In the 21st century, museums are being called on to act as arbiters of social inclusion, with a new emphasis placed on sharing untold stories and amplifying unheard voices. As Richard Sandell explains, “alongside its value as an educational institution, the museum must now present its justification in terms which demonstrate its ability to…tackle issues … Continue reading Where Do Collections Fit In?
Author: Art with an Opinion
Tanya (she/her) graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Art History/minor in Cultural Anthropology from UCLA in 2010. Her background in the arts involves curating local artists, marketing contemporary arts programs to new audiences, volunteering at various institutions, and providing support to several departments within Hammer Museum during her time at UCLA. She currently serves on the Experience Committee of the Junior Associates at Dallas Museum of Art.
Originally from Boston, Tanya has also lived in Arizona and California, and she’s currently based in Dallas while she pursues her Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Museum Studies with Harvard Extension School. She’s passionate about public engagement and exhibition design, which stems from research she did with Hammer Museum as an undergrad, where she discovered the endless power and potential of strong public programming. She is working toward her vision of opening her own art space, and would also love to design and curate exhibitions at museums around the globe.
You’ll find her engaging with as many museums as she can when she travels – among her favorites are the Seattle Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, and MAD in NYC. When she’s not exploring local art scenes, she’s relaxing with a good book, catching a concert, or visiting friends and family on either coast.
Tanya can be reached at artwithanopinion@gmail.com.
Truth is in the Negative Space
Lisa Corrin questions “whose truth is on exhibit at the Maryland Historical Society” in her examination of Fred Wilson’s Mining the Museum intervention held at the institution in 1992 (Corrin 338). The Society’s collection, which was re-imagined and redisplayed by Wilson to highlight the stories that have gone untold in the context of history as … Continue reading Truth is in the Negative Space
Is The Met a McGuggenheim?
In her 2005 essay “Museums and Globalization,” Saloni Mathur criticizes certain attempts to globalize museums via commercialized business practices and branded marketing. The most obvious example of this “McGuggenheim effect” of the 1990s is, perhaps unsurprisingly given the phenomenon’s name, the Guggenheim Museum, which set its sights on global expansion as an international brand during … Continue reading Is The Met a McGuggenheim?
Remixed Van Gogh
Over the weekend, I was treated to an experience of the Immersive Van Gogh experience in Dallas, Texas. Designed by Massimiliano Siccardi and soundtracked by Luca Longobardi, the vibrant exhibit transforms 500,000 cubic feet of blank warehouse space with animated projections of Van Gogh’s art, accompanied by audio, that envelop the audience in the artist’s … Continue reading Remixed Van Gogh
MCASB’s Lack of Community Connection
Last month, the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) unceremoniously closed permanently, with limited communication to its community via publicly accessible channels. The museum’s imminent closure was shared with its email subscribers in July, and in August the museum’s website was updated to reflect the closure as well. The closure came as a surprise, … Continue reading MCASB’s Lack of Community Connection
The Dallas Museum of Art’s Disjointed Physical Space
The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), established in 1903 and now located in the city’s Arts District, serves as a fairly traditional encyclopedic arts museum (“About”). DMA’s permanent collection presents a vast array of art across the globe and across time, and its temporary exhibitions also draw from international art historical influences. While the museum’s … Continue reading The Dallas Museum of Art’s Disjointed Physical Space
The Kimbell Art Museum: Inviting Yet Ambiguous
The Kimbell Art Museum, established in 1972, is located in Fort Worth, Texas’ Cultural District. Operated by the Kimbell Art Foundation, the museum grew from the personal collection of Kay Kimbell and his wife Velma, who wished to “encourage art in Fort Worth and Texas” in a “museum…of the first class.” The mission statement created … Continue reading The Kimbell Art Museum: Inviting Yet Ambiguous
Absence of Ethics at the Orlando Museum of Art
In early 2022, the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) in Orlando, Florida found itself embroiled in a federal scandal regarding its exhibition of a previously-unseen collection of what were purportedly Jean Michel Basquiat paintings (Sokol, “In Orlando”). Consisting of 25 works initially wholly attributed to the artist, discovered among personal belongings long forgotten in a … Continue reading Absence of Ethics at the Orlando Museum of Art
Hammer Museum: Evolution of Reinvention
Established in 1990 to house the personal collection of Occidental Petroleum magnate Dr. Armand Hammer, the Hammer Museum at UCLA has evolved into a contemporary community hub for the city of Los Angeles (“About Us”). Although the permanent collection primarily contains works by old masters, over the last two decades director Ann Philbin has guided … Continue reading Hammer Museum: Evolution of Reinvention
He is the Memorial, and the Memorial is Him: Facing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Through the Lens of Poetry
Although initially controversial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial humanizes the remembrance of war. The memorial's visual narrative invites visitors to connect with their personal experience as they view their reflection among the names of the dead etched into the wall's surface. This powerful act stirs myriad emotions. Yusef Komunyakaa's poem "Facing It" helps analyze the memorial's … Continue reading He is the Memorial, and the Memorial is Him: Facing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Through the Lens of Poetry
Art with an Opinion 