Curators as Interpreters

Two museum visits this week, and a conversation with my friend David, got me thinking about how curators go about their work and the level of interpretation they do as part of it.

The first exhibit was at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and the artist was Philip-Lorca diCorcia. The curator was Bennett Simpson. I found that the level of interpretation of the artist's work included in the wall copy was distracting. Between the wall copy and the audio tour (poorly executed), there was little room left for me to develop my own perspective on diCorcia's photographs. The written comments, like so often happens in museum shows, were super-snobby interpretations of what the artist was trying to accomplish or meant to convey. When I read copy like this, I wonder if the curator knows this from talking with the artist or if they're just providing their own interpretation. Some of the commentary on the audio tour was from diCorcia himself, and I actually did like these bits--I liked getting some insight into his ideas and reasons for doing what he did.

The second exhibit was at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. The artist was Joseph Cornell and the exhibit was curated by Linda Hartigan. I really, really liked most of the information provided in the wall copy (no audio tour). Rarely was there an overblown interpretation of the work, but rather descriptions of the artists life and context at the time the piece was done. Or insights into the artist's personality that may have been relevant. This is what I want from the curator--more a window to the artist and less an interpretation of the work.

Of course, a lot of people don't bother with the wall copy or audio tours for this very reason. But I enjoy getting another's perspective. I just don't like heavy-handed interpretations of the work as part of that perspective. What I really want to know about is the artist.

I don't know what a curator is "supposed" to do. Actually I don't even really know how much they're involved in developing the wall copy and audio tours (though I suspect they play a significant role). (Reading the Wikipedia entry on Curator leads me to believe that the role they play is different depending on the museum and the kinds of art or artifacts on view...) What I do know is what I'd like them to do, which is to put their in-depth research and knowledge about the artist to work helping me to develop a perspective on the art, rather than handing me a high-minded interpretation of the art.

Images: (from top) Philip-Lorca diCorcia, "Ike Cole; 38 years old; Los Angeles, California; $25," 1990-92, as displayed on the ICA web site; Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Tilly Losch), 1935-38, as displayed at the PEM web site.

Big Changes Underway

This summer, I move from the Boston area to State College, PA to begin work on a Ph.D. I can hardly believe I'm doing this, but looking forward to being a student again, and eager to sink my teeth into some research and learning about new areas of interest for me.

Visit my site here and read my blogs to keep up with what I'm doing and learning.