I enjoyed the live-stream about data analysis in the context of art curation that was hosted by the National Gallery of Art. There were a number of presentations which highlighted different facets of the museum curation and selection process while also interrogated the ways in which decisions are made about art acquisition and display practices.
I found that the introductory presentation, given by Diana Greenwald was particularly illuminating because it underscored the importance of not only digitizing information and having data points, but also contextualizing it properly and grounding it in the realities of the art curation process. She also made sure to highlight the fact that cataloguing information from the archives is an entirely human process and is subject to error.
The Data on Display presentation was the most interesting to me because it actually interrogated the question that I most often ask myself when entering a museum space. “Who is on the wall?” is fundamental to understanding whose narratives are being represented and whose art is readily accessible to me as an observer who does not have large knowledge base about the fine arts. I often seek out exhibitions that highlight diverse perspectives and diverse peoples but often these works are confined to one space and not seen throughout the museum at large. This presentation brings attention to the importance of diversity throughout a museum and not just specifically for one exhibit.
This presentation made that point that data curation and art curation should go hand in hand. Knowing whose art is being prominently displayed allowed curators to decide to make different choices in terms of acquisition and staging. In the National Gallery of Art in particular it was mentioned that only 10% of art on the walls were by women while 96% was represented the white experience. These numbers alone display the need for a more intentional approach to inclusiveness.
Another interesting presentation was given on the influence of woman as donors on the long term curation of art given through trusts, donation, or through foundation. Nearly 47% or 42,000 was acquired by the museum because of women who saw the importance in preserving art.
This set of presentation made clear to me that different decisions need to made at all levels of the art acquisition process to create a more diverse and welcoming experience for the typical museum attendee.
