Palmer Museum Observation

On October 10th, I visited the Palmer Museum of Art and made an observation on how this space is being used. I walked to the museum at 3:00 P.M. and did not anticipate many visitors there because it was a homecoming weekend. At first, I expected less than ten people would visit the museum. However, there were around fifteen to twenty people there. Most of them were adults, but some of them were teenagers who seem to stop by after the football game. The adult were really interested in the exhibition and one of them even brought a book to read in the gallery.
To obtain different perspectives about the museum, I interviewed visitors and museum staffs. One of the visitors said, “I come several times a month because my friend installed the exhibition,

The first floor has fewer paintings and mostly consists of Chinese Porcelain. While the second floor divides paintings and sculptures into sections according to theme and time period. I spent most of my time on the second floor because it has more open space and has a seat where you can observe your surrounding. When I toured around the second floor, I discovered that the museum separates artworks according to their themes. For example, portrait and scenery paintings were in one area while American drawings and watercolors were at the Mining the Store II

It gave me a sense of privacy because you are lost in your own world while appreciating the exhibitions. It made me wanted to visit again, perhaps this is called “A Sense of Place.” A sense of place is the emotional and experiential things that tie humans into a particular environment. The community sets a share value, a practice, and a way of being. From my observation, local visitors come to museum regularly. I think the layout and various themes create serenity. Because the museum has open spaces and is surrounded by decorated walls, people are lost in their dreamy afternoons while appreciating masterpieces. Walking around the museum is like taking an excursion, you perceive unique attitudes from a distinct gallery. This museum has art culture and impression within space. In our daily lives, we are surrounded by strangers. However, we only focus what is in front of us. Similarity, in the museum, you only focus on artwork in front of you. I think this is the answer to how the museum makes people feel a sense of place. The museum serves as a place that gather and connect people who share the same interest. It has its own community and identity under this State College