Cultures and ethnology museums
Cultures and ethnology museums are critical historical places where indigenous identities are preserved. The museum acts as an
educational resource that
s an objective presentati
on of
culture. It provides audiences with an excellent opportunity to learn through objects, exhibition notes, and curatorial experts regarding indigenous groups. The materiality and the physical display of objects in the museum provide access to the public to have a better understanding of the indigenous world and their unique cultures (Golding 32). Through exhibitions, people are encouraged to not only preserve but also appreciate these cultures.
By analyzing the museum exhibition is an excellent opportunity for students and the general audience to understand this great transformation that changed the history of America. The research will focus on Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art 1925-45 exhibition at Whitney Museum of American Art.
Background of the Study
The reason for selecting the Vida Americana exhibition is to present how museums act as a platform to redefine culture. The exhibition is important because it reveals the cultural resurgence that emerged in Mexico in 1920 after the famous Mexican revolution that changes both the U.S. and the history of Mexico. The exhibition reveals essential events using a wide range of leading muralists, including José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. The artistic styles describe the different subject matter and ideologies expressed in art relevant in the U.S. between 1925 and 1945(Haskell). The wide presentation of the Mexican murals during the post-revolution period reveals fundamental subject matter by muralist who lived in the U.S.
Even though the muralist movement influenced American art narrative, their exclusion from the description of modern art is often overlooked. The muralists’ expression is an expansive vision of modernism, which is an explorative way of understanding the transformation that defined U.S. history. Through the Vida Americana exhibition, people can understand the rich cultural exchange that occurred between these two countries.
The significance of the study
This study presents a visual understanding of culture through exhibitions. The artistic expressions are essential for students to develop a better and compassionate view of culture. Even though European culture has long existed in Mexico, the artistic revolution presented an opportunity to portray the indigenous population as a national pride (Trofanenko 311). Murals represent hope and freedom, which is different from the urban ways of isolation of modern life in America.
Overview of the muralist movement
Mexican artists who migrated to America, such as Orozco, Rivera, and Siqueiros, influenced the American view of the world. Rivera’s artwork supported the Mexican revolution and condemned social injustices. His encounter with other artists is America exposed him to the ordinary life of Americans that inspired his artwork. Diego Rivera’s work was recognized, and his seven-panel mural cycle fills the wall of the courtyard on the art museum in Detroit (Haskell). His artwork revealed the modern industrial culture of the United States. The mural by Rivera explored the disruptive nature of industrialization in America. He presented some of the concerned raised, including the moral rights of the working class; his artwork evoked mixed reactions from different groups.
Similarly, David Alfaro Siqueiros’s artistic expression is more radical. His murals in Los Angeles in 1932, including Tropical America, inspired many American artists (Haskell). The mural presented a powerful political statement on the U.S. The sculpture of a Mexican Indian crucified on a cross and top of the cross, and American eagle reveals the oppression faced by Mexican living in America (Haskell). José Clemente Orozco one of the leading Mexican muralists who lived in America and how his work inspired change in America. One of the most influential cultural contributions by Orozco was the fresco tradition.
He explored social conditions using art as a weapon. Orozco Prometheus mural is viewed as the greatest painting that inspired many Americans. The Prometheus is a painting of a naked man taking fire from Mount Olympus, with other people seen to be condemning this act(Haskell). The tension revealed in the mural reflects the post-revolutionary ideas of Mexico art and politics. The unresolved tension in this mural attracted several interpretations. Reuben Kadish and Charles White were among the Americans who traveled to Mexico to admire his artistic expression (Haskell). All these creative expressions resonated with American people.
Following the economic and social challenges in America, the artist used their art to effect changes. Americans looked for inspiration from Mexican muralists. For example, Thomas Hart Benton, inspired by muralists artwork gain confidence in fighting against police brutality towards labor organizations and injustices against people of color(Haskell). American artists engaged directly in campaigning against the oppression of minorities more so African American. The exhibition reveals how the legacy of Mexican mural not only inspired contemporary artists but also inspired people to promote social justice.
Discussion of the exhibit
The exhibition named Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art 1925-45, Present art by famous Mexican Muralist and American contemporary artist. The exhibition reveals the influence of Mexican art, more so during a period when Americans were facing several challenges. To understand how the Mexican artists influenced America following the end of the significant revolution in Mexico in 1920, the exhibition explores the works of three mural artists to reveal the direction American art took after their interaction with such creative artists. This exhibition reveals how Mexican artists offered a convincing model to portray social and political subject matter relevant to America’s situation. The exhibition not only represents the culmination of artistic expressions but also presents a more comprehensive view of contemporary art in the United States.
The significance of the exhibition:
Anyone who views these pieces of art is amazed by the amount of vibrant Mexican art. The social and political tones are evident in most of the murals seen in public places. The mural reveals pictures of ordinary people struggling to leave in an oppressed society. This artistic expression explores the art by three famous muralists known for their activism role that majorly influenced American art. The exhibition presents some of these hidden roles of mural artists often overlooked by several historical pieces of literature. The exhibition displays work that was often ignored and almost forgotten. This is important to students and the general audience because it reveals a new relationship between arts, which is accessible to the public. The exhibition enables students to examine both the political and social contexts in which particular identities are defined and how it is presented to the public.
Conclusion
Through the exhibition, the audience can see the power of museums in presenting authentic knowledge about different cultures to affect people’s perception. By viewing these exhibitions, students develop a better and compassionate view of culture. It is essential to give students and the general public opportunities to recognize the systematic ways in which museums reorient history through art. This allows students to understand the history of specific indigenous identity and culture, which makes it an essential institution with an expansive view of history that is always partially presented.