Please Do Not Throw Rocks

A recent encounter with some visitors at Laumeier Sculpture Park has left me pondering on the differences in the expected decorum at an arts institution that is outdoors vs. an arts institution that is indoors. Yesterday, as I was participating in a docent-guided tour through the wooded area of the park, we came across a group of adolescents playing with a Frisbee and throwing medium-sized rocks. Though they were a safe distance from other visitors, my first concerning being another stander-by getting hit by one of their flying projectiles, they were within an uncomfortable proximity to an artwork. In the most authoritatively polite tone I could muster, I instructed these young adults to stop throwing rocks and, if they insisted on playing Frisbee, to do so in the large central field at Laumeier, which is perfectly acceptable. I warned them of the area they were in and the proximity to the artwork. I got two immediate responses: "Who are you?" and "I didn't realize this was art."

My response to the first question, in a now more authoritative tone, was "I work here." The seemingly natural response to this was, "Oh." In reference to the second comment, I did point out the rather large sign nearby which labeled the artwork. The question of whether they were really ignorant of the artwork's art status or if they were just giving me hooey, I try to let roll off my shoulders so the tension does not give me a hunchback.

I think what surprised me the most was the, shall we say, "cheek" or "sass" of demanding to know who I was. Now it is possible that because I was some yards away from them, they did not see my Laumeier t-shirt, which somewhat distinguishes me from non-employees (though the same t-shirt is actually on sale in the gift shop), and they thought I was the local art park busy-body. There is no real uniform at Laumeier, just a business casual dress code and some name tags. Even so, at the Kemper Art Museum I am similarly dressed and I have never had a patron question my responsibility to ask them to cease inappropriate behavior. I am grateful to report that I have never caught a visitor at the Kemper throwing rocks.

This led me to reflect on the unique nature and challenges of outdoor sculpture gardens, plazas, and parks and the seemingly different perceptions visitors have of artworks outside vs. artworks inside. I have noted that when visitors are inside of a museum or gallery they are a bit more aware and careful in the space. This is perhaps the effect of early educational conditioning, where we use our inside voices in the classroom and when it is recess we get to shout, scream, run around, jump rope, and throw rubber balls at each other. It is a, "Sh! This is a library," type of mindset, which is understandable in a museum where the artworks' locations are carefully spaced and labeled in a linear elevation on pristine white walls. These places have educational and scholarly connotations to them and posses a very "Sh! This is a library," feel. I have had patrons apologize to me about their mobile phones ringing and many others that will only speak in a whisper. And when I have approached visitors that have gotten to close to a painting,  I usually received immediate compliance and sometimes an apology. 

On the other hand, when artworks are displayed outdoors everyone is mentally at recess and cannot control that urge for a more tactile experience. At the Kemper Art Museum the outdoor sculpture plaza is where the vast majority of the touching offenses happen. And Laumeier has a lot of climbers... a lot. This is partially due to the outside nature of the park, but also because of the perceived invitation from the larger-than-life pieces to meet the challenge of scaling them and sticking the proverbial flag a top the proverbial Everest. The wide open spaces near the artworks also appear to be encouraging some harmless shenanigans and a good-old-fashioned rollick. I think even the most polite and respectful art-goer sometimes just cannot help themselves. I mean, who doesn't love a good rollick? And a rollick in a field with some art, even better! So when people outdoors are approached about their inappropriate behavior,  the response is more, "Oh, oops, sorry," *grumble* *grumble* "Mean old recess monitor." *grumble some more*

I should note that no one, either indoors or outdoors, likes to be approached about inappropriate behavior. I acknowledge this is embarrassing for the visitor, which is why I always attempt to be as friendly and polite as possible. The last thing I want is a patron to feel unwelcome; I just want them to be more careful.

And then there is the, "I didn't realize this was art," response. I take this with a grain of salt, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say they didn't actually know. It is possible, especially with site-specific pieces that are meant to blend in harmony with the environment they occupy, not to notice an artwork is an artwork. Pieces such as earthworks or sculptures that look like trees, are not always immediately identifiable as art or even as something man-made. Due to the sometimes cameleon-like nature of these pieces, it is possible a patron could damage art without realizing it. Also, since many outdoor artworks, though thoughtfully placed, are not organized the same way as indoor artworks they may not always be easily identifiable to the public as such. The artworks in the woods at Laumeier are pieces you are supposed to "discover" as you venture down a path. Since they are not blocked out and evenly spaced, as they can be in indoor museums, this reduces the chances of visitors realizing they should practice indoor museum behavior. This may explain instances at Laumeier, but remember the Kemper's sculpture plaza? These artworks are evenly blocked out, raised up on pedestals, and are right next to the museum building, and they still get touched. So that brings us back to the theory of indoor vs. outdoor mentality. 

The big question now is how does a museum handle these types of situations? When the artworks are outside it makes it so museum employees cannot always be there to protect them. The only "preventative" actions one can really take is put up signs and offer constant and friendly reminders not to climb or touch. Not everyone listens, though,  and there really is no way to eliminate the indoor vs. outdoor mentality that we all learned in grade school. So the only other options to consider are reactionary, which would include a disaster plan should the worst (i.e. vandalism or bodily injury due to climbing and falling) occur. Vandalism does happen indoors, the internet is full of stories of folks kissing Cy Twombly's or rubbing their butts on paintings, but outdoor art leaves open a lot more opportunity for vandalism. Climbing is also a more common outdoor occurrence and is generally more of a problem with sculpture and architecture.

The fact of the matter is, outdoor artworks have very different needs and are viewed by the public in a very different way from indoor artworks. I have noted this from personal experience. In my search on the internet for more information about the challenges of works of art outdoors and how institutions should handle these challenges, I came across a great video, which I invite you all to watch with me. This is a recording of a lecture sponsored by The Getty Conservation Institute in California entitled, Out in the Open: Conservation Challenges of Outdoor Public Art. You can watch it here. It discusses a broad range of issues concerning outdoor art, including unintended contact with visitors. I should make it clear, though, that the way the panel in this video defines public art is very different from the situation at Laumeier. Our artwork is in a public park which is run by St. Louis County Parks, but our artworks are not owned by the park. They either belong to or are on loan to the museum and public funds (i.e. taxes) are never used to pay for them. Even so, the outdoor conditions and issues with the public are similar, which is what makes this video a great resource. 

Allow me to wrap up tonight's post with a request: Please do not throw rocks. Please do not throw them near artworks, or buildings, or other people. In fact, please don't throw rocks at all. It's just not a very good idea. Thank you.

Do you work with an outdoor art collection? What are some of the regular problems you have noted with the viewing public and how to do handle them?