My Day in NYC: Day 10 A Fond Farewell

Today wasn’t a day for visits or exploration. We all had one final story to tell about museums we looked at in depth, the problems we faced along the way, and the lessons we learned throughout the course of our projects. It hardly feels as if we were in New York at all, but at the same time felt like such a voyage.

We saw museums in every stage of development, content, and character. I won’t go on describing the vastness of what everything we saw, but rather on the little things that have broadened my view of museums.

The visitors are the core of any institution, and being in the position of a visitor making a tough run, I can say that the museums that have considered how their guests might respond to a space and to the challenges of getting through the day, they work pretty well. A strategically placed bench and bathroom sign are just as important as a well organized gallery space. There was also the thought that while we have standards, traditions, and expectations in our field we can follow a better path.

Our theme of museums in uncertain times should tell us that we are at a point in our field where survival means adapting to out times. As a student of history, I'm reminded of the uncertain times of the Great Depression which were solved by the bold initiatives of the New Deal. Those initiatives weren’t always orthodox or popular, but they saved the country and pushed the future in a brighter direction. I’m grateful for the time we spent at Pioneer Works, NEW INC., and the Climate Museum. They were all institutions that sought to serve the public, but have done so in their own ways while at the same keeping a certain level of independence by distancing themselves from established principles.

Throughout all the talks we had, and all the hardships that our fellow professionals faced, I was able to sense a strong will to work things out and persist in the face of an uncertain future. If we gained anything during these two weeks, I would hope the drive and will to overcome our fields shortcomings was one of them. For my part I’m looking forward to blazing my own trail, and see if I can’t do my part for the profession and the people.

New York City Skyline. (2010). Retrieved from http://amazingnewyorkcity.blogspot.com/

Front Steps of The Met. (2014).Central Park Story. Retrieved from http://www.centralparkstory.com/met-on-front-steps-is/