PUBLISHED« #A-017 »
Museum Legs
Amy Whitaker
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>> Shipping & Download Information >> About our E-Books "Amy Whitaker's sparkling meditations on the museum are both delightful and pressing. She explains how we might reattain our sense of wonder, and how museums might rediscover their essence: relating to patrons without being patronizing, and sustaining themselves without selling out." —Jonathan Zittrain If you’ve ever considered going to an art museum and then thought, errr, I’ll do something else… If you’ve ever arrived at one and left a little glazed and confused… If you’ve ever thought, I might read an eight-page article about art museums but not a whole book… Then this is your story. Museum Legs—taken from a term for art fatigue—starts with a question: Why do people get bored and tired in art museums and why does that matter? As Whitaker writes in this humorous and incisive collection of essays, museums matter for reasons that have less to do with art as we know it and more to do with business, politics, and the age-old question of how to live. Maybe the great age of museums will yet be a great age of creativity and hopeful possibility in everyday life. Advance Praise"Whitaker is the perfect docent--wise, wry, and engaging. Her essays are as captivating as the artworks they describe." —Daniel Gilbert, Professor, Harvard University, author of Stumbling on Happiness "Whitaker writes with such wit and style--I was completely absorbed and laughed and nodded in equal measure. Really, I loved it." —Sophie Howarth, Director, School of Life "Whitaker's thoughtful and intriguing essays are a reminder of the gifts of moments of reflection, insight, and pleasure that museums can offer to society, and the missed opportunities if we aren't ever mindful of what museums can accomplish." —Gail C. Andrews, Director, Birmingham Museum of Art "It is so extraordinary to ask these simple questions and to have the courage to look for answers. Museums would be a better place to visit if they questioned themselves as Whitaker does." —Alfredo Jaar, artist Related TitlesSeven Days in the Art World, Sarah Thornton (2008, W. W. Norton); Museum Highlights, Andrea Fraser (2007, MIT Press). About the Author
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Reader Comments (1)
I stumbled upon "Museum Legs" recently and am absolutely having the best time reading it. There are so many thought provoking questions raised and I feel like I have the pleasure of taking a tour with a new friend who is so insightful, intelligent and down to earth. I plan on studying museum education in the coming year and would recommend this to anyone in that field but I think Ms. Whitaker's voice and questions penetrate beyond the walls of the institutions. My only wish is that the bookstore I work out could get the book in but it doesn't seem to be available to us (Joseph Beth Booksellers).