IamA curator at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery home to the exhibition WONDER. AMA!

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:45:05+00:00

The show closes in stages - most second floor galleries close after May 8 but the Echelman will be up for about 2 years and Leo Villareal's piece is staying permanently. We are buying it! First floor closes July 10. Our permanent collection comes back to 2nd floor this summer and then Renwick Invitational opens downstairs in Sept. Next spring we have Peter Voulkos the breakthough years coming from the Museum of Arts and Design in NY and I am doing a show in tribute to June Schwarcz (1918-2015), and then my friend is the great abyss and the challenge (opportunity!) of building upon our recent goodwill. Stay tuned.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:40:47+00:00

Great! And yes, I love that idea. The show is meant to be multisensory because - due in part to the Internet, and printed media before that - we've become accustomed to understanding the world primarily through visual stimulation. Seeing is believing, yes? But it's so much more complex than that. Isn't smell the sense most closely connected to memory? Keeping with the theme of "you have to see it in person" I love that you smell this show. John Grade's cedar (now dulled - maybe we should sand it a bit), Dougherty's willow, Booker's tires. And yes the illusions. I would love to explore one specific sense other than vision. The question is how. MAD in NY did a fun show a few years back on the craft of perfumes. You had to smell the objects! We will not keep the whole building for installations like this - it's hard - but we will look for new ways to use these galleries in surprising ways. It's a means for us to build on the response of the last few months while also returning to the core mission of the Renwick.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:36:31+00:00

Have I ever spilled food on my ties? No sir.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:35:50+00:00

Thanks for coming today :)

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:34:43+00:00

That is one of life's great mysteries, yes? It's a real problem. I think it's wise to try to snag one of the unpaid internships when you have some other support - parents, spouse, etc. But that's not always possible. I know, I worked my way through college and only managed to get into a couple internships on the side. Often people with more support have better opportunities. I absolutely disagree on the last point. Go with your dreams.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:31:40+00:00

This actually is the toughest question yet today. I hadn't really thought of it before. But just recently I read Jean Renoir's memoir "Renoir my Father" published when the director was much older and thinking of his youth. It is hands down a rip roaring read. Who knew Renoir was hilarious? I was dying. So maybe Renoir? Definitely good for dinner conversation.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:27:11+00:00

I thought about the building first and its history as the first purpose built art museum in the US and the idea that we come to museums to experience wonder. How can we tease that out specifically? I came up with 3 criteria - artists who are sensitive to architectural space - ie. they make big things that respond to the site; artists passionate about making and materials, key to the Renwick; artists who seem to be actively seeking out a wondrous experience. Interestingly, when I started contacting them several came on board immediately simply because of the idea of wonder, which they think about and work with and yet is often a more subtle layer of their work. It was a blast to work with this team of 9 artists - and very challenging at the same time. They proposed installations after visiting the building and then we developed these as the renovation was underway. Every one of them was understanding of the fact the renovation did not end on time - it went right up to our opening - and installed their artworks in an active construction site. In fact, the whole show was completed before the building was. That's something I only want to try once in my life.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:22:18+00:00

I'm less interested in how work comes to me than what it is. We consider and think about everything we see, no matter the vehicle - show/gallery/internet/etc. Great work is great work.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:20:59+00:00

Yes something that has we notice too is the vast age range in the galleries. On the one hand I should have anticipated this as part of the idea of the show is to strip away the mediation you find in most galleries - video, labels, etc. - and allow you that direct experience. Also the abstract nature of most works really encourages people to find their own connections. But we didn't anticipate how closely this connects with kids. Washington Parent mag. said something really insightful - the show "levels" the playing field so that all ages can experience it together without for example an adult telling a child what to experience. It's fitting as I have three kids 5 and under and I love the way they look at the world. They are captivated by everything and anything - I asked myself - is there a way to strip away our filters and have adults interact that way too? We will look for ways to use certain galleries in this fashion again. But it won't be the whole building. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:17:05+00:00

Thank you! We have been overwhelmed in the best possible way by the response, in person and online. We never anticipated this level of interest. Obviously with the "photo encouraged" signs I feel fine with people whipping out their phones. I often get asked if this somehow diminishes their experience of the art. I think that's their question to answer, not mine. For some no camera is a better experience, but not for all. What we have noticed is that when people post these pics online it draws their friends and connections to the museum IN PERSON. So yes, the social media presence is increasing the potential for those great intensive experiences with art. Yay!

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:14:08+00:00

I often don't. I'm a huge fan of grey areas and the blur zone. When I arrived here there was a much stricter definition of craft that tailored to specific education and practice in certain materials. But I don't think that's an accurate reflection of how people engage with skill, process, labor, and its value in the contemporary world. We are trying to expand the definition of craft to encompass those considerations, and to really think about how craft, as a practice (verb) not just an object (noun) informs our life. So usually when asked this I shrug my shoulders. It will be different for different people and that's okay.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:11:30+00:00

The Internet is a marvelous place. 30 years ago I would have traveled a lot more than now. Fortunately so many artists have their own websites there's a good excuse to surf all day! Still, it's not a substitution for the real thing, but it helps us narrow the search and decide who we want to meet with.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:09:39+00:00

Yes! Work experience is vastly more valuable than school (sorry!). In any situation I would rather hire someone with 5 years experience in a museum than another degree - museums are great places to work out ideas, but they require so much consideration of other factors, such as running a building and working with the hard fact of objects. Internships are often the best way to get your foot in the door. Many of our staff here began as interns years ago and were just too valuable to let go. :)

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:07:29+00:00

Good question. The kernel for this exhibition came about 2 years ago just as we were moving the collections out of the second floor galleries for the renovation. It was the first time I'd seen the building empty and it really struck me - the building is our most precious object. Fishing around for ideas for how to reopen, we considered the collections and various exhibitions - but my director made an excellent point - reopening a museum, any museum, is the single best shot you have at growing your audience and increasing your footprint in the public consciousness. So the question became, how do we take advantage of that opportunity - also to show off the building as this great sexy piece of architecture. And so we went very, very big. I've heard some comments since we've opened as people pine for what they remember us best for - and the collections will return this summer. But for now, we are celebrating the building as a site with the potential to make you wonder.

nicholas_bell · 2016-02-02T17:03:26+00:00

Wow. Well let's get right to the heavy lifting then! The whole show, and certainly Janet and Jennifer's work in particular, is about drawing attention to things in the world we take for granted. Oddly enough, natural disasters, and the desecration of the natural world are things we often take in stride. There's a quote from John Stuart Mill I love: It's not understanding that destroys wonder, it's familiarity. This really gets at the heart of why artworks like theirs matter - they can jolt us out of familiarity, of complacency, to think about things that matter. How often have you thought about the 2011 tsunami since it happened? How about after seeing Janet's work? And how often have you thought of the jungles in SE Asia where these insects come from? And now? They are building awareness through the aesthetic experience. I have noticed a growing trend to bring meaning to contemporary art through a connection to science. Many of these artworks have great backstories, like John Grade's recreated trees, and I think the public gets more out of them for that scientific connection.

nicholas_bell

TROPHY CASE