Lara: Wednesday, June 14
The way museums function as institutions is so dependent upon the collaboration of the people who work in them. The most interesting moments I have experienced throughout my work in museums has been, hands down, the inter-personal dynamics of museum professionals. I think I find this aspect of museums so interesting because, coming into museum spaces, the most immediate and accessible elements are final products that intimate that there is absolute cohesion between the many actors involved in the conceptualization and execution of galleries and exhibitions.
Working in museums has shown me that the opposite is true. The final exhibition is just the tip of the iceberg that is a long and arduous process of negotiation between numerous people, departments, and interests that starts years in advance of instillation. As a result, the curatorial process is understandably an undertaking that people invest heart and soul into because of the level of work and effort involved in making an exhibit or gallery come into fruition.
The meeting this morning demonstrated these observations even further, especially the ways in which competing demands are the hallmark of any ongoing project, curatorial or other. However, I would argue that negotiation and difference of opinion is healthy and important! Only when we are faced with conflicting viewpoints can we have the opportunity to reflect on our own perspectives, formulate arguments to defend our position, and/or reorient our perspectives. As a result, the more behind the scenes of a museum I am partial to viewing, the more I am confident that the best produced material comes from addressing differences in opinion and coming up with constructive compromises.
I look forward to viewing the curatorial process further, and lifting the veil from such an important and instructive process.
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