When I have to describe my job to people in and outside of the Rubin Museum I always say that I am a museum educator who oversees most everything that helps visitors learn about works of art without a live educator standing there discussing the art or a label written by a curator. This means I conceptualize and look after audio tours, videos, books and activities in the galleries, computer interactives, and web interactives and initiatives, such as blogs.
Working on Gateway to Himalayan Art, Ive had to think about all of these different elements. As the exhibitions goal is to introduce viewers to the basic figures, symbols, materials, techniques, and uses of Himalayan art, Ive been working on many different elements to make some of those ideas come alive in the gallery and online.
Im going to be fully honest: while I have enjoyed looking at Buddhist and Hindu art in museums since my early-teenage years (when I begged my mother to take me to see the Asian wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), I do not have an academic background in Himalayan art. As a result, creating resources for Gateway has been a learning process for me. I think my position as an outsider gives me something of an advantage as I am able to readily put myself in the shoes of a visitor who is unfamiliar with Himalayan art. I ask myself: What are the questions that need to be clarified? What do I wish I had available to help me learn about Himalayan art?
Sometimes I wish I had a handheld device that I could point at a work of art, like a thangka painting, and it would highlight and explain the significant elements that are contained within that work. Maybe it would be like a special Himalayan art smart phone app. While Im not quite that advanced, in this spirit Ive created a series of touch-screen interactives and a looking guide for Gateway.
Touch Screen
The three touch screen interactives will let visitors decode works of art. The interactives present an example of a mandala, narrative painting and lineage painting. Touching highlighted areas on the painting will zoom in on a detail and explain its significance. Im creating them in Keynote and am now in the process of collaborating with our graphic designers to make sure they look extra nice. To see a web-based example, check out the Rubins Explore Art website. Ive been working for several months in close contact with curators Karl Debreczeny and Elena Pakhoutova to select the works of art, highlight important details, and proofread the text.
Looking Guide: Gestures
The looking guide is less high tech but is something visitors can use in the galleries throughout the museum and even take home with them. It will be a slender brochure that illustrates and defines the major figures and symbols in Himalayan art. Using the guide, I hope visitorseven those completely unfamiliar with Himalayan artwill feel empowered to look closely at works of art and feel confident that they can begin to interpret them. I havent even mentioned the 18-stop audio tour we are producing or a video featuring our special lost wax figures, but suffice it to say that Gateway will be a resource-rich experience for all.