Museums and Utopian thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museums and Utopian thought - Essay Example When considering art objects it’s clear that they have a distinct source of power over people. Kirshenblatt-Gimblet (2000) articulates a notion of art objects as taking on powerful symbolic elements when viewed as message of representatives of social relations among people. In terms of art objects, one of the primary power sources is clearly the nature of their inclusion within the museum. The inclusion of the art into the museum or gallery format imbues the object with an institutional or social sense of recognition. Notably, Kirshenblatt-Gimblet (2000, p. 7) states, â€Å"the museum tends to be conserving and conservative institution, subject to the catalyzing effects of avant- garde artists that engage and attempt to destabilize its very premises on the premises†¦to appeal to a wider public.† This is a contrasting understanding of the meaning or ‘power’ of the art object, as gaining its significance from its resistance of cooptation of the museum or gallery, with the museum acting as a catalyst to this resistance. Still, it is ultimately the institution of the museum that motivates or ‘catalyzes’ this meaning, ultimately giving the object its power. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (2004) proposes a vision of the museum as a history of utopian thought. In many regards, it’s clear that the museum does act as a sort exemplification of utopian ideals. This notion follows two modes of thought, as both the structural nature of the museum itself is recognized as encouraging this utopian identification, as well as the idealistic intentions of the artwork within the museum. In terms of physical elements of the museum consider Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (2004, p. 1) who states, The museum is at once an architectural form, a concrete environment for reflection, a reservoir of tangibilities, a school for the senses, a space of