MAP explores artful approaches to boost interest

Author: Alexxa Gotthardt

Last Thursday 85 students gathered at the Middlebury College Museum of Art (MCMA), transforming the oft-secluded space into an unexpected pop-up hangout. Organized by the Museum Assistants Program (MAP), a group of 17 student volunteers trained in museum education, the after-hours gathering began with small-group gallery tours, and ended with a lively reception complete with hors d'oeuvres, cider and wine. The event, dubbed MAP and Friends, highlighted recent efforts by MCMA and MAP to bring an increased number of Middlebury students to the Museum. The evening was sponsored jointly by MCMA and the Department of History of Art and Architecture.

According to Curator of Education Sandi Olivo, Education Interns Sonia Epstein '09, Pujan Ghandi '09 and Ramona Richards '09 brainstormed the event after conducting tours at an exhibition presentation and wine tasting organized for MCMA's membership group, Friends of the Art Museum (FOAM). At this function, FOAM invited non-members with the hopes that they would join the Museum. Similarly, at the recent student-centric event, each Museum Assistant invited several friends who they hoped would enjoy learning about MCMA.

"We wanted to exclusively invite students to the event because it is the Middlebury student body that forgets that the Museum is for us," said Richards of the inspiration for MAP and Friends. "We share it with local school groups and visitors, but it is a teaching museum and it is ours to enjoy, but hardly anyone makes it down there."

Increasing student attendance and participation is among MCMA's primary goals, matched only by the Museum's commitment to strengthening its permanent collection. The former task, however, has proved difficult. Director of MCMA Richard Saunders outlined several challenges that might hinder student turnout including the Museum's peripheral campus location, the presence of security and the perception of exhibitions as distant or stuffy. Saunders also attributed the lack of student attendance to the busy lifestyle at the College.

"Middlebury students have many options that compete for their time (classes, assignments, dining, sleeping, spending time with friends, staying fit, etc.), so the time actually allocated to an otherwise seemingly unrelated visual experience - going to a museum - is finite," said Saunders. "Our goal, then, is to determine how we can make students more curious about visiting the museum in their already activity laden days."

Though these challenges are real, the Thursday evening gathering seemed to suggest they are not insurmountable. Many of the guests had never set foot in the Museum, and even more students attended the event than anticipated by the RSVPs. Discussion throughout the tours was animated, ranging from talk of ancient Chinese painting and poetry spurred by the visiting exhibition "Artists and Ancestors" to musings on photography of the 1980s and AIDS inspired by an iconic Robert Mapplethorpe image.

After exploring the Museum's various galleries, students lingered at the reception, sipping wine and mingling. Leah Bevis '09 summed up the reactions of many of the guests.

"I wouldn't say that I generally think of the Museum as a student space, but being led by student tour guides definitely made it seem more accessible," said Bevis. "To dress up, have a glass of wine and talk about art with friends made it seem like a special occasion."

Saunders, too, recognized the success of the event, hinting at more student-aimed functions to come at MCMA. "My sense is that many students are very eager to accept invitations by their peers to visit the museum," said Saunders. "So my hope is that this kind of activity will become a regular part of our annual events planning."