Re-Thinking the Museum: Robert Atkins on “The Museum as Knowledge Producer”

Art historian and social critic Robert Atkins, who juried the 2011 Faculty Show, presented a “Re-Thinking” talk here at the Museum in which he  ruminated on the nature of art and the role of the art museum in contemporary culture. The video above includes some highlights.

In short, Atkins argued for the necessity of transforming the museum’s primary function from conservator of artistic achievement to research-based producer of knowledge, which, he contends,will demand an understanding of art as both the most complex form of knowledge and as a crucial means of apprehending the world, a significant shift for a culture that trivializes art as therapy or entertainment.

Here’s a link to a version of Atkins’ full talk:

Robert Atkins, “The Museum as Knowledge Producer”