By Brandi Simmons
This Sunday, January 29, from 1 – 5 p.m., the museum will be hosting a Hack Day. We want you, the community, to join us in providing feedback on our permanent collection exhibition, Art in Louisiana: Views into the Collection.
Why are we doing this?
Hack Day is part of ongoing evaluation within LSU MOA, including staff and board assessments, open invitation discussions and small group dialogues with community stakeholders and students. In November, we hosted a featured topic Dialogue on Race discussion with individuals at the advanced and facilitator levels, which provided valuable feedback to begin the process. These conversations are a starting point that are already facilitating some re-evaluation of the museum's interpretation, which will continue to be expanded as feedback increases.
"When Art in Louisiana opened last March," says LSU MOA curator Courtney Taylor, "it reflected the voice of five curators, experts in their field. I hope to add to those voices the voices of our audience to create a more robust and inclusive conversation about our art and what it represents—or does not. What I see in the collection is different from what five experts saw, and what our Dialogue on Race group saw was also very different and eye-opening. I hope to incorporate perspectives from as diverse an audience as possible to ensure that Art in Louisiana, our permanent collection exhibition, becomes increasingly relevant to and representative of the museum's audience. Conversations and meaning-making around art are the core of our mission."
So how do you participate?
Visit the museum. Admission is free all day, Sunday, January 29 from 1 to 5 p.m. When you arrive, you’ll receive a map detailing the focus of each gallery, a stack of post-its and a pencil.
Scroll over the map below to see each permanent collection gallery.
Participate. As you go through the galleries, consider the following questions:
- What do you see?
- What do you not see?
- What would you like to see?
One staff member will present in each gallery to guide you in placing your responses and answer any questions you may have. Have a critical eye and be upfront and honest about your response. As you have feedback, write it on your post-it and stick it to the wall. All feedback will be anonymous and will be taken into consideration as we work to be more relevant and reflective of you, our audience.
Track your impact. Our goal is for this exercise to impact the future of the museum, and create lasting institutional change. With your support, you can help us accomplish some of our goals of having a more inclusive narrative and a more diverse collection. Consider becoming a member or making a donation to help move the needle on these initiatives. Members hear firsthand when changes are being made, and you can also follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated.
Continue the conversation. Bring guests to the museum and see if their impressions align with yours. Have conversations in the museum to compare perspectives and see the exhibitions through a different lens. And most importantly, consider providing ongoing feedback at www.lsumoa.org/feedback. To achieve the goal of making this museum YOUR museum, we need to hear your voice.
PLEASE NOTE: This is event is not associated with Museum Hack but to find more information about Museum Hack, visit their website: www.museumhack.com.
Brandi Simmons is LSU MOA's communications coordinator.