To me, this Sontag quote defies much of what I usually demand from the infrastructure of a museum. I appreciated the booklets and description plates at the Queens Museum because they displayed the intentions of the artist and how I should be looking at the artwork.

However, upon more thought, I realize that interpretation of the visual arts can be a weakness – an attempt to control a piece I did not create. When reading poetry, I try to let is wash over me, emotionally and visually, instead of trying to extrapolate meaning from it- and this phenomenon is powerful for other art as well. These TVs displayed various scenes shot in grainy quality. Sometimes the images were disturbing, and the various states of “on” or “off” were disorienting. Allowing myself to feel those sensations, rather than impose meaning upon them, was refreshing and made the experience more impactful when I learned the exhibit was about the perspectives of the incarcerated.