Why art museums matter
August 2, 2004 | 12:00am
Two weeks ago, I mentioned the important role of our educational institutions in effecting a significant change in Philippine society through the popularization of art (ArtSpeak, The Philippine STAR, 7/19/04). In that article, I said that our schools are in the best position to implement programs of study that will help to promote a cultural renaissance by pushing the country’s burgeoning artists to the forefront as "agents of transformation," driving activities and ventures on an engine powered by creativity across various disciplines.
Let me just add that an invaluable partner in this ambitious effort are our country’s museums. And as biased as this may sound – given my present affiliation – I give particular import to those institutions, which are devoted to the collection, display, and interpretation of the visual arts.
I refer of course to the Philippines’ art museums – places that embody the verve, drive, energy, dynamism and avant-gardism necessary in fuelling change in society. True to the spirit of the informed and forward-looking Filipino, their exhibition and public programs meld past and present together to create visions for the future. As places of wonderment and awe, they respect the achievements of our nation’s cultural heroes, without disregarding talent that can be found, in Damien Hirst’s words, "everywhere, with everyone… always, forever, now."
As centers of connoisseurship, they possess an attitude of openness while at the same time exercising rigor and restraint. Bringing together our very best traits, these clean, well-ordered oases are indeed ideal constructs that are worthy of society’s emulation.
Art museums have certainly come a long way. From the confined, albeit luxuriant studiolo of the imeldific Isabella d’Este in Mantua, with its walls inlaid with precious woods displaying artworks by Mantegna and Michelangelo in close proximity to one another for the sheer, singular pleasure of their owner, to the "cabinet of curiosities" of late 18th century English gentlemen, to the massive state (Louvre, Tate), civic (Met, LACMA) and encyclopedic super-museums (Smithsonian) of today, art and its very context has transformed so much in recent years that they have necessitated the creation of new spaces that accommodate and respond to present needs.
Belying the idea of immutability, time has in fact refused to stand still for art museums. Technology, for example, has transformed the way we look at the world, in as much as postmodernism has taken artworks away from walls, thereby breaking what Joseph Montaner calls "traditional ideas of form and exhibition space."
Victoria Newhouse makes an interesting reference to "living museums" – "living" not only in terms of being all encompassing, involved or participatory, but also, and more importantly, in being able to embrace all the possibilities of art making today – video, large scale installations, performance art, body art, art in cyberspace, etc.
Now, more than ever, Philippine art museums find themselves mediating their original pedagogical intent by situating themselves vis-à-vis the multi-sensory attractions/distractions that compete for our youth’s attention. In this sense, they are fast becoming vehicles of entertainment, and are now at the epicenter of activities that help spread the reach of the arts by shaking the mindset, and influencing the perception of the public.
Supplementing our schools’ art and work education programs, which essentially promote rote skill, art museums hereabouts are spearheading efforts to awaken students to the richness, breadth and diversity of Philippine art. To make student visits more meaningful for example, teachers are strongly encouraged through docent programs to implement fine and applied art activities based upon the objects that they have seen. These not only make the art-making process more "real" to students, but they also provide schools, particularly those in the basic education levels, with an unparalleled opportunity to gauge and distinguish creative talent, to pick-out promising students who could certainly benefit from more intensive, closely-supervised mentoring and training, not only in the fields of painting, drawing and sculpture, but also to point them in the direction of pursuing courses in the secondary and tertiary levels that are related to areas such as product and information design.
As an added incentive, there is also a growing practice of showing the best works of students in special themed exhibitions or in designated spaces within art museums. Public recognition for achievement in the visual arts is an important aspect of fostering appreciation; and institutional recognition certainly gives germinating talent a much-needed boost and nudge of encouragement.
Beyond the formal aspects of art making, art museums are likewise being tapped by other subject areas, particularly English and Filipino, where more and more short stories and poems, inspired by objects that students have seen, are emerging and even being published. Even the study of History and Sibika can be accentuated by periodic museum visits, where artworks can be utilized in reference to the unfolding stories of nations, and their hybrid tendencies used as badges of globalization.
As an increasingly indispensable subject area, education in computer science is also being influenced by a greater appreciation of the arts through our museums. Linkages are made by way of information technology projects: setting up discussion boards, organizing web-design contests, manipulating and enhancing images of non-copyrighted works in museum collections, or even creating Flash museum guides!
The possibilities presented by linking the work of our schools and today’s art museums are as boundless as the depth of our country’s pool of creative talent. The day when art is not simply viewed as a luxury but as a matter of national concern is certainly upon us – and it could not have come sooner. With the current state of our affairs, they represent perhaps our last, best hope: rallying points that can cement our competitive edge, and help bring about a Philippine renaissance.
The author is the new head of the NCCA Subcommittee on Art Museums, which groups together the Ateneo Art Gallery, Ayala Museum, GSIS Museo ng Sining, Lopez Memorial Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Manila and UP Vargas Museum.
For your questions, comments or suggestions, please e-mail rlerma@ateneo.edu.
Let me just add that an invaluable partner in this ambitious effort are our country’s museums. And as biased as this may sound – given my present affiliation – I give particular import to those institutions, which are devoted to the collection, display, and interpretation of the visual arts.
I refer of course to the Philippines’ art museums – places that embody the verve, drive, energy, dynamism and avant-gardism necessary in fuelling change in society. True to the spirit of the informed and forward-looking Filipino, their exhibition and public programs meld past and present together to create visions for the future. As places of wonderment and awe, they respect the achievements of our nation’s cultural heroes, without disregarding talent that can be found, in Damien Hirst’s words, "everywhere, with everyone… always, forever, now."
As centers of connoisseurship, they possess an attitude of openness while at the same time exercising rigor and restraint. Bringing together our very best traits, these clean, well-ordered oases are indeed ideal constructs that are worthy of society’s emulation.
Art museums have certainly come a long way. From the confined, albeit luxuriant studiolo of the imeldific Isabella d’Este in Mantua, with its walls inlaid with precious woods displaying artworks by Mantegna and Michelangelo in close proximity to one another for the sheer, singular pleasure of their owner, to the "cabinet of curiosities" of late 18th century English gentlemen, to the massive state (Louvre, Tate), civic (Met, LACMA) and encyclopedic super-museums (Smithsonian) of today, art and its very context has transformed so much in recent years that they have necessitated the creation of new spaces that accommodate and respond to present needs.
Belying the idea of immutability, time has in fact refused to stand still for art museums. Technology, for example, has transformed the way we look at the world, in as much as postmodernism has taken artworks away from walls, thereby breaking what Joseph Montaner calls "traditional ideas of form and exhibition space."
Victoria Newhouse makes an interesting reference to "living museums" – "living" not only in terms of being all encompassing, involved or participatory, but also, and more importantly, in being able to embrace all the possibilities of art making today – video, large scale installations, performance art, body art, art in cyberspace, etc.
Now, more than ever, Philippine art museums find themselves mediating their original pedagogical intent by situating themselves vis-à-vis the multi-sensory attractions/distractions that compete for our youth’s attention. In this sense, they are fast becoming vehicles of entertainment, and are now at the epicenter of activities that help spread the reach of the arts by shaking the mindset, and influencing the perception of the public.
Supplementing our schools’ art and work education programs, which essentially promote rote skill, art museums hereabouts are spearheading efforts to awaken students to the richness, breadth and diversity of Philippine art. To make student visits more meaningful for example, teachers are strongly encouraged through docent programs to implement fine and applied art activities based upon the objects that they have seen. These not only make the art-making process more "real" to students, but they also provide schools, particularly those in the basic education levels, with an unparalleled opportunity to gauge and distinguish creative talent, to pick-out promising students who could certainly benefit from more intensive, closely-supervised mentoring and training, not only in the fields of painting, drawing and sculpture, but also to point them in the direction of pursuing courses in the secondary and tertiary levels that are related to areas such as product and information design.
As an added incentive, there is also a growing practice of showing the best works of students in special themed exhibitions or in designated spaces within art museums. Public recognition for achievement in the visual arts is an important aspect of fostering appreciation; and institutional recognition certainly gives germinating talent a much-needed boost and nudge of encouragement.
Beyond the formal aspects of art making, art museums are likewise being tapped by other subject areas, particularly English and Filipino, where more and more short stories and poems, inspired by objects that students have seen, are emerging and even being published. Even the study of History and Sibika can be accentuated by periodic museum visits, where artworks can be utilized in reference to the unfolding stories of nations, and their hybrid tendencies used as badges of globalization.
As an increasingly indispensable subject area, education in computer science is also being influenced by a greater appreciation of the arts through our museums. Linkages are made by way of information technology projects: setting up discussion boards, organizing web-design contests, manipulating and enhancing images of non-copyrighted works in museum collections, or even creating Flash museum guides!
The possibilities presented by linking the work of our schools and today’s art museums are as boundless as the depth of our country’s pool of creative talent. The day when art is not simply viewed as a luxury but as a matter of national concern is certainly upon us – and it could not have come sooner. With the current state of our affairs, they represent perhaps our last, best hope: rallying points that can cement our competitive edge, and help bring about a Philippine renaissance.
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