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U.S. Campus Life

A night at the Gardner

By Masako Yamada


美術館の地元住民開放の夕べ

雅子さんは、芸術通の友人に誘われ、ボストンのイザベラ・スチュアート・ガードナー美術館に行ってきました。二人が訪れたのは、"Neighborhood Night" という、美術館が近隣住民に無料で開放される日。音楽の演奏やガイド付きのツアーなどもあり、入館者にはいたせりつくせりでした。

A few weeks ago, my friend Miguel invited me to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM) with him.

イザベラ・スチュアート・ガードナー美術館のホームページ
(http://www.gardnermuseum.org/)。
He is a friend who is particularly knowledgeable about art, so I enjoy visiting museums and galleries with him. I told him that I wanted to go, but that we should wait until "Neighborhood Night" at the museum. We visited the museum today, as planned.

During the Teacher's Workshop sponsored by my lab earlier this summer, the organizers of the program put some effort into posting information on social events that the participants might enjoy. "Neighborhood Night" was one of the advertised events. There wasn't much information on the event except that admissions to the ISGM would be free.

Miguel and I tried looking up information on this event on the Web, but we didn't get many details, even when we looked at the official ISGM Web site. We were a bit worried about whether this event would actually be held on the date we had scheduled: Aug. 15, 2002.

We suspected that the museum didn't want to publicize the event too much, since it's meant to cater to residents of the neighborhood. The spirit of it would be broken by busloads of tourists. The event was held in the evening, after regular museum hours. Not only were admissions free, but there were lots of free events: music performances, storytelling and guided tours. Plenty of volunteer guides strolled around the museum, casually chatting with the visitors. There were even free refreshments in the courtyard.

There seemed to be more babies and children than usual in an art museum. This is a museum where many of the items are completely exposed and could easily be damaged, but the children seemed to be very welcome, given that the the museum had plenty of special materials prepared for them.

My guess is that they really want neighborhood residents to feel comfortable visiting the museum. Any institution of this sort attracts countless visitors from afar, and this occasionally causes friction with the locals. So, I suppose it doesn't hurt to curry favor with the population that is most likely to visit many times.

The ISGM is basically an old house. Isabella Stewart Gardner was a very wealthy woman with a large private collection of art in her home. She left the entire house to the public upon her death in the early 1900s. Since it used to be a private home and not a gallery, the works are not necessarily arranged in a regionally or chronologically consistent manner. The rooms have general themes, but I think Ms. Gardner basically put things together as she liked.

What I especially like about the museum is that one can see the original interior furnishings of the day, as well as the artworks. Many of the "everyday" chairs and tables have exquisite carvings on them. The walls are covered with luxuriously brocaded fabrics. It seems that Ms. Gardner paid careful detail to every corner of her home. Even in an almost invisible nook, there might be a small vase or figurine. Not all of the items are works of art, but taken together, they create a vivid impression of an era.

The ISGM is perhaps most famous for its indoor courtyard. In the center of the home is a large courtyard that is completely open for three stories up to the glass roof. The courtyard is lush and colorful all year round. There are plants, flowers and trees in the courtyard. It is visible from most of the rooms in the home.

As an art aficionado, I think Miguel was a little bit disappointed that he was able to see only some of the relatively small-scale works. I'm not as picky about my art, so I enjoyed the event in a slightly different manner. I enjoyed witnessing Boston of 100 years ago — not the Boston of the common man, but it does represent a population that was crucial in building the city. The museum is the embodiment of the WASP aesthetic, and this aesthetic permeates much of Boston even now. I don't know whether Ms. Gardner would have tolerated having commoners in her home while she was alive — especially the sort of stingy people who attended "Neighborhood Night" only because it was free — but I'm impressed that she opened up her home upon her death.



Shukan ST: Aug. 30, 2002

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