miniature, The Temperate and the Intemperate (1375-80), which portrays two feasts of different social classes (Scaccia, 2015). This scene can be relatable to the 21st century viewer in the sense that one table is between friends and family, a much more rowdy and comfortable scene, whereas the other is a formal meal. Seeing this camaraderie, but also the place for poised manners, can evoke the mindset in the viewer that people of this time also behaved differently in various settings. These important, yet mundane, scenes act to humanize the small drawings used to represent a whole other period of human civilization.
Though museums, especially in the past, have the connotation of lacking allure or pleasure, taking a look at what the twenty-first century museum has to offer contradicts these dated assumptions. In a world where knowledge is power, museums have become increasingly meaningful and more vital than ever.
Works Cited
Initial D: A Nun Feeding a Leper in Bed. Engelberg, about 1275-1300. Artist: Unknown. Psalter (text in Latin). Ms. Ludwig VIII 3, fold. 42v-43.
The Temperate and the Intemperate. Bruges, about 1475-80. Artist: Master of the Dresden Prayer
Book. Author: Valerius Maximus. Miniature from The Memorable Deeds and Sayings of the Romans (text in French). Ms. 43m recto. Sciacca, Christine. “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry – The J. Paul Getty Museum – Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, 2015, artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/eat-drink-and-be-merry/QgKCWC1jiW-YLw?hl=en.
