What is the intended focus or subject of the exhibition or gallery?

1)Choose a local museum from the list below:

Norton Simon Museum**
LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
J. Paul Getty Museum
Getty Villa
MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art)
The Huntington
OCMA (Orange County Museum of Art)
Laguna Museum of Art

**The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is ALWAYS free for students and is accessible via public transportation. If you drive, it also has free parking.

2)Visit your chosen museum. Once at the museum, locate a particular exhibit or gallery for your exercise focus. Make sure your choice is as relevant as possible to one of the periods addressed in this course.

3)Answer the following questions in essay form: one paragraph of 5-6 complex and thoughtful sentences on each question:

-First analyze the Museums intention in displaying the work of art:
oWhat is the intended focus or subject of the exhibition or gallery? Are objects grouped by time period? By type (paintings, sculpture, etc)? By artist?
oWhat is the arrangement of the works in the exhibition or gallery, and how does the arrangement help the viewer to understand the works original historical context (if at all)?
oWhy do you think the museum chose to display the works in this way?
-Next turn to your personal experience of the museum. Discuss the museum experience in the context of the tension between intention versus reception.
oChoose a single work: What work did you choose? How does this work exemplify the exhibition or gallery as a whole? Why did you choose this work?
oDoes the arrangement of objects in the gallery create any interesting/successful comparisons between your object and others?
oDo the works speak to each other or engage with one another in any way?
oWhat did you take away from this experience? How does seeing the object in a museum setting impact your impression?

4)Title your paper with the name of the museum you attended and the relevant information for the single object you chose, including the artist, title and date of the your chosen object.