When visiting the Nevada Discovery Museum in Reno, I made
many observations regarding the layout as well as the structure. Through an
unfortunate leadership conflict the museum did not get off on the right foot
and now the new director as well as the staff are trying to correct these past mistakes as well as redirect the intentions of the museum. The
original intent for the museum was to be as a children museum for young people
as well as their families to enjoy and that is what it was fundraised for.
However now the board is trying to convert it to attract all ages. For me this
is an unrealistic goal for not for a single moment during my visit did I feel
like I was not in a children’s museum. I feel like the intention of converting
it into something it is clearly not is very misguiding and I feel like it would
be more beneficial to embrace the state of the museum as it is. Instead of investing
money and effort into changing branding for example, which really doesn't make much of a
difference considering the targeted age of all the exhibitions, I feel like all
the money and effort should go toward improving and expanding the exhibition
especially with the large amount of empty space. Besides the misleading plans
for the future, I observed a poor layout, which the director pointed out,
however kept pointing out changes that will take place in the future without
touching upon immediate changes that could take place to improve the aesthetics
of the gallery spaces. He would complain about certain aspects such as having a
tree in the middle of an open space when it would be fairly easy to resituate.
This made him seen like he has a lack of incentive and his cursing in a
children’s environment made him seem to not suit the environment very well.
Once the foundations for the museum are set correctly I believe the museum will
strive.
I was disappointed in the gallery at the University of
Nevada because for me it represents nearly all the bad qualities a gallery
space can have. This has nothing to do with the artwork, for I found the
artwork was quite good, it was the gallery space that wasn't doing the artwork
justice. My first concern was the location, for the location was nearly
impossible to find. There were nearly no indications to where it was and the
students there didn't even have a clue. I find that the exhibition space has so
much potential and it is a great advantage to have a gallery space on campus,
however I feel like the potential is being wasted and instead of drawing people
out it is giving them a skewed idea of the realm of exhibitions. Once you do
find the space you are greeted by an employee who looks bored out of her mind
and doesn't seem to be very passionate about art for not even she could answer
questions concerning the art. The gallery space was not very traditional. The
lighting was very dim and the walls and flooring seemed to match the rest of
the school’s interior which did not enhance the artworks whatsoever. The next
issue was that because there were no labels or any indication of an artist of the
intentions of the artist it was just left open for interpretation. I feel like
this defeats the purpose for the artist since she can’t receive any recognition
as well as the visitors who are left in the dark regarding the purpose of the
artworks. I also felt like there was no consistency. For example, there was a movie playing
that I felt was in no way coherent to anything else. I hope the exhibition
improves for I do believe it has potential.
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