A Story to be Told

After taking a trip to the Monroe County Historical Center and the IU Art Museum, it has become very clear to me that art has a bigger purpose. Not only can some art be aesthetically pleasing, but it can also tell a story. The story may be about love, it may be about pain, or it may just be about a Llama. In Elizabeth Vallance's The Adventures of Artemis and the Llama: A Case for Imaginary Histories in Art Education, she speaks explicitly about how most objects' histories are unknown and that the only way to find connections and reveal truth is to use the imagination and create a narrative for the object. She explains that by making personal connections and paying attention to detail, one can make art more accessible. Although on my first museum visit I had not read her work, my second visit to the IU Art Museum was much more of an experience thanks to her article. All my life I have been taught to read the label, learn about the facts, and see what is in front of me at face-value.

After reading the article I can take a step back and think about the vase or sculpture as a living thing, something with a past, a present, and a future. I found this to be most evident when we had a class discussion about the Greek vase. I would never have thought that the story being depicted on the vase was about tragedy in love. Achilles falls in love with the woman that  at the same time he kills. I find it interesting that the vase not only has a story on its surface, but it can also have a story as an object in time. I ask my self questions like: who drank the wine from its depths so many years ago? Did they tell stories and talk of love and death as they drank at parties? Who owned the vase, was he rich or poor? All these questions and more make the art more accessible, as Vallance says.

At the Monroe County Historical Center I really enjoyed the way it was displayed. The classroom and the log cabin were great examples of historical imagery and narrative. When you walk in to the classroom you can imagine the students sitting at their desks, and the teacher discussing the math lesson, and in the cabin you can picture the mother cooking the rabbit her husband just killed, while the children play on the dirt floor with their cloth dolls. The whole building itself has a history. Yes, I may now know that it was once a school building that was segregated, but what were the students and teachers like? What about the stocks room we got the opportunity to visit, just think of all the untold stories that lie on those shelves. Everyone that enters the museum will have preconceived notions and expectations of what they are "supposed" to see and experience. It is only when you take a step back and see the objects as living things with a voice and a story to tell that you will truly understand and appreciate their presence.

As I move forward, and go to new exhibits and museums, I will now have a greater appreciation for the story that each object or piece of art has to offer. How cool is it to think that I have the power to create a history. The label below the statue is only the beginning of the truth. With an open mind, an analytical approach, and imagination, there is a story to be told.