Welcome to the new Revolving Museum Blog, an evolving on-line space where I’ll be exploring the Revolving Museum, its activities, and the ideas that revolve around it. I launch this blog in the hopes that it will be not only a window into the Revolving Museum, but also an open door with an invitation to participate with your own comments.
So here I am, creating a window and a door into a museum that has… no walls!
The Revolving Museum (TRM) has recently moved to its new home in Western Avenue Studios, becoming a museum without walls. I’m not referring to a sculpture garden, which might cutely call itself a museum without walls. Nor is it a “virtual” museum, which as understood today would be a museum that exists only or primarily on-line. TRM is now a museum that has no permanent exhibit space of its own.
What will it mean to TRM to be a museum without walls? I pulled out my trusty old American Heritage dictionary for some definitional assistance.
“Museum: a place devoted to the acquisition, study and exhibition of objects of scientific, historical or artistic value.”
Hmm. That definition brings up several issues. Not only does TRM have no walls, it also doesn’t acquire. And while it does promote a lot of learning activities, the focus is on learning through engagement and creation, rather than through the study of objects. Exhibition, yes, but not at a permanent place! The Revolving Museum (TRM) challenges the very definition of a museum.
According to its mission statement, The Revolving Museum is “an evolving laboratory of creative expression for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities who seek to experience the transformative power of art.” Even more than in the past, TRM must now, from its new location in the heart of Lowell’s creative community, find new venues and avenues for public art, community participation and artistic exploration. I’m excited to be a part of it, and am looking forward to participating, pondering and reporting on this unfolding chapter in the life of TRM.
What do you think it will mean to TRM to be a museum without walls? Will necessity stimulate new ideas for engaging the community in artistic exploration? Does removing the walls change how we think about art and about museums? Please share your thoughts!
I’m having a bit of a time trying to convince myself “Museum” is even the right word at this point, except for the paradox of so-calling it a museum. From your dictionary definition, it is implied that a museum deals with objects that are already created, whereas a major part of what the Revolving Museum does is to gather people from the community to create objects, and perhaps events or even environments as well.
I think even before this latest move to Western Avenues Studios, and especially looking back at its conception, the Revolving Museum has been more about involving and creating than procuring. Also, a large part of what is produced is presented out in the community anyway, in local public and commercial spaces, so not much is lost through the absence of a permanent exhibition space. Finally, the Loading Dock Gallery, the exhibition space for Western Avenue Studios, is available at times should the Revolving Museum find a need.
What may be lost in the move, to some extent, is visibility, and to some extent, the idea of permanence that comes with being a “Museum”. It will now be a bit harder for people to find or discover the Revolving Museum, and some people will wonder what has happened when they go to the old space, only to find it empty. A move like this always introduces a state of flux, and to some extent, a feeling of fragility, but it also introduces a chance for self-examination and to refocus. It is a chance to let go of some aspects of the past and move forward to even greater involvement and interaction with the community. The Revolving Museum hasn’t really ever been much about gallery spaces or high art, but rather about giving the chance to anyone who might like to to create art and to make art an integral part of the community.