Redefining the Role of the Art Museum in the 21st Century: A Look at the Detroit Institute of Arts
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Authors
Ehlert, Katherine
Issue Date
2009
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Art Museums have historically alienated their visitors and have had trouble
bringing in underrepresented segments of the population. In recent years, art museums
have begun redefining their role in society and have focused more on accommodating
visitor experiences. The visitor experience is shaped not only by the individual, but also
by the museum staff, the museum community, and the local community. To illustrate
this redefined role, I use the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA), which recently underwent a
major reinstallation, as a case study. I interviewed museum staff members about
reinstallation initiatives and visitors about their experiences in the museum, and
compared their responses with Pekarik et al's four categories of satisfying experiences:
object, cognitive, introspective and social. I argue that while the DIA 's reinstallation
initiatives generally promote richer, more satisfying visitor experiences, their outreach
programs have failed to expand and diversify the visiting populations. Following
Bourdieu, I argue that the DIA did not recognize the socially reproduced alienation that
may have been preventing some segments of the population from visiting museums with
their current habitus. The DIA should reevaluate the effectiveness of their outreach
programs, while finding new ways to reach out and build strong relationships with these
communities in order to change their habitus of being alienated from museums, and
welcome them into the newly reinstalled DIA where possessing a cultural code is not a
prerequisite.
Description
v, 94 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College.
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.