Article

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/arts/design/18neuner.html

Invisible Hand

I really enjoyed the article by Randy Kennedy. I thought that it was great to give recognition to Jerome Neuner, the Museum of Modern Art’s director of the department of exhibition design and production. Since it seems like he is responsible for so much of the behind the scene aspect in the museum, it was nice that he was given the credit. Not only has he been a great asset to the museum but has also been working with the museum for 30 years. In the article it was said that Neuner’s position is to serve as a mediator between the curator’s and artist’s view of what they want a show to look like and the reality of how the show will look within the museum. The article also touched on the most recent exhibition at the time focused on work done by South African artist, William Kentridge which opened in late February. This show would be focused in the museum’s largest space provided and designed to make the viewer see not only the charcoal drawings of Kentridge but also the animations done by him. Even the title seemed to fit perfectly for this article “Invisible Hand” describes the work that Neuner does. Preparing for the shows that come means figuring out the layout of how everything is going to look in the space along with what type of lighting and how they can make the show look the best it can in the museum. Neuner describes that it is difficult to please everyone especially if he is working with an artist that will not budge on their own ideas. He jokes that the only person he wouldn’t argue with about what would be best for their work would be famous painter Mondrian, who is most known for being a founder of abstract art. Not only is the work that Neuner does impressive, but also his vast knowledge of the art and artists that have been shown at the museum is outstanding. He knows about the artists who have been shown over the last 30 years along with the artist that will be shown in the next two to three years. This article was very inspiring since Neuner seems to be so enthusiastic about his work. It takes so many people to successfully put on a show and it’s because of people like Jerome Neuner, who have so much dedication to their work, that makes the whole process possible.

Museum Success

When I went to the Karshner Museum as part of a field trip when I was younger and thought that it was very effective in giving children the experience of learning about another culture. The purposiveness was very apparent. Everything in the museum is geared towards children and has interactive areas in which kids can grind corn as Native Americans once did along with sit in a teepee and hear old tales of America. I believe that kids learn a lot more by touching, feeling, and doing things where as adults can learn by interacting as well as reading since their attention can be held longer. My experience at the Karshner Museum was successful because it was effective at making me and all of my classmates excited about learning the history of different aspects of America. The museum is attached to Karshner Elementary School so it only makes sense that the museum is designed for children. Because the museum does have interactive areas I believe it is successful in its purpose to educated children.