New Art Museum in LA

There is a new art museum opening this fall (September) in LA: The Broad Museum!

Check out the website.

Who else think it looks like a cheese grater... or a speaker?...

 

 Read more about the building design and collection here.

 Who wants to go on a field trip?...

Touch the art?! Cue panic attack.

"The No. 1 unspoken rule in an art museum: Don’t touch. Museum guards are strategically placed throughout museums to ensure harmful oils on visitors’ hands won’t corrode artwork.

But at the current exhibition at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, touching is encouraged."

Read the article here.

 WHAT?!
 
 How cool is this interpretation for an art museum? They are not acutally touching the real pieces of art, but what do you all think of this concept?

As someone who can see pretty well (with the help of contact lenses), it's hard for me to imagine walking through an art museum and not being able to see the what is hanging on the walls- the colors, the facial expressions, the shadows, the shiny frames... I experience art visually- my other senses are hardly involved at all. Maybe I can smell fresh paint from a recent gallery installation, or listen to the murmurs of other patrons/ tours. However, most of the time, experiencing art is 100% visceral based on my eye sight as I am not allowed to touch, let alone taste, a painting.

It is interesting to me that I want to use my other senses, specifically touch, to experience the art based on what I am looking at. How badly have you wanted to touch the silk or fur of a gown in the fashion gallery? Or, wanted to run your fingers on the grooves of paint on Louis McElwain's painting upstairs (I can't say I've ever wanted to lick a painting, nor smell one, but I'm sure some other bold patron has tried at least once when Security isn't looking)?

Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Untitled (Portrait of Ross in LA)

Granted, some artworks do ask you to use your other senses. For example, Felix Gonzalez-Torres's "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in LA) wants you to take a piece of candy and eat it. Video works of art have sounds to accompany the work. Some installations and sculptures want you to play and interact with the art, too ("Fireflies", anyone?). Art is not exclusively for the eyes only, but can you fully grasp the content and the context for the piece without seeing it?... What do you think?

What are your thoughts about this exhibition in Madrid? Do you think that it can provide a true likeness for what a painting looks like for those who cannot see it? If you described your favorite painting to a friend who had no idea what it looks like, do you think you could covey what it looks like by describing how you interpret it with your other senses?

Leave your thoughts in the comment section! I would love to read what you think.

Welcome Katie!

We're glad you are a member of our little staff! 

 

5 Star Museum Service

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Do you have your resolutions for 2015? We at Visitor Services we always have a new years resolution. It is to constantly be improving on our providing the best customer service at the Museum by creating an informative, welcoming environment. We make these improvements based on customer feedback and using  current customer service trends and information to be a leader in the industry when it comes to customer service. Let's become the leader in Museum Visitor Services!!

With that being said this year our VS New Year's Resolution theme is to be a "5 star Museum".

I will have blog posts that pertain to our goal and rolling out some new exciting things to help us with the "5 star" industry standards!!

As always I REALLY would like feedback from you on how we can obtain and sustain the 5 star rating. Please comment here or via email.

To start off,  I would like to give you the official Visitor Services Core Values-
This form is located on the VS WIKI on the 5 Star page.

"Hanging those sheets over the river"

Some food for thought...
The article below really provides some food for thought (at least, I think so...). I'm curious as to what you all think. Do you think there is ever a time that art may be a "bad thing"? I'm curious as to what type of questions this article prompted from you all and what your thoughts are about this impressive, invasive installation plan.

Leave your thoughts in the comment section.

Is it ethical?

Can "nature" be used as a medium?

It is art?

Do you like it?

Would you go see it?

Should he stick to just wrapping buildings?

 

Judge Approves Christo’s 

Controversial Colorado Project

It looks like artist Christo may soon be “hanging those sheets over the river,” as a federal judge once described a proposed art project in southern Colorado that has stirred much debate. On Friday, a Federal District Court upheld the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision to allow the environmental artist to install 5.9 miles of silver fabric above the Arkansas River, The Pueblo Chieftain reported.

Read the rest of the article here:

http://hyperallergic.com/173136/judge-approves-christos-controversial-colorado-project/

Some of Cristo's other installations:

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates: Central Park, New York City 1979-2005.

Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California 1972-76.

Wrapped Coast included one million square feet (92,900 square meters) of fabric and 35 miles (56.3 kilometers) of rope shrouding a 1.5 mile (2.4 kilometer) long section of the Australian coastline.

Eat Your Heart Out... Devoured Tickets Available!

This week's blog post is everything Devoured!

WHAT:

Devoured Culinary Classic is a 2 day culinary festival hosted at the Museum. Technically, it is not a museum event, but a collaboration between the Museum, Local First and SACA (Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance). As a host and ticket provider, the Museum does benefit from the event.

Local restaurants, bakeries, wineries, and breweries are selected by Local First and SACA and invited to participate in the event. These restaurants are 100% local and are considered to be the best local restaurants in Arizona.

Devoured has become the most popular culinary event in AZ. It’s a big deal.

• It has sold out for the last 2 years. Last year, it sold out a month before the event.
• People are VERY excited about the event and there will be high emotions from people wanting to buy tickets- be prepared to help answer questions and efficiently sell tickets.

There is a Devoured website with all relevant information: www.devouredphoenix.com. It list all participating vendors for each day. Make yourself familiar with this website!

WHEN:  
December 7-8, 2015

• It is always hosted the first full weekend of March.
• VIP ticket holders can enter the garden at 10:30am; regular ticket holders enter at 11:30am
• All gorging will end at 3pm.

TICKETS: 

• Devoured tickets include General Admission (this includes da Vinci and Warhol).
• All tickets will have a barcode to be scanned upon entry (like Hollywood).
• Print- At- Home tickets available for tickets purchased online after Dec. 26.

	Member Tickets	General Public Tickets	VIP Tickets	Localist Tickets
Price:	$80 (one day) $140 (2 –Day)	$90 (one day) $160 (2 Day)	$150 (no discounts at all)	$80 (one day) $140 (2 –Day)
Available:	Dec 15- until sold out	Dec. 26- until sold out	Same dates for regular tickets.	Dec. 15- 17 only
How to purchase:	Dec. 15- Dec. 24: Available by phone or in-person only. Call membership office: 602-257-2124 Dec. 26- until sold out: Available by phone, in-person, online.	Dec. 26- sold out: Available by phone, in-person, online.	Dec. 15- Dec. 24: Available only for members. Call or in-person purchase only. Dec. 26- until sold out: Available by phone, in-person, online.	Available only Dec. 15- 17. Must call Local First Office: 602-956-0909 After Dec. 17, discount tickets not available. Must purchase general public ticket.

Donation Rock Stars

Did you know we have a yearly goal for donations made in the lobby!?

Whether that be in the donation box, text or by credit card.

What?
Donations made in the lobby go directly to the operating cost of the Museum.

Who?
Yes, VS is responsible for the donations because we have the capability to talk to the visitors about donations.
To give you an example of the direct effect VS has on donations made: Donation time used to be called Free Time until VS made it a goal to increase donations. Well it worked! We increased donations immensely.  (I will get that information for you soon) And that is where the term Voluntary Donation Time came about.

Based on VS's impact on the donation box the goals are a high number. I would like to continue to increase these numbers and I think we have more opportunity with the text giving.

I will be posting our donation goals and the actual amount made per month to see how we are doing. Please comment on this post that you have read this and any ideas that you have to increase donations.

Let be donation rock stars!!!