ipl-logo

Dorsky Museum Analysis

745 Words3 Pages

Attending college offers many unique opportunities. It is up to the students to take full advantage and utilize such occasions . Of the many events, two that stood out were a discussion, or lecture, and the Dorsky Museum. The lecture took place on October 8, 2015, in the Lecture Center on the SUNY New Paltz campus. There, several people eagerly awaited the speaker, Marianne Hirsch, a Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. She spoke of the negative consequences of museums and suggested new theories as to how to remember previous historical events. On the other hand, the Dorsky Museum was a different experience. We attended the exhibit for a class field trip on October 29, 2015. The works of art in Dorsky …show more content…

For without change, we cannot move forward. While it was made clearer to me in the museum, both trips involved this concept. The museum was immersed in change, or alterations. During the trip, a particular work of art, who represents this change and acceptance, stood out. It was a simple landscape piece by Jervis McEntee. In a room full of brightly infused color landscape paintings, this one looked dark. As a result, the painting drew attention to itself. At first glance, one may think it was gloomy, however, it was quite the opposite. Within the finer details, two men can be spotted. These figures were wearing union and confederate uniforms, or in other words representing opposing sides of conflict, however they were placed in relaxed sitting positions. The men seemed to accept each other. This signifies change, and proof that even the most horrific battles will not last forever. The background seemed to echo this, as the painting was set at dawn, or the beginning of a new day. Therefore, even when times are hard, believe that change is possible, and that will lead us to move …show more content…

During her discussion, Marianne Hirsch argued museums failed in creating justice for tragedies and often took up space in order to rehash old wounds. She called upon the audience to decipher their thoughts by asking how the majority of museums, such as the Anne Frank museum, made them feel. The result was overwhelming in her favor. While looking at these photos, one cannot help, but feel indignant or emotional. The overall purpose of the lecture was to persuade individuals to build museums that do not create these feelings, rather recognize the occurrence and move on. Professor Hirsch inferred that nothing good comes from dwelling in the past. While she was talking about museums, this can be taken as a life

Show More
Related
1792 Words | 8 Pages

Guiding Ideas for the exhibitions Charles Bean made clear his wishes for the memorial to maintain a solemn tone focusing on commemoration and steering clear from the glorification of war, or triumph over enemy. Instead, he urged ‘relics’ to be used over ‘trophies’ and discouraged derogatory terms when describing former enemies in war. He wanted the exhibits to be designed for maximum understanding, but also interest of viewers, even “75 years after the

Read More
239 Words | 1 Pages

This statement underscores the role of art in carrying the weight of history

Read More
392 Words | 2 Pages

In the background you can see a building on fire and dead bodies on the ground. In the background on the south side you can see what looks like a family, but as you look closer you see that they have chains around their wrists. This shows how the south would re-enslave African Americans. The confederate flag in the upper right corner has words written all over it, most are very hard to make out. The words on the flag are

Read More
516 Words | 3 Pages

In his book Monument Wars: Washington, D.C., the National mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape, Kirk Savage states that the reason why Americans visits monuments is because “there is a face-to-face encounter, with the public, the monument speaks to deep needs of attachment that can only be met in a real place”. I agree with Savage’s statement because it explains how monuments and the public audience are capable of a having a connection which leads to the encounter to become emotional and educational, causing the audience to process what they see and learn. One example of this is the 9/11 memorial site. When people go to this site, they become overwhelmed and captivated by what they see. It’s a memorial site that brings people to tears because of the history that’s behind it.

Read More
1241 Words | 5 Pages

In the painting, Warren is shown to dramatically descend into the arms of another soldier. Americans and British, the two main sides, are shown to be in hysteria. Among these figures, some key participants are William Howe, Henry Clinton, and William Prescott (St. Germain). Prescott also supposedly ordered American soldiers not to fire until “you see the whites of their eyes”. Two African American soldiers are also shown on the battlefield, representing the importance of black soldiers during the war.

Read More
720 Words | 3 Pages

In this article, Dorothy Lippert, a Native American, covers the complex dynamic between Native Americans and museum collections, more specifically the archeologists that recover and archive the so called artifacts. This complex relationship between the artifacts, with the scientific importance and ability to educate, and the cultural importance of the artifacts to native peoples is one that is forever changing. Curators are in charge of putting together exhibits, but as Mrs. Lippert examines, the archaeologists that collect and find these artifacts have a unique relationship with these items. This relationship is unique because once archaeologists have control of an item, they decide what the item will be called, how they will classify the

Read More
844 Words | 4 Pages

Just seeing it whet my appetite for the museum itself. The Museum 's Wyeth

Read More
436 Words | 2 Pages

Have you ever been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.? The article “At the Holocaust Museum” By David Oliver Relin walks you through the museum that replicates the concentration camps. This article could be debated as more objective or subjective. Objectivity is factual, measurable, and observable, while subjectivity is opinions, interpretations, feelings/emotions, and point of view. David Oliver Relin wrote this article balanced with both objectivity and subjectivity.

Read More
455 Words | 2 Pages

Can you identify at least one museum myth? 1. The idea that museums provide an objective view of the past, as illustrated by Ross’ conversation with his colleague in which he argues that her interpretation of the cavemen display was

Read More
722 Words | 3 Pages

In a display along the wall to the left of a house-like display, behind the small, white picket fence, of items the patron would typically see in a 1930s era home that include an antique sewing machine table and an old phonograph player. On the wall above this display has some old black and white photos taken during that era that capture the hardships the people faced such as the farming difficulties and the breathing difficulties, the black cloud of dust rolling into town, and the great sadness in the aftermath when the dust finally settled, showing everything buried in a blanket of dirt. The house-like display consists of a typical 1930s living room that include such items as family heirlooms and family photos. The museum patron can walk up onto the porch and go in the front door as if walking into the house itself. Upon stepping inside, the patron will see things like old photos, a rocking chair, a couch, and a desk.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

For instance, Washington is represented in a strikingly idealized pose. Additionally, one can see in the upper left hand corner the morning star which lends the painting a Christian significance since this star guided the three wise men to Jesus. The flag gives the overall awareness of a patriotic notion, however was not designed at the time. According to Picturing America, “The Continental Congress did not officially adopt the flag shown in the painting until June 14, 1777, but according to tradition, Betsy Ross is said to have completed one of this design in late May or early June of 1776 at the request of George Washington and two other members of the Congress”

Read More
712 Words | 3 Pages

The purpose may be to inform, to challenge, to persuade, to argue or all of these. ‘Museums are not representations of the Other, but can be read as referential indices of the Self’ (p. 365). Museum is a representation of how one interprets the other. The maker of the display has made choices and exercised

Read More
583 Words | 3 Pages

Israel Crump Dr. Keith Gumery Approaches to Liberal Studies 29, January, 2023 The Museum LensIt It is often stated that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, but has the un parting presence of smartphone photography dislodged museum audiences from the cultural art experiences? In Eric Gibson’s article, “The Overexposed Museum”, Gibson explores an absence of reverence and and robbery of the artistic cultural experience in museums (Gibson 19). The clear culprit and antagonist in the article is the overwhelming increase and culture of smartphone photography that has now been welcomed and encouraged in museums across the world.

Read More
2705 Words | 11 Pages

(Bradbury 28). Museums are typically a documentation of the lives and morality of society. The changes and shifts in human perspective and creativity are juxtaposed through works from the renaissance and the depression periods verses from the golden ages and modern day. This documentation is a means of showing the desire to progress and value creativity, but if that desire gets snuffed out it reflects a society that is blank and poreless. This is furthered as Clarrise says, “No front porches.

Read More
1819 Words | 8 Pages

Museum of Tolerance Review Christiana Dover West Coast Univesity   Museum of Tolerance Review What did you see? Walking into the Museum of Tolerance was instantly overwhelming with emotion. The courtyard has a very large memorial in the middle of the lawn, dedicated to the lives lost during the Holocaust. This set the mood for the entire trip.

Read More

More about Dorsky Museum Analysis

Open Document