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_____​Steven Baker​_______Class period/section____​1st Period​_______

1. 1) Which museum did you visit? ​X​ Univ. of Utah ___ BYU

1. 2) Describe at least one of the permanent collection exhibits on a theme, period,

geographic region, or topic) within the museum. {150 words}

One permanent exhibit within the ​Utah Museum of Fine Arts was their exhibit on the
​ his exhibit included cultural artwork and craftsmanship from two main African
Arts of Africa. T
tribes, the Yaka and Suku, and had numerous ancient ceremonial garb. One outfit of clothing was
an entire costume of a bird made completely from straw, while another was a narrow face mask
formed with clay. On one wall of the exhibit hangs a beautiful rug made of straw that was
colored in black and white. The rug seemed to be in great condition considering it was over 200
years old, but I did notice a splotch of red amidst the rugs artwork making me wonder if it was
blood or another substance. Nonetheless the exhibit was remarkable and I pay my respects to the
Democratic Republic of the Congo for donating such pieces to the University of Utah. I also
would like to note that this isn't the only permanent exhibit within the museum and there were 9
other sections to be explored.

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}

The temporary exhibit at the time of my visit was titled ​The Race to Promontory.​ The
exhibit celebrates the 150th anniversary of the meeting between the ​Union Pacific Railroad
Company and ​Central Pacific Railroad Company at Promontory Summit where the last spike of
the Transcontinental Railroad was complete.This exhibit included numerous photographs taken
by the photographers at the time who were employed by the two railroad companies, and also
includes artifacts from the journey. A major highlight of this exhibit is the three final spikes
present at Promontory for the completion of the railroad, Golden Spike, Nevada Silver Spike,
and the Arizona Spike.

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}

In the temporary exhibit The Race to Promontory​, I believe administration wants the
viewers to discover how historical the event was. In a time where everyone travelled by boat or
horse to get across the country a railroad would change western civilization forever. Curators
highlight photographers who took countless shots of the process and explored the era of their
time through images. The exhibit also shows the beauty of America and its nation through the
interactive artworks and pictures.
In the permanent exhibits administration presents multiple cultures ranging from 15th
century England, to 17th century Africa and so on. Each artwork showing of a unique taste of the
different societies, while also showing how historical each civilization was for another.
A modern exhibit resonates political and social agendas with abstract or contemporary
paintings ranging from the entirety of the 19th century. Making viewers understand how art has
changed from the times of Elizabethan England and pre-colonization Africa.

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)

Plaques beside the artwork give brief details about the artist and design, while also asking
questions to the viewer on how they should interpret or think about the piece. Making for a more
in-depth analysis of each piece. Each plaque also gives the date of each artworks creation and
includes a description about the craftsmanship.
Further information about the pieces can be found online through the official UMFA
(Utah Museum of Fine Arts) website, researching different websites on specific artists or eras of
art, or by simply asking one of the museums employees if they know anything about the pieces
of art within the museum. There’s also the ability to email one of the museums administrators for
more information, and you can subscribe to a newsletter for UMFA.

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}
 One particular photograph caught my eye during my walk of ​The Race to Promontory​.
This photograph was titled “Salt Lake City, 1868 - Panoramic.” Taken by photographer Andrew
D. Russell who was 38 at the time. I examined the photo and found it shocking how flat
everything was prior to the construction of high rises and office buildings, and in this particular
photo the capitol building hadn't even been built yet. The notion that the capitol was built until
1917 dumbfounded me, until I researched that the state itself wasn't declared a state until 1896.
In regards to the photographer Andrew D. Russell who was a voluntary infantryman during the
Civil War, turned into a photographer, and was hired by the ​Union Pacific Railroad Company to
document the construction of the railroad. Andrew took this photo knowing that it would hold
important historical significance one day, and also wanted to get a fascinating shot of Salt Lake
City before his departure back to New York. He even wrote within his journal about the west,
and most likely wrote entries about Utah’s natural wilderness connection to civilization.
In the ​Arts of Africa exhibit I observed a piece labeled “Spirit Canoe” by an unknown
artist. The origins of this hand carved wooden canoe was found in Indonesia, and was later
identified to be a piece of art by the Asmat people (a tribe in the northern region of Indonesia.)
The Canoe itself was made around the 13th century and believed to have been made when the
death of a family member occurred. Each canoe would have no bottom so that no living being
could travel with the dead to the afterlife. Included was also carvings of ancestors or spirits that
took parts of animals to help in others journeys. This particular canoe had four creatures whose
bodies resembled crows but had the heads of men, and also included monkeys in the front and
back who also had the heads of men on them. I can only imagine that the meaning behind this
was to say the family’s spirit animal was a crow, and some of their relatives who had already
passed were the monkeys of the bloodline. A jab at humor and respect for the deceased. The
canoes symbolism and religious value was meant to help the passing of the deceased into the
Land of the Dead, while also allowing the deceased to pass their power back to the community
for protection and aid from evil spirits.
Another piece that appealed to me was from the ​European Art exhibit. A painting titled,
“Dance Around the Maypole” depicts a Flemish village celebrating a secular event for the
arriving of spring. Created by artist Pieter Bruegnel the Younger this oil painting was built
between 1625 through 1630. It’s colorful and chaotic imagery is overwhelming at first but takes
a moment to focus on each scene occuring within the painting. There’s nothing abstract or messy
about the painting, the brush strokes are precise and each person has distinct features. In this
small village we can see the maypole in the center of town as people dance and drink around it.
Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves at first glance, but upon further examination you'll
discover the mayhem behind the masses. Pieter Bruegnel takes a visual concept from his father,
Pieter Bruegel the elder who was also a painter, and includes simultaneous narrative within his
paintings. Bruegel sends the viewer a message about human immodesty with characters fighting,
vomiting, and urinating in public. Bruegal also includes another visual concept he also took from
his father's. Behind the crowds of people sails a small vessel on the river, a vessel that drifts
alone towards a church, this vessel representing how people should escape the madness of
society and seek refuge in their faith.
I became intrigued by each of these pieces and having never researched or even been
aware of these pieces I had to do some research to comprehend what I witnessed. I will say I
knew about Promontory before I visited the museum, but I knew nothing about the culture of the
Yaka and Suku, or that there even was a culture of people called Flemish. I will say it costed me
some sleep but I consider the knowledge I gained worth it to understand the art I examined.

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}

Within the ​Modern and Contemporary Art exhibit was a painting titled, “Resilience” by
Kim Martinez. This image had a dog with a red mohawk biting the head of a nude black woman.
When I examined this piece I tried to determine its meaning on whether it meant the inequality
of women is similar to having their head bitten off by the top dog of society, or if the women's
ability to be alive while this dog bites her head demonstrates the resilience of its title. Showing
how women can withstand the menacing jaws of oppression and still survive in their efforts for
equality I was brought back to our current readings.
In ​The Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Stanton the subject of unfair treatment by
government is remarked, “when a long train of abuses and usurpations,pursuing the same object,
evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such
government.” Making a statement that, “Women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and
fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission
to all rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States.” This
oppression is the jaws of government biting down on women who in turn don't let this affect
them. Instead the strong women throw off the jaws of government and pursue their basic rights
without further fear of being silenced by society.

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}

If given another opportunity, and with people who are actually interested in the artwork
present, I’d gladly return to the UMFA. I didn't get a chance to fully explore each piece of
artwork because I got their an hour before close so I only saw maybe half of what they had to
offer, and only had time to delve deep into each piece a few times. However, from what I saw I
was extremely curious as to what the rest of each artwork meant. Mostly I loved staring at the
Modern and Contemporary Art exhibit because of all the unique artworks their were. Reading up
on the photographers of ​The Race to Promontory was also amusing because each one had a rare
story to describe. Learning about their life stories and how they came to photograph the west in
their own style was fascinating to view through both their pictures and their own written words.

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.