Task Force: Art Museum

Congratulations!

You have been hired as the curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You are tasked with deciding what kinds of new art you want to add to your museum in the next couple of years.  

 Why Are We Doing This?

When visiting a museum, we seldom question how each and every artifact was chosen to be exhibited. There are some very obvious choices, and some we might question. As the curator for your museum, your goal is to try and decide what kinds of art you will collect and why. You might consider trying to diversify your exhibitions, choosing a rare or unpopular theme, or bringing something new to the table.  

Steps:

1. Before you begin, research information about museums and curators. Try to get an idea of how museums come to decisions to collect a certain artifact. Specifically, check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website.
2. Then, try to come up with a plan for what kinds of art your museum will try to collect and exhibit in the coming years. 
   1. What kind of art and exhibitions are available at the museum?
   2. How will you diversify your exhibitions? What areas of the world, time periods, etc is there a gap in?
   3. Are there any themed exhibitions you would like to add? How will you go about collecting artifacts of this theme?
   4. How will you justify your decisions?
3. Think through the possible objections about your choices that someone might have.
4. Share with the group and see if you can convince them that your choices best diversify the Metropolitan Museum of Art and will attract a large number of visitors.

Things to Keep in Mind:

•  You do not have to come up with an exhaustive list of choices and themes for your museum. Choose a few that you are prepared to defend.
• Try to research information about ongoing discussions about what should be exhibited at museums.