Assistant curator of education Emily Hogrefe-Ribeiro utilizing an Art Cart with students
One of the Georgia Museum of Art’s newest acquisitions is not a work of art, but a pair of sleek, blue Art Carts: interactive and portable carts that are used in innovative programming.
These carts create a tactile and fun experience for visitors to the galleries, with each cart containing space in which many different types of items can be neatly stowed. The top of the cart functions as a table for a museum employee, educator or docent. Visitors to the museum can see and touch demonstration tools that complement the current exhibition. The metal surface allows for magnetic lettering and photographs to be attached, making Art Carts versatile and easily used in different exhibitions.
The carts were purchased as a part of a Georgia Council for the Arts grant for the 5th-grade tours program in the spring of 2018 and were first used in the exhibition “Crafting History: Textiles, Metals and Ceramics at the University of Georgia.” The museum commissioned students at the Lamar Dodd School of Art to make demonstration tools for the carts that were touchable works of art in different stages of development. Visitors could see the step-by-step process used for metal, ceramics and textiles. For example, one set of demonstration tools featured the distinct stages involved in throwing a pot. Some pieces were cut into cross sections, so visitors could see the underlying movement of the clay from one stage to the next. Instead of only viewing the final product, visitors could gain a better understanding of the technique and expertise required to create each work of art.
“Richard Hunt: Synthesis” was the second exhibition in which the Art Carts were used. For this show, one cart held welding tools and safety equipment. The other cart contained pieces of steel, which demonstrated the welding process. The Art Carts provided an engaging experience for students on the 5th-grade tour program, with students trying to bend the steel rod and wearing the welding helmet. This tactile interaction drew students into the gallery experience and provided an opportunity for them to ask new questions about Richard Hunt and his art. How did he put this work together? What about the welding process would make this work of art particularly difficult? These questions demonstrated a deeper curiosity about understanding the works of art in the galleries as a result of the Art Carts.
Currently, the museum is using the Art Carts in a new drop-in gallery program, “Art Carts (After Class),” which launched in March. The education department at the museum will continue to change and adapt the teaching materials for the Art Carts to fit new exhibitions, allowing them to be an inviting and educational asset at the museum for years to come.
