It was a bit audacious to think I could lead tours at a museum where I typically walked around shaking my head, totally unable to understand the art. Regardless, in 2010, I filled out an application to become a Gallery Teacher at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia (now the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, or Va MOCA).
At least I was up-front about it. At the orientation and training I admitted that my reason for being there was totally selfish. My ulterior motive for volunteering as a Gallery Teacher was so that I could learn how to view and (more importantly) understand this genre of art. If I gave a few good tours in the process, well, that would just be a bonus for them.
My challenge with “modern art” and “contemporary art” was in viewing it the same way one 
views masterpieces in the Louvre. With classical art, knowing the historical context, the symbolism of the times, the Biblical stories being conveyed, all help the piece make sense. I would view contemporary art the same way, trying to determine the artists’ meaning and what they were attempting to convey.
For giving tours, we were taught to flip that process. Our job as Gallery Teachers hardly included information about the artists or the piece; instead we asked questions. The focus of the tour was on eliciting the VIEWERS’ meaning in the piece, as opposed to revealing the artists’ intentions. In fact, most of the time we only had some basic information about the artist, the art process or the motivation for the piece. Oftentimes the artist hadn’t revealed any information regarding their own interpretations or intention.
Original Sin
Altered Book $245
With that in mind, I hope you’ll consider spending some time again with “Original Sin,” as if you are on a Gallery Tour. Your guide might tell you a little about the book–that it was created as a response to the Turn the Page exhibition and that the book is hand-carved using a pair of scissors. We would look at the title of the book used, The Book of Virtues, and then have a CONVERSATION:
- What does the title “Original Sin” mean to you?
- What other words could have been carved in place of good/evil?
- Why is one word carved “in relief” and the other by excavation?
- How would the piece be different if displayed upside down or standing up?
- How would the piece change if displayed without the book jacket–with a blank cover?
- What other books would have been good to use for this carving?
- What other way could this book have been altered in order to create a sense of the conflict between virtuous behavior and dishonorable behavior?
- How does this piece relate to current world events?
- How does this piece relate to you personally or anyone you know?
- If you had created this piece, what would you name it?
I would love to read your answers to any of these questions! Why not pick one and answer it below.
