Museum Access

I enjoyed reading about museum accessibility because it's something that I haven't specifically thought a lot about before. Carmen Papalia made me realize just how inaccessible most museums are. One thing he said that stood out to me was, "To see the museum without sight is to rediscover it." I've always thought of museums as visual spaces, but the way he wrote about his experiences made me realize that they are much more than that. There are certain feelings, smells, sounds and stories that go with each experience, and there could be so many more sensations if museums allowed people to touch, run, dance, feel, etc. Additionally, Carmen describes how his musem experiences are "wonderfully subjective" because the people who describe the art to him each have their own personal interests and experiences. Next time I go to a museum, I want to try to pick up on some of the non-visual experiences if I can find them.

In reflecting on my own experiences at museums, I realize that I don't love art museums. This is quite sad becuase I do love art, and I really want to love museums, but most of the time I don't. Although I can see and appreciate museums in a visual way, I wonder if increased accessibility in art museums could help me to feel more engaged as well. I believe that increasing accessibility would indeed benefit every museum patron, allowing them to experience the art in multiple ways. One art exhibit that I went to stands out in my mind. The exhibit was "Infinity Mirror Rooms" by Yayoi Kusama. This exhibit involved physically entering several small infinity mirror rooms that created kaleidescopic environments with  moving lights, shadows, and sculptures. Although it was still a very visual experience, I felt so much more engaged in the exhibit. I felt like I was stepping into the art instead of staring at it on the wall from afar. I felt more involved, which made it feel more accessible to me. I wonder how we can make all museums provide this kind of experience of feeling involved with the work, and to go beyond just sight and appeal to all the senses. Here is a link to the mirror exhibit: https://hirshhorn.si.edu/kusama/infinity-rooms/