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Art History
Directions: In this paper you will be asked to create an imaginary exhibition of Buddhist art. Your exhibition will be a response to contemporary issues in the museum field. Please begin this
paper early as it has multiple parts. For full credit, pay attention to ALL of the questions posed.
Due: Monday, April 29 in lecture
Step 1: Reading and Processing Article and Website by April 15 (posted on BB or the web)
? Read: Steven Conn, ?Where is the East? Asian Objects in American Museums, from Nathan Dunn to Charles Freer,? Winterthur Portfolio 35 (2000): 157-173.
? Scan: The website of the Freer/Sackler, especially the collection webpage: https://www.asia.si.edu/collections/default.asp
? Scan: The website of the Freer/Sackler that explains Buddhist art: https://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/buddhism/default.htm
? Take notes on the article by Conn:
o What is the central thesis of the article?
o What are some basic trends in museum collection of Asian Art?
o How is the Freer unlike the NMAI?
o What museums does it remind you of in the Smithsonian?
o Why is Asian art not displayed in anthropology collections?
? Write down information from the Freer?s websites:
o What kinds of ?Asian? art are exhibited at the Freer? (Make a list)
o Why is ?American? art exhibited here? Click on the link for ?American art? ? what sort of ?American? art is exhibited?
o What is the Peacock Room?
o Where will you find Buddhist art displayed at the Freer/Sackler
? Be prepared: Come to section on April 15th prepared with your notes as this will help you during your museum visit. TAs will address these articles in class.
___Submit at least one page of handwritten notes related to Conn?s article and the questions about the Freer/Sackler website for your final paper.
Step 2: Museum Visit
? Visit: The Freer/Sackler Galleries in class on April 15th.
? Discuss: During section you will have an opportunity to brainstorm with your TA and also your classmates about this paper. Take advantage of this opportunity!
? Take notes on the museum visit:
? Describe the presentation of one room of Buddhist art at the Freer/Sackler. Include the arrangement of ten objects.
? What kinds of objects exist in this space (are they all paintings, for example?)
? Where your ten objects located in the space? Along the wall? In the center?
? How does the visitor approach these objects? Is there a path that leads the visitor?
? Is this approach to museum display traditional?
? What was the curatorial message in this display? Explain.
? Is this how you would choose to display Buddhist works of art? How would you rearrange these objects to convey a different message? What message would you convey?
? Sketch:
? Make a sketch or a plan of the room you just described
___Submit at least one page of handwritten notes related to the museum visit questions for your final paper.
___Submit one sketch or plan of the room that displays Buddhist objects for your final paper.
Step 3: Design an Exhibit of Buddhist Art
We have studied several different types of museum displays of Nonwestern art over the course of the semester. By now you should understand that museums display objects with agendas in
mind. Let?s assume that you have been hired as the new curator of Buddhist Art at the Freer/Sackler (not that this position exists, but pretend). You want to make a splash in your new role, so
you want to change one room of Buddhist art to display the works in an improved manner.
Of the ten objects that you have described in the exhibition of Buddhist art at the Freer/Sackler, you may remove and replace up to five objects of Buddhist art. How would you rearrange five
objects to convey a different message? What message would you convey? Because your department has received a great deal of money from a prominent patron, you are able to purchase five
new objects of Buddhist art from any place in the world (another museum, other objects in the Freer collection, or you could just images in your textbook).
In addition to the removal and replacement of five objects, you may also change the theme of the exhibition. You may make changes to color, lighting, labels, contextual explanations, and the
flow of visitors through the room. You may also make decisions about importing new museum techniques, such as movies, that you have seen at the NMAI or elsewhere in the Smithsonian.
Remember, you may not receive approval for your changes from the head of your department, so you will need to justify your changes in a persuasive manner.
? Sketch: Make a sketch of the changes you want to make to the room of Buddhist art you previously sketched at the Freer/Sackler.
? Describe: Try to describe the essential changes you want to make in a paragraph or in bullet points.
? Justify: How can you justify the changes you want to make? How will the changes support your new agenda?
___Submit one sketch or plan of your display of Buddhist objects for your final paper.
???___Submit a brief list of the title, dates, and source (where did you find each object?) for the five new objects you have selected to insert into your new display of Buddhist objects.
Step 4: Write an Essay
Write an essay of five pages (12-point, double-spaced, typed, Chicago style) that discusses your new exhibition of Buddhist Art for the Freer/Sackler. For full credit, you must include the
following in your essay:
? A visual description of your new exhibition of Buddhist Art.
o What new objects did you add to the room and where did you put them?
o What other changes did you make to the room?
? A statement of your new vision for this exhibition (i.e. ? your curatorial agenda).
? A justification for the changes you made (why does this improve the collection?) Your justification must make references to the article by Conn and the history of the Freer/Sackler collection.
