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Traveling exhibits are often a collaborative affair for museum curators
Posted: May 16, 2008 in Things to do, Culture
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Almost since the day someone decided to put a bunch of paintings and sculptures in one place and call it a museum, these institutions have been borrowing art from each other -- and sending their own collections out on the road.
In recent years, dozens of traveling exhibitions have made their way to Indianapolis museums. Local art lovers have been treated to the riches of the Russian czars, props from the "Lord of.the Rings" movies, pop art by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and the ancient sculptures of Rome.
Yet deciding which exhibits to bring to Indianapolis can include factors -- from potential attendance to a museum's education mission -- as varied as the individual shows.
The benefits of traveling exhibits are obvious. Most of the best art in the world is already owned by somebody, and they don't want to sell it. And even if they did, prices that can run tens of millions of dollars per piece would break the bank of even the wealthiest museum.
These shows also allow a museum to move beyond the limitations of its own permanent collection, said James Nottage, vice president and chief curatorial officer at the Eiteljorg Museum.
"It's the idea of the museum as a forum, where the public can see things from other institutions and private collectors that otherwise they couldn't see," he said.
Of the 200 or 300 pieces on display at any given time in the Eiteljorg's American Indian galleries, as many as 100 may be on loan from elsewhere -- chiefly the Smithsonian Institution.
Sometimes museums lend individual pieces to one another, and other times a large number of artworks are organized into a themed exhibit and sent on the road. Often the lines can blur, with curators from different museums working together to come up with an idea for an exhibit of works pulled from a variety of sources.
"Some of the traveling shows are processes of collaboration that we produce in association with other institutions," Nottage said. "For example, when we did Roy Lichtenstein ('Pop Goes the West'), we produced the companion show on Andy Warhol, but we borrowed the works from one other institution."
Another example is the Eiteljorg's current exhibit "Yosemite: Art of an American Icon," which came from the Autry National Center, but includes a couple of pieces from the Eiteljorg's collection.
As a result of the collaborative nature of traveling exhibits, the 14 curators at the Indianapolis Museum of Art spend a great deal of their time communicating with colleagues across the globe, according to Sue Ellen Paxson, deputy director of collections and programs.
The IMA typically puts on about 30 to 35 exhibits a year, and has plans as far ahead as 2012. Only three shows in 2008 will be traveling exhibits. The next major one will be "European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century," done in conjunction with the Denver Art Museum, which will debut at the IMA in March 2009 and then travel to other institutions.
While blockbuster exhibits such as last fall's "Roman Art from the Louvre" can bring in audiences from Chicago and St. Louis, Paxson said popularity is not the most important factor in determining whether to take a traveling show.
"We're trying to serve our goals and objectives in an educational way," Paxson said. "We don't look at numbers first. We look at achieving our goals."
At the Indiana State Museum, attendance does weigh into the decision of which exhibits to book.
"If we don't think a show will draw numbers sufficient to make the investment worth it, that would be a factor in whether we bring it in," said Jim May, vice president of museum programs. "And we would weigh how important an.education mission the show would have."
May said the state museum is currently in the midst of transitioning from a format that was mostly traveling shows to one that will be mostly homegrown.
In 2009, the state museum has two major exhibits booked. One is "Corn: Powering the World," an in-house exhibit examining man's 8,000-year relationship with the plant, a Hoosier staple. The other is "Body Worlds 3," Gunther von Hagens' controversial exhibit of preserved human bodies arranged into artistic displays.
May said he doesn't think "Body Worlds 3" will be a shock to local audiences.
"It's sort of a bold, kind of in-your-face education experience. You're not studying photographs, you're not studying books, you're studying the real specimens."
The controversy surrounding "Body Worlds" has been about the way the bodies are posed, but the exhibit is attracting visitors to museums around the country.
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry closed its exhibit of "Body Worlds 3" in October 2007. Communications Director Lee Dawson said 375,000 visitors attended the exhibit, with the museum receiving only a handful of complaints.
"When the exhibit opened, honestly it was overwhelmingly positive. It was the most-attended exhibit in our museum's history," Dawson said. "On the first day, we were totally surprised by the number of families going through -- including kids in strollers, kids on shoulders, teenagers, preschool kids."
An official from the California Science Center, which is currently displaying "Body Worlds 3," said it has received no negative reaction from the public since the exhibit opened in March.
One of the Indiana State Museum's biggest draws in recent years was "The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy," featuring props, costumes and weapons from the popular fantasy films. More than 250,000 people came to see it.
May said it took some convincing to.book the exhibit, which made only three stops in the U.S., and six worldwide.
"The thing about traveling shows is you have to get in line when they're available, not when you think you can put them on ..... whereas one that you do yourself you have the flexibility to schedule it for whenever and how long you want," May said.
Kathy Nagler, executive director at the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, said her institution prefers to curate its own shows. While exhibits that are collaborations between institutions can be fruitful, she said, there's a trap of taking cookie-cutter shows in which the local museum has no input.
"I don't love them because they're too easy. You just (rent) them and they come in a bunch of crates and you hang them on the wall," Nagler said.
Costs to rent traveling exhibits vary widely. Local museum officials say they've gotten quality shows for a few thousand dollars, while major exhibits can run deep into six figures or more.
The "Lord of the Rings" exhibit cost the Indiana State Museum $300,000 just to rent.
At the Eiteljorg, a large traveling show can run $250,000, including rental fee, insurance and marketing costs. "Roman Art from the Louvre" cost the IMA a total of $1.5 million, supported by a grant from the Lilly Endowment.
On the flip side, Indianapolis museums are starting to be more active in generating their own exhibits to send out on the road. The IMA's "European Design" show is expected to be a major development in the budding field of design.
Nagler is particularly excited about "Is You Is or Is You Ain't," a video exhibit currently at iMOCA developed by curator Christopher West. After its Indianapolis run, it will travel to Baltimore and then New York.
"In my opinion, the most prestigious thing in the art world is when you can create a show and then send it elsewhere," Nagler said. "Not only do you get income because the other institutions will pay for it, but also you get recognition for it -- not only for the institution, but the curator."
Notable exhibits that have traveled to Indianapolis in recent years:
Roman Art from the Louvre: A world-class collection of Roman sculpture and objects drew regional crowds -- from Chicago to St. Louis -- to the Indianapolis Museum of Art in fall 2007. The IMA was the first U.S. stop for the exhibition.
The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition: More than 250,000 people visited the Indiana State Museum in fall 2005 to see props and costumes from the film trilogy.
Pop Goes the West: The Eiteljorg Museum's exhibit of paintings, drawings and sculptures by Roy Lichtenstein was joined by a locally curated companion exhibit of works by Andy Warhol for a Pop Art extravaganza in early 2007.
Gifts to the Tsars, 1500-1700: Treasures From the Kremlin: Jewelry, weapons, chalices and other rich objects from Russian royalty made a big impact at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in fall 2001. The show, developed by the IMA in collaboration with the Kremlin's Armory Museum, made its only U.S. stop at the IMA.
Upcoming traveling and homegrown exhibitions should enthrall visitors
To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum
What: More than 100 objects (coffins, statuary, jewelry and vessels) from the Brooklyn Museum's collection of Egyptian artifacts. The IMA will be the first museum to host this touring exhibition.
When: July 13 through Sept. 7.
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art (Clowes Gallery in the Wood Pavilion), 4000 Michigan Road.
Info: (317) 923-1331, www.imamuseum.org
Body Worlds 3
What: Gunther von Hagens' exhibit of preserved human bodies arranged into artistic displays.
When: Early 2009.
Where: Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St.
Info: (317) 232-1637, www.indianamuseum.org
Corn: Powering the World
What: An Indiana State Museum exhibition that examines man's 8,000-year relationship with corn.
When: Mid-2009.
Where: Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St.
Info: (317) 232-1637, www.indianamuseum.org
European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century
What: An examination of two decades of Western European design organized around modernism (industrial design) and postmodernism (decorative design). This is a joint exhibition with the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum and Kingston University in London.
When: March 8 through May 31, 2009.
Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road.
Info: (317) 923-1331 or www.imamuseum.org