THE CUSTARD INSTITUTE FOR SPANISH ART & CULTURE INAUGURAL SYMPOSIUM
Context Matters: The Materiality of Objects in the Museum
What are the many meanings of an artwork or artifact when it is displayed in an institutional setting? Is it so important to see the “real” thing? Much has been written about the role of objects as tools for teaching, or about the museum as a kind of classroom, but what about the ontology of the object in the structured particularity of a museum context? This question has become increasingly important as the nature of what constitutes a “real” thing is constantly changing. Recent developments in technology, advances in AI, and even social movements have raised questions about how objects should be displayed and contextualized, or even what constitutes a museum.
In-person in the Bob and Jean Smith Auditorium
Free, but does not include museum admission; advance registration is required for each day’s session.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 10:00 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
Local experts continue the symposium, which will culminate in an open forum to provide an opportunity for lively discussion.
Introduction
Gregory Warden, Mark A. Roglán Director, Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture, and Emeritus Professor of Art History, SMU
The Long Road to the Transfiguration of the Museum of Art
Michael Corris, art critic and and emeritus professor of art, SMU
Virtue Ethics or Vulture Ethics? Reflections on Our Confessional Distance from Culpability in the Arts
Anthony Elia, J.S. Bridwell Foundation Endowed Librarian and director, Bridwell Library, SMU
Response and Discussion from a Panel of Experts
Amanda W. Dotseth, Linda P. and William A. Custard Director of the Meadows Museum and Centennial Chair in the Meadows School of the Arts, SMU
Adam Jasienski, associate professor of art history, SMU, and member of the Custard Institute Advisory Board
Michelle Rich, Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Associate Curator of Indigenous American Art, Dallas Museum of Art