Georgia Museum of Art: Museum Reflection

At 9:35 a.m. on August 29th, I visited the Georgia Museum of Art for my History 4022 class. From 9:35 to 10:50 my class discussed portraiture in the “We the People” exhibit. After class, I spent another 45 minutes exploring the art and exhibits by myself. 

For my class, we were given access to the galleries before the official opening of the museum, so the museum was empty. After my class had finished and my other classmates had left, the museum was once again relatively empty other than the occasional couple briskly strolling through. The others within this museum seemed to be relatively interested in the arts and spending purposeful time with the artwork which made every visitor seem engaged with the art at a high level.

Before this visit, I had walked and viewed the art at this museum many times, so I was familiar with a lot of the exhibits and art displayed from the permanent collection. Due to this not being my first experience with a lot of the art displayed, I went in with preconceived notions about what my favorite displayed works were as well as the rooms I favored the most. Due to this, the majority of art that stood out to me were things I have previously appreciated, including the Old Time Letter Rack, Tenements, Axis Mundi, Quilting Scene, and The Doctor’s Visit. My favorite rooms were Urbanization and Abstraction, the Herman and Terry Collection, Impressionism and the Gilded Age, and America in the 1930s. 

The only art that I had not previously experienced was the Waffle House Vistas exhibit. This art exhibit piqued my interest and kept me thoroughly entertained and engaged. For another class of mine, I had to look at a work of art for five straight minutes and reflect. I decided to select the picture Store #1591: Oak Grove, Kentucky. This work combined with the ambient noise from the short film being played on a loop thoroughly enveloped me into an atmospheric experience. Speaking on this specific visit, this experience was the highlight, since it was thought-provoking and engaging in ways I had previously contemplated while also demonstrating a new dimension to reflect on. 

Due to my class, I learned a lot about portraiture through guided details and questions from my professor who had experience with the specific artwork displayed. Outside of class, I did not learn a lot about the meaning behind a lot of artwork since the labels did not always explain the information I was curious about, but rather basic stats and info. The one exhibit I believe is an exception is the Waffle House Vistas exhibit because the wall clearly defines the thesis, idea, process, and content displayed. 

In my opinion, the main gallery on the second floor feels very familiar and home-like for me as a visitor. I grew up going to art museums around Atlanta and other places I have traveled so the atmosphere and structure of the museum were very familiar and reminiscent of other major art establishments. From this perspective, I believe the Georgia Museum of Art can be defined as a traditional art museum that is actively attempting to become like the reinvented museum we discussed in class. The museum is traditional in the way that it displays its art and is set up as this institution on campus, but I believe it is actively trying to cater to its audience in a way of the next generation of museums. In the article, Reinventing the Museum Tool, we see multiple aspects of how the museum is changing. At this specific museum, I still believe there is a border between the inner and outer museum like what is displayed in chapter three of the textbook, in the accessibility of knowledge on curation and other internal practices. The museum feels modern in its efforts to welcome the community and display art inclusive of multicultural perspectives. 

If I were a new visitor, I think I would be initially confused by the art being on the second floor, but other than that the main layout is fine and accessible. All the exhibits feel well planned and thought through and I have no major problems with any of the format of the museum displays. My biggest problem with wayfinding and design came when visiting the Waffle House Vistas exhibit. If I had not known about this exhibit before, I would have no idea that it existed or where to find it. I found that I heavily relied on prior knowledge to find its location and when entering the exhibit, only a couple of the display lights for the pictures were on. Other than this one confusing location and light situation, I thought there was nothing objectionable about the Georgia Museum of Art. 

Overall, I cannot think of a negative aspect of this visit, since I was content with viewing my favorites from the collection and I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a new exhibit. By taking this visit, I had a chance to reflect on what I learned in class while viewing art that I enjoyed.