Course description
Art museums have become central institutions in American culture and large city museums like Boston's Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) play complex roles in contemporary life. Using the MFA as a case study of this larger phenomenon, the course examines the twentieth-century development of the museum as a treasure-house of masterpieces, and then addresses how it has dealt with a range of issues that bear on its continuing vitality today. These include ethical questions about object provenances, procedures for new acquisitions, commercial sources of revenue, appropriate exhibition content, and programming for diverse audiences. Students are encouraged to address these issues in their research papers. At least one field trip to the museum is planned, to include discussion with one or more staff members.
