Summary of the main arguments from the Duncan and Wallace Essay
There are numerous fundamental points that have been raised by Duncan and Wallace in their essay. For example, museum has been one of the most authoritative and prestigious place over the years especially due to the various original works of arts that are preserved in the museum. In addition, the museum experience tends to be described in terms of aesthetic contemplation. The museum experience tends to differ among the various types of individuals who happen to visit in this site. Though there are some who visits the museum with a fixed perspective or purpose in terms of the type of work that they intend to see and learn, majority visit the museum to look over the entire collection rather than focusing on a specific individual works. In addition, the museum visit is associated with numerous values and beliefs that the individuals manage to gain after visiting the museum[1]. Precisely, the museum does not only communicate aesthetic experience but also social experience. In addition, the museum also plays the ideological function, especially due to the fact that the individuals who visit tends to learn more about the various works of arts that have been preserved in the museum. To a greater extent, museums share a number of features with the traditional ceremonial monuments. For example, the traditional societies devoted substantial wealth in not only constructing ceremonial monuments such as cathedrals and temples, but also decorating them. Similarly, the contemporary society allocates and uses substantial resources on creating and maintaining museums of arts. Precisely, the monumental appearance as well as the physical prominence of the museum signals its importance. In addition, most of the museums that were built during the first great age recalls past ceremonial architecture. Precisely, museums were similar to palaces, temples, tombs and treasuries, which are among the many buildings that were filled with echoes of ancient ceremonial practices of display and accumulation.
Moreover, the museum tends to be a complex architectural phenomenon that selects and organizes a wide range of art works within sequence of spaces. The overall organization of arts as well as the architectural forms influences the visitor`s experience, just the same way a script organizes a performance. However, the experience of an individual after visiting the museum is also influenced by his or her level of education, class and culture[2]. In addition, the organization of the museum in terms of the sequence of collections, the layout of rooms and the installation creates an experience that is similar to the traditional religious experience. Precisely, the manner in which an individual walks in the church and cultural events is the same way an individual feels of internalizes while visiting the museum. Subsequently, just the same way the churches are grouped into different categories, so is the museum. Precisely, the museum is classified into different types including the field of medieval arts and cultural artefacts.
Analysis of the AGO
The Museum`s main entrance
The main entrance of this museum begins the ritual. Precisely, as soon as the visitor happens to step in through this entrance, he or she faces an impressive spaces and a set of information. This can clearly be seen from the information desk and the ample space that characterizes this point. When the visitor enters the main entrance, he or she proceeds to the welcome desk, which is strategically located in such a way that any visitor can clearly see it. The large space at the main entrance as well as the classicizing architecture marks as the primary factor that addresses visitors as well as defining them as members of the larger community or part of the Canadian nation which has preserved the museum for centuries. In addition, the aspect of community is inherent in the architecture of this museum, especially due to the fact that it draws the visitors along marked axes as well as through the monumental corridors and halls that have been designed for the reception of crowds[3]. For example, at the main entrance, there is a number of axes that have been used to partition or demarcate the main entrance and the welcome desk. Precisely, the architecture of this museum encourages everyone to join the others, walk and explore a ceremonial procession through the museum. The present of the large space at the main entrance of this museum as well as the location of the welcome desk shows that it value and encourages a sense of belongingness.
In addition, the main entrance of the AGO museum also have grand staircase and this is perhaps the most ideological and critical laden moment in the entire museum ritual. The presence of the staircase enhances the ideological aspect of this architecture especially due to the fact that the staircases were first approved by the constructor in terms of the number and their length[4]. Before visitors can reach the foot of the staircase, they manage to see the layout of the museum in a clear way, and this marks the end of the prologue and the first major moment of the ritual walk. Thought the staircase, the visitors can are not provided with a wide range of options in terms of the directions to take, but are left with the option of either entering the museum or going back. However, the presence of a welcome desk just after the staircase serves as a convincing power that the museum have to any visitor who happens to come from the main entrance, and this is due to the fact that its magnificent and welcoming nature leaves the visitors with not any other option tut to enter and continue exploring the ritual walk[5]. Actually the main entrance, following with the presence of staircases and the welcome desk serves as the initial aspects for the chronology of the numerous other rituals that are found within the museum. In addition, the staircases are also components of a universal survey museum, and this is due to the fact that they reflect the modern designs or architecture of the museum.
Walker Court
The walker Court is marked with the entrance collider from the welcome desk to the Walker Court. The large space of this architecture of serves as an extension of the ideological and ritual walk. Precisely, the visitors who happens to walk in this room, they can feel a sense of belonging that is provided by the space allocated. In addition, the Walker Court portrays a number of components of the universal survey museum. For example, the large space provided enables all sorts of visitors or a high number of individuals to come and experience the values and beliefs of the Ontario artwork. In addition, different traditional artworks have been chronologically organized within this room, and this portrays the preservation of the art historical canon. It is in the walker Court that visitors are oriented concerning the various artworks that they can explore within the museum, and this enhances the ideological nature of the ritual walk. The paintings of the Walker Court is bright and this serves as a way of warming up the visitors concerning the experience that they would encounter while within the AGO museum. In addition, the bright paintings is part of the Canadian art of decorating public spaces such as the museum. From the paintings alone, it is evident that the Canadian government have lavished a lot of resources just the same way modern ceremonial buildings such as temples and churches are heavily and brightly decorated in order to warm up any of the visitors who happen to come there. In addition, the Walker Court is equipped with a number of glass cases with sculptural displays and many significant displays in order to preserve the various works of Canadian arts from manipulation or damages. In addition, the glass cases are transparent, and coupled with the bright paintings and designs of the Walker Court, they enable the visitors to clearly look and see the various works of art that have been preserved in the museum[6]. To a large extent, most of the artefacts that are preserved in the AGO museum are for the indigenous Canadian arts and they help in showing the history of various cultures, schools, and communities.
Gallery 121
This room is just the immediate one from the Walker Court, and serves as the central point for anyone within the museum. In this room, visitors face a number of possible routes that they can take while navigating the museum. In addition, the European paintings in this room are organized chronologically, but the present of numerous entry points leaves the visitors with the option of deciding which turn they can make. However, due to the numerous entry and exit points in this gallery, it is evident that the aspect of belongingness is not highly reinforced compared to the same in the Walker Court. In addition, high amount of attention is given to the architecture and ceiling of this gallery. Precisely, the combination of old and modern decorations have been embraced in order to adapt to new programmatic uses. In addition, this gallery is large in size compared to the other consecutive galleries in the museum, and this is due to the high number of visitors that it is likely to receive from the Walker Court. In addition, this gallery have numerous components of the universal survey museum in terms of the size, sculpture and architecture. For example the rectangular shape of this gallery with numerous entry and exit points is a component of the universal survey museum. The entry points allows the visitors to walk into their areas of preference, depending on the type of work that they are intending to explore.
Duncan Carol and Alan Wallach. The Universal Survey Museum. Retrieved from, http://www.academia.edu/2263943/The_Universal_Survey_Museum_1980_
AGO (ART Gallery of Ontario). Gallery map. Accessed from, https://ago.ca/visit/gallery-map
Chang, Ting. Travel, Collecting, and Museums of Asian Art in Nineteenth-Century Paris. Routledge, 2017.
Nieroba, Elżbieta. "Dynamics in the Field of Museums: Contemporary Challenges for Polish Museologists." Social Sciences 7, no. 5 (2018): 77.
[1]
Duncan Carol and Alan Wallach. The Universal Survey Museum. Retrieved from, http://www.academia.edu/2263943/The_Universal_Survey_Museum_1980_
[2]
Duncan Carol and Alan Wallach. The Universal Survey Museum. Retrieved from, http://www.academia.edu/2263943/The_Universal_Survey_Museum_1980_
[3]
AGO (ART Gallery of Ontario). Gallery map. Accessed from, https://ago.ca/visit/gallery-map
[4]
Chang, Ting. Travel, Collecting, and Museums of Asian Art in Nineteenth-Century Paris. Routledge, 2017.
[5]
Chang, Ting. Travel, Collecting, and Museums of Asian Art in Nineteenth-Century Paris. Routledge, 2017.
[6]
Nieroba, Elżbieta. "Dynamics in the Field of Museums: Contemporary Challenges for Polish Museologists." Social Sciences 7, no. 5 (2018): 77.
