Cultural Activity #2

Event Critique- Museum

Aubrey Jack
Period 1
1. BYU Museum of Art
2. There were different sections in the museum. When you first walk in they had the gallery A
Visual Testimony: Minerva Teichert's Book of Mormon Paintings that had art pieces
throughout time that talk about religious beliefs. Then across that gallery they had the Shaping
America exhibit that focused on history and went through different eras that contributed to the
shaping of America. Downstairs there was a gallery To Magnify the Lord that showed six
centuries of art and devotion to the Lord. Across the hallway they had the Potato Eaters
exhibit. The MOA had a variety of genres but they were well organized and subtle. My personal
favorite was the Potato Exhibit. I felt like for the first time I actually understood art. It had a
theme but it wasn't posted everywhere you had to in a way be looking for it to find it. It was
talking about her families history and what she and her relatives have been through. In the
upstairs art exhibit it was almost set up like a time line and as you walked through you saw
different pictures from different time periods that blended together. The way the MOA was set
up was very clean and nice.
3. In my opinion the Potato Eaters was the most unique and special exhibit out of all of them. This
Exhibit is about her and her families history. It is showing culture from where her parents grew
up and what they valued, It shows the domestic side of women and how their lives are effected
by their expectations in society and their families and last but not least it there is a section based
off of real life photos of her extended family but to her it is the most unrealistic section of all
because all she knows about it are the stories that may or may not be true. All she has is a
snapshot in time but no real knowledge of what happened at that time.

4. Next to the pieces of artwork there are descriptions and information about the piece. The
information they give you includes the date it was made, by whom and with what. It then it
gives a brief synopsis of what the artist was trying to get across or the story behind it. Three
places you could find more information about the artwork are the sign next to the painting, the
employees and the pamphlets that they have about certain pieces of artwork there. I learned that
it is easy to rely on the information that oyu are given but it is important that you make your
own opinions about the art and let it speak to you before you rely on the information you are
given to explain it to you.
5. There were several pieces of art that I found myself drawn to and touched by. The first piece
that I was drawn to was outside of the Visual testimony exhibit on the first floor. This piece is
called the Nativity and was painted by Brian Kershisnik. I must admit the first thing that drew
me to this exhibit is the size. This painting is massive and covered majority of the wall. Another
reason I think I went to this first is because it is outside in between two exhibits placing a
special focus on it. When I first looked at this artwork I stood really far away and then got up
really close. I felt really silly doing it but then I understood why you encourage us to do this.
When you are up close you see details that are important but when you are far away you see the
big picture quite literally and you start to understand it without the clutter of the small details. In
this painting while I was up close I notices that the artist hid details like angles crying and a
halo around baby Jesus. When I stood far away I noticed that there are angles of all ages which
is contrary to the common belief and depictions that I have seen in different nativities. A
different piece that I found myself drawn to was the Falllen Monarchs painting by William Bliss
Baker. This beautiful piece of art was painted in 1886 and the medium is oil on canvas. This
painting perfectly depicts the woods. It shows the beauty in it but also has an ominous feel to it,
the same feeling you get while you are in the woods. You feel as if you are standing in the
woods. The way the trees and leaves reflect off of the water combined with the ripples cause it

to come to life. The leaves are changing colors and a fallen tree is in the background. Almost as
if it remains untouched and unpolluted by human kind. I just think it is amazing how such
emotion can be provoked by a few frees and some leaves. It looks as if it will come to life and
has an ominous feel to it creating a confusing mixture of serenity and suspense. The last piece
of artwork that I will talk about was inside of the potato eaters gallery. It was called MOM 16
and is by Rebecca Campbell. The art medium is oil on bored. The reason that I enjoyed this
painting so much is It was just so true. It had [art of the picture scraped away and t was cracking
on part of it. What it meant to me is that memories only last so long, They die with the pictures
and the people who they belong to. Pictures deteriorate and people die. It just reminded me to
live more in the now because the moment you are currently experiencing will never be
experienced again. It can be temporarily saved by a photograph but eventually that picture will
be gone too. Don't be stupid but take risks and don't leave with any regrets.
6. I remember when we looked at some pieces of artwork in class and we looked at a series of
images that's focus was on motherhood and how hard it is to be a mom and that was also
covered at the museum of art. Another one of Rebecca Campbell's paintings really hit me hard
and made me think about that class discussion. Her painting (Glow) had a woman hanging in
front of her house by Christmas lights. To me this was talking about the pressure that women
have on them by the commercialized world we live in to have the perfect decorations, the most
elaborate party the extravagant dinners and the best gifts during the holiday season and arguably
their entire life as a grown woman. They are tied up will all of these expectations and are
suffocating. Mothers (according to society) are supposed to throw all of their wants and needs
aside to make it the perfect holiday season for their children and spouse. They aren't allowed to
truly enjoy the holiday season. Mothers are the epitome of being selfless and we often times
take them for granted.
7. I honestly loved this experience. When ever I go into a museum I find myself briefly looking

over everything but not taking in the full beauty of it all. I feel like I need to look at everything
but by doing that what I get out of it is basically nothing. This time I studied the pieces of art I
looked and them up close and far away. I looked at the different techniques that the artist used
and though of why they chose to do it that way. I read the descriptions and the time periods. At
the very beginning I was making fun of how some people make up deeper meanings than what
is there by impersonating them and at one point I started to scare myself with how much sense I
was making. I realized that maybe I've been looking at art wrong this entire time. I'm constantly
trying to figure out what the artist is trying to say and what the point they are trying to get
across is but I realized that that doesn't matter as much as what it means to me does. I would
enjoy going to this kind of thing again with the knowledge that I now have about how to look at
art. I wish I would've understood this before I went to Washington DC and saw all of the art that
I did because I feel I didn't fully appreciate it. You live and you learn.