Cindy Beckstrom
8:00AM
Art Museum Critique
1. Which museum did you visit? BYU
2. Describe at least one of the Permanent collection exhibits on a theme, period, geographic
region, or topic within the museum.
The permanent collection exhibit that I observed was called, “Shaping America: Selected
Works from the Permanent Collection of American Art”. It was a mixture of approximate
eighty different pieces of art. There were photographs, sculptures, paintings, and even a
twelve-foot-high blanket tower that all represented the different cultures that have made
up America’s diverse identity throughout its two-hundred and fifty year history. There
were different sections called: Globalization And The New Nation, Art For The Nation,
A Nation’s Quest For Beauty, and The Shape Of A Global Nation. There were different
subsections within the main sections that the art was categorized into. There were
portraits, landscapes, paintings of military officers during the Civil War, paintings
depicting Native Americans, there was Ute 19th century shirt with paint and beading on
the leather, Native American artifacts, paintings representing the Great Depression, and
of immigrants arriving in America.
3. Give a brief, one paragraph description of a special temporary exhibit .
The temporary exhibit that I observed was called, “Cut Costume and the Cinema”. This
exhibit showcased forty beautiful period costumes from popular Hollywood films, along
with portraits that showed subtle hints about the costume’s character. These costumes and
paintings represented different cultures covering five centuries of history. Some of the
period costumes that were worn by famous actors included, Daniel Craig, Sandra
Bullock, Laura Flynn Boyle, Uma Thurman, Robert Downy Jr., and Minnie Driver. All
totaled, there were more than thirty costumes represented from twenty-five famous films
including, Sherlock Holmes, Jane Eyre, Goya’s Ghosts, and the Duchess just to name a
few.
4. What do you think the museum administration and/or exhibit curators want you to learn
or gain from the exhibits you viewed?
According to the Museum’s curator of American art, Marian Wardle, “America does not
have a fixed and unchanging identity, but rather one in which a rich culture mix is
continually evolving”. The exhibit educator, Lynda Palmer, said in a release, “From its
inception to our present time, America has embraced and absorbed a variety of people
and traditions across the globe. What is especially compelling about our new Shaping
America exhibition is its ability to convey, through art, the myriad culture influences that
have formed our great nation”. Although, I think the museum’s mission statement
answers this question best. It says, “The Museum of Art is a place where the heart and
mind are brought together to seek knowledge and values, self-affirmation and spiritual
understanding. We hope your experience in the museum will nurture a more reflective
mind, a capacity for deeper inquiry, a stronger commitment to excellence and integrity,
and heightened appreciation for others and ideas.
5. What kind of information is provided about the works? Where might you look for further
information if you were interested? (Name three possibilities)
There was a lot of information provided by the museum about each exhibit. Within each
exhibit there were different subsections of that particular theme. An example would be: in
the “Shaping America” exhibit there was a subsection called “Portraits”. There was a
plaque on the wall that described how the section of portraits related to early American
culture and art. Then beside each portrait displayed, there was another plaque on the wall
that described each portrait individually. It told who the author was, gave their birth and
death years, it told what year the piece was created, and it gave all of the background
information as to what made the piece significant to the theme of the exhibit. There were
take home pamphlets on the different exhibits being shown at the museum, and also
educational kiosks on hand throughout the exhibit. There is more information available
on the internet that explains each piece within the exhibit. There are books available for
sale or through the local library, and finally written newspaper and magazine articles.
6. Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn to
these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were the
artists? What message do you think the artists were trying to convey in the works you
chose to discuss?
” I know that when I walked into the room with the twelve foot blanket tower, I thought
to myself, “You have to be kidding me! That is the most ridiculous piece of so called art
that I ever seen!!” However, upon actually reading about the piece I gained a greater
understanding and appreciation for it. It is a blanket sculpture by Contemporary
American Artist Marie Watt. It is created from about eighty folded blankets, stands
twelve feet high, has a cedar base and it is called, “Blanket Stories: Ancestor, Baron
Woolen Mill, and Hill People”. The artist collects Baron Woolen blankets. In addition to
those blankets, there was a request from the museum for Utah Valley residents to donate
their blankets and to write upon the shipping tags the story of the blanket as well.
According to Watt, a baby is wrapped in a blanket immediately after birth, and is
comforted by being tightly wrapped up in that blanket. Babies are often given special
blankets that are sewn or quilted as their first gifts. Young children carry and are
comforted by the companionship of a blanket. Newlyweds are given blankets as a gift to
mark the beginning of a new family. In Native American cultures, blankets are given as
gifts for solemn occasions. Of her sculpture, Watt says, “As a Seneca Indian, I see echoes
of the generations who have come before and the generations yet to come in the layered
column, each individual a variation on a common theme of shared DNA; shared stories;
shared warmth. I see the miraculous survival of the Indian people – in some ways tattered
– but preserved. The cedar foundation is that firm foundation where upon if we build we
cannot fail. It preserves and protects. It allows generations to soar”. This piece taught me
that with art; it is more than meets the eye; it isn’t always as it seems. At first I thought it
was laughable, but upon reading her beautiful description of what her piece represented,
my eyes, mind, and heart opened up to whole new level of understanding, and it spoke to
me.
My favorite was the temporary exhibit, “Cut Costume Cinema”. I had no idea that
costumes would be considered a form of art, but after seeing them up close and personal
for myself, I would absolutely consider them art. It was so intriguing to see these
costumes from different time periods throughout history. The detail that went into these
clothes was incredible. A definite difference compared to how sloppy and casual we dress
now. I was so pleasantly surprised to find costumes from some of my very favorite films.
First, there was a costume from the movie “Ever After” which was a different take on the
classic Cinderella fairy tale. This movie was set in 1510-1518, and the beautiful costumes
were designed by, Jenny Beavan. The costume was worn by Angelica Huston and
represented Renaissance court attire. The gown was made of emerald green velvet with
richly brocaded sleeves, a bodice and underskirt. Beading and intricately-woven metallic
thread was incorporated into the brocaded fabric. It was beautiful. Second, there were two
costumes from the movie Sense and Sensibility that were worn by Kate Winslet and
Emma Thompson. It’s a film adaptation of the novel by Jane Austen set in England, ca
1800.
The costume designer for this movie was again, Jenny Beavan and John Bright. I never
thought before about how important the costume is in a period film. It reveals a
character’s age and status as well as her class and wealth. The dress worn by Kate
Winslet was the dress of a young lady of fashion reduced by diminished circumstances.
The dress was made of cotton muslin rather than silk. And the cotton overdress was also
a cotton fabric. Even though it was apparent that she was no longer a member of
moneyed society, it was still so pretty and reflected Marianne’s romantic nature. In my
opinion, the grand centerpiece of this exhibit came from the film, “The Phantom of the
Opera”. It is a film based on the novel by Gaston Leroux and the stage musical set in
Paris during 1870. Costume designer, Alexandra Byrne made 300 costumes for this film
and modified another 2,000 that came from wardrobe houses across Europe. Byrne
traveled to Paris to study the clothing and attitudes of the period. She said, “I learned all
about the period to be able to throw it all away and move on to reinterpret it for myself.”
This costume was breathtakingly beautiful and worn by, Emmy Rossum, who played
Christine. It was a two piece gown that was made of pale pink spangled silk. The skirt
was overlaid with cream tulle and the bustled back took center stage with its cascading
bustles and large pink flowers. The silk bodice was accented with blonde lace and rose
buds at the neck and sleeves. I found this exhibit so intriguing and looking at the
costumes made for movies that I love, made this part of the museum very interesting to
me.
7. How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class?
There was a piece called “Fallen Monarchs”. It was an oil on canvas piece painted in
1886 and it was by far my favorite painting. It was absolutely beautiful and I was drawn
to it immediately. It is a painting of a primeval forest with no sign of human intrusion. I
am from Ohio where the state is covered with trees and forest. The painting brought me
immediate comfort and a remembrance of home. The artist is William Bliss Baker who
trained in earlier traditions than impressionism. Baker’s work recalls similar paintings by
the Hudson River School of landscape painters. We had just learned that morning about
how The Hudson River school artists helped shape the tradition of the American
landscape. Thomas Cole stated, “If nature were untouched by the hand of man – as it
looked by this particular piece – then he could become more easily acquainted with the
hand of God”. Some considered this to be Baker’s masterpiece. He died in his twenties.
8. What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this type
of event again? Why or why not?
I will be honest, this was the cultural event that I was looking forward to the least.
However, after going, it wasn’t as awful as I thought it would be and I enjoyed learning
about the different exhibits. I don’t think that I will ever plan to go to an art museum
again, but if invited to go, I would not say no. I would say that the biggest lesson that I
have learned from this experience, is that art is very personal. Sometimes when I see a
particular piece of art in someone’s home, I may think to myself, “That is really God
awful”, but now I realize that when you learn the meaning or significance of the piece; it
takes on a whole new meaning and beauty.