ART MUSEUM CRITIQUE

Use the following format for your museum critique; answers must be typed below the questions
and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can use this document as your
template. Pay careful attention to the required number of words for those questions that have
them. Failure to follow the instructions here and on your syllabus will result in a substantially low
grade. Minimal answers poorly written are a D grade or less. Elaboration of points, excellent
arguments, and good writing garner higher grades.

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Name_________Lyndsey LeGrande______________________Class
period/section______8_____________

1. 1) Which museum did you visit? (check one) ___ Univ. of Utah ___ BYU
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
1. 2) Describe at least one of the permanent collection exhibits on a theme, period, geographic
region, or topic) within the museum. {150 words}
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art doesn’t have any permanent collection exhibits. However,
they constantly rotate through new, innovative and contemplative exhibits from around the world.
The great thing about this is that you get a chance to see a range of different kinds of art and
artists that wouldn’t be featured in a traditional museum. For example, one of the featured exhibits
is called “Gettin’ By” by Mike Simi which is a collection of food sculptures. Another exhibit is called
“Sit Comfortably in a Darkened Room and Think of Nothing” by Heidi Jensen. This exhibit is a
series of sketches that the artist describes as “objects designed to fit or complement the body, as
tool or adornment”. Both are completely different from one another, but give a contemporary
feeling to art. There are also a wide variety of sculptures, drawings, and videos on display.
1. 3) Give a brief, one paragraph description of a special, temporary exhibit (for help, ask
museum staff what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms). {100 words}
One of the smallest exhibits was displayed on a t.v. On the t.v. was footage of a man in the middle
of nowhere with nothing around him except a pile of random belongings such as a desk organizer,
floor train tracks matt and a potted plant. This display was pretty odd and insignificant, but after
reading the artists description, it made a little more sense. The man who was inspired to make this
video had just been fired from his job, so he took everything that was in his office and went to
Cozumel as a statement that he could make anywhere home and establish it as a place of his
own.
1. 4) What do you think the museum administration and/or exhibit curators want you to learn or
gain from the exhibits you viewed? {100 word minimum}
I think this museum was created to make people more open minded about art. When we see
things we don’t understand or get uncomfortable with, we avoid it without doing
research. However, this museum shows that if you give the artwork a chance, you
can learn more about the artists’ intentions, perspectives, and talents. With some
artwork, you may understand it more, and with others, you may not get what the
point is so easily, but it makes you think and question and that’s what counts. It’s
 leaving an impact on you in some way, whether it’s good or bad.
1. 5) What kind of information is provided about the works? Where might you look for further
information if you were interested? (Name three possibilities)
On all the exhibits, there are small descriptions next to them giving you an insight into the artists
thoughts. You can also ask the museum staff about the art. Another possibility is looking on the
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art’s website for more information, or you can research a
particular artist online.
1. 6) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn to
these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were the artists?
What message do you think the artists were trying to convey in the works you chose to
discuss? This question must be answered in its entirety. {This should be ​at least ​500 words}
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is not the typical museum I would visit. I often go to
museums with historical artifacts or displays of classical paintings, however, this museum
intrigued me because it had artwork I’ve never seen on display before. Some exhibits that
appealed to me more than others were called “Gettin By”, “See Me”, and “Sit Comfortably in a
Darkened Room and Think of Nothing”.
“Gettin By” by Mike Simi was the first display I saw when I walked into the museum and to
be honest, I wanted to burst out laughing because what I saw in front of me was a roasted chicken
in the middle of the floor. Nothing else was around it. However, when I looked at the walls, I
noticed more peculiar food items placed on them such as a bowl of fruit loops, a bloody mary
cocktail, and a plate of ham and cheese. At first, I couldn’t take the display seriously because I
didn’t understand it. What was the artist thinking? How was this art? I couldn’t find a meaning to it
besides pure humor. I was really curious, so I decided to read more about the artist and their
exhibit. Once I did this, I understood much more and realized my initial reaction was the intent of
the display. The display was meant for you to “consider something more once you’ve laughed at
it”. It was supposed to be humorous because it’s taking ordinary things and making them
unexpected. After I understood the display, I felt less guilty for laughing at it and appreciated the
sense of humor because sometimes we take things a little too seriously.
“See Me” is by children facing health challenges at Primary Children’s Hospital. They were
given the prompt “If you could look inside someone’s heart and mind, what would you see?” and
they made sculptures in boxes based off their interpretation of the question. I loved this exhibit
because they were adorable and creative and had showed a deeper meaning if you looked close
enough. For instance, one child put a picture of the Disney character “Stitch” along with zebras
and floral paper. However, the artist strategically placed an intravenous bag and cannula next to
him. I interpreted this as the artist showing that a sickness won’t bring them down and that they
will continue to have hope and happiness despite their circumstances.
“Sit Comfortably in a Darkened Room and Think of Nothing” by Heidi Jensen was a display
of several hand-drawn pictures. Each drawing was inspired by a piece of feminine items, clothing
or jewelry such as a neck collar, a fan, and a feather duster. The items were recognizable, but
there was a twist to them whether they were deconstructed or a had some living thing that was
apart of it. The point of this exhibit was to reimagine femininity and break away from the
stereotypes.
It was interesting to see such contrasting and unique exhibits with different messages. No
artist or display had similarities and showed how far we can take art and how we can make nearly
anything a piece of artwork.
1. 7) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class? (They do
relate in many ways, you just need to look for those relationships). {Minimum of 150 words}
The artwork I looked at wasn’t necessarily the “pretty” artwork I’m used to such as an oil painting
or clay sculpture. If I were to look at the displays from a distance, I would think a lot of it was junk
or nonsense, but I had to pay attention to the details to find the meaning of the artwork. This
reminded me of the lesson where we compared an inexpensive bust of Shakespeare on a
pedestal to a torn Picasso picture on the floor. When we spend all of our focus on what would
seem like the obvious choice of valuable artwork we may be surprised to find out that the “ugly” or
unexpected is the more valuable or meaningful choice. We just have to give it a chance and look
more closely instead of basing our opinions on the popular choice. I’m glad I was able to have that
lesson in class because it helped me be more open minded with the art displays.

1. 8) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this type of
event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words}
I enjoyed trying out a new museum, however I’m not sure if I would go again. Contemporary art
can be a very powerful way to express oneself or give a message of some kind, however it’s not
my personal preference of art. It’s not as interesting or captivating for me because I feel more
connected and moved by traditional paintings/drawings. I would recommend this museum to
curious and open minded people because the average person would be confused by the displays.
I certainly didn’t understand many of the pieces, but it was interesting to see the different types of
creativity.

As always remember that I want to see ​reflective thinking on your part. Show me you are aware of
your limitations, your biases, etc. Show me that you are ​thinking about your own responses and
why you respond the way you do.