Author: Elisa Mateo-Saja

Teen Night at the Museum

Elisa Mateo-Saja

Dear NYC Art Museums,

There are many museums that have attempted to reach out to children and families. While these platforms have helped and encouraged more families to come teens are still a less than welcomed group. Many museums have turned off younger audiences, middle school, and high school-aged students, in a number of ways.  Hours are often difficult for students to manage with after school events and homework. And the typical museum’s attendants are not welcoming to younger crowds. Not to mention often times art is complex and difficult to digest.

Most museums are open during the workday. Unfortunately, this is means museums close only a few hours after school gets out. Students have difficulty making it to museums in this allotted time. Students have after-school obligations or simply must get their homework done before doing something else. There isn’t enough time on school afternoons for students to attend.

Obviously, there are weekends, and while this would solve the issue if the only conflict was the time, there are more factors that off put students. Teenagers are often seen as terrors or dangers, but believe it or not, many high school students opting to go to a museum in their free time are not there to wreak havoc. I personally have experienced judging glances and hushed whispers, side eyes and just general disapproval of my presence at more serious museums. This often isn’t because teenagers are trying to be disruptive, but more likely because it is just part of how they experience things. Teenagers are more social, and when trying to understand the complex works of art in sophisticated museums, head nods and long stares just won’t suffice.

Museums often put small one to two paragraph blurbs beside a piece of art. While for frequent attendants and well-versed art enthusiasts this is sufficient, for a teenager those blurbs just don’t cut it. The young adult brain has been trained to learn through lecture and lesson, and extensive reading, lots of facts and the ability to discuss the topic at hand. But art museums do not facilitate this and expect attendants to do it on their own. Younger audiences on the other hand normally won’t. Venturing into something by one’s self is a learned skill for things we have decided we love and need more of.  However, teenagers are more likely to become frustrated or uninterested and decide to move on from it.

I propose night events that reach out to teens. Mainly focusing on high school students.  These events could occur once a month on Friday nights during the school year. Where they can browse the museums but there is a portion to have a discussion about featured pieces and or a media presentation they could watch. Adding a discussion or analytical level has increased my own appreciation for art and could do wonders for many teens. Having an opportunity to discuss a piece adds more depth to something two-dimensional. And with the event open only to teenage students, the normal older crowd will not be in attendance. This would shift the mood of the museum, from tense and unwelcoming, to friendly and inviting. In addition, a food component would also be a huge draw. Either something simple like pizza available with the entrance fee or a snack bar that is open during the event. And of course, a sanctioned area for eating, as to keep the museum clean. But overall Fridays are a great time where young people don’t have school the next morning and are often looking for fun things to go out and do. An evening browsing the museum could not only be fun but extremely beneficial.

A young interest in art provides for a lifetime of more passionate interest in arts and culture generally. Gaining cultural interest and understanding adds to a person’s intellect. And if more kids gain knowledge about the surrounding world, more than just what social media and the news regurgitate, they will be better for it. And so, will this entire planet.  Creating later visiting hours, and giving more digestible information will help teens get interested in art, and be more capable of applying what they’ve learned.  The mind of a high school student is impressionable and waiting for the right people to imprint on it. The art museums of New York city should jump at the opportunity to do so.

Sincerely,

Elisa

 

Coco Fusco Blog Post-Elisa

Elisa Mateo-Saja

 

First Impressions

 

When first looking at this piece I simply thought I had to look more closely to figure out what exactly the emblems were. Once I figured out that they were the emblems of the flags of Dominican Republic(D.R.) and the United States(U.S.) I had an immediate connection to the piece. I noticed how strange the texture of it was and thought that perhaps the grainy sandy material wasn’t the best choice as it was hard to see definitive figures without staring very closely at designs. I liked that it wasn’t as far-fetched as the other pieces in the exhibit that I thought were so abstract that it was hard to find meaning in them. And it had one of my other favorite elements art can have, simplicity. The contrast of the black and white place right next to each other, with a design with only one eye-catching piece, was just something I could appreciate without being distracted.

 

Analysis

 

When re-visiting the piece, I found a lot more than a personal connection. This time I read the blurb beside the piece. The most eye-catching piece of the blurb was that the prints were done using diamond dust. While at first, I thought it was difficult to see the differences in the side by side prints because of the diamond dust grainy quality, I realized it gave the piece more depth. Without obvious differences, the pieces seem a lot more similar. Just as the two countries are. The U.S. and the D.R. share a lot in their flags and the symbolism and the values. The piece is able to show contrast very clearly but also draw so much attention to the idea that the two nations are more similar than we believe. In addition, the diamond dust adds another layer of dimension to the titles of the prints The emblem of D.R. named “penumbra”, meaning semi-darkness or shadows, and that of the U.S. named “opaca”, meaning opaque. The semi-transparency of the diamond dust over the solid paper, had varying shadows not only in the glass covering the work but underneath each grain. The artist forced the observer to see a variety of shadows while looking at the work, not just the “penumbra”. Seeing yourself as a shadow makes you look at the pieces position on shadows and the object casting the shadow very differently. As the blurb describes it is the prints begun a greater discussion about the role the U.S. played in the Caribbean in intervening in many different countries government and economy. The D.R., and many island nations like it, became shadows of the U.S. having to just follow along. They lost a lot of their individuality and the U.S. figuratively does not let the light shine on them. Confronted with this piece I noticed that historical connection. But of course, it just isn’t that simple for me. As I looked at this piece more and more I saw how much I really did feel connected to it. But not for the means of shadow and cloud but for the similarities and differences aspect. I myself am a Dominican American and struggle with the conflicting identities that may Hispanic children face. There is a need to be American in this society, especially with the conflict that has arisen in recent years, and there is a want to cut ties to immigrant pasts and they can lead to repercussions that most wouldn’t want to deal with. But to lose your culture isn’t something that is easily done. I think that piece showed that it is more complex than just black and white, there is a thin layer that reflects and absorbs light over top. And sometimes white looks a lot like black and vice versa. It doesn’t present this contrast idea with the explanation of a “grey area” which is how we normally find solutions. But all of a sudden black and white have dimensions in their own respects. And that’s what I saw in this piece. A new layer of such common understanding.

Open Letter Draft

Elisa Mateo-Saja

Dear NYC Art Museums,

There are many museums that have attempted to reach out to children and while there is a way that these platforms have helped and encouraged more families to come teens are still a less than welcomed group. Many have turned off younger audiences, middle school and high school age, in a number of ways.  Hours are often difficult for students if they need parent transportation, and even to manage with after school events. Students should get more opportunities to see this art if there was a later opportunity. There is also a component of analyzing and comprehending that isn’t taught in schools, so teens go to art museums and walk past amazing works without a second thought. And there is an additional stigma against some students where older attendants might see them as disruptions.

As a young child, I was taken to many art museums. Whereas a young kid I was told to be quiet, and take notes, not to run and not to laugh. I could read the blurbs but didn’t get what they were saying and other adults looked at me funny as I was taken or went to those museums with my friends. Teenagers are often seen as terrors or dangerous, but believe it or not many high school students opting to go to a museum in their free time are not there to wreak havoc.

I propose night events that reach out to teens high school students mainly.  Once a month on Friday nights during the school year. Where they can browse the museums but there is a portion to have some kind of discussion or media presentation they could watch. Adding a discussion or analytical level has increased my own appreciation for art and could do wonders for many teens. Having a talk about something they see adds more depth to a two-dimensional piece. I also propose a food component because all kids are drawn by food.  Fridays are a great time where young people don’t have school the next morning and often are looking for fun things to go out and do.

A young interest in art provides for a lifetime of more passionate interest in arts and culture generally. With that, there is a more expansive and more intellectual human joining the adult world one day. Making hours longer, and giving more information that is more digestible teaches kids to get into art in a more transitional and applicative way.  The mind of a high school student is impressionable and waiting on the right people to imprint on it. The art museums of New York city should jump at this opportunity to do so.