FW: Perceptions of Proximity

Here is something to consider.

 

Shannon Eakins

School Tour Instructor/Volunteer Coordinator

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3016

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Kristy Gledhill
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2004 4:20 PM
To: Shannon Eakins
Cc: Rod Bigelow
Subject: Perceptions of Proximity

 

Hi Shannon

We were having a discussion at our last visitor services meeting about the quandary we’re sometimes in when persuading visitors not to touch the art. The question of how close is too close came up, and that’s a hard one for visitor services. It’s difficult to pick just the right time to go up and say something, when someone’s pointing and a painting and getting closer and closer and closer…

 

So we were thinking of ways to sort of educate people – in the nicest ways possible – about how close is too close and it was discussed that sometimes the docents themselves – who are very comfortable being around art and understand the issues involved with touching completely – come pretty close to touching the art in their docent-led tours. We were discussing the fact that this sets a precedent for visitors: “It’s OK to motion toward the painting very closely because I saw the docent get this close.”

 

The point is that it would be worth mentioning to the docents, I think, to think about their proximity to the art while they’re talking about it with people. If we could just remind them about perceptions and how visitors see the docents’ actions. If they see the docents keeping a respectful (and that, we’ve agreed, is about 12 inches) distance, they’re more likely to do the same and give the VS people less to worry about.

 

If you’d like to just forward this request/thought to the docents, that would be great. This really is about perceptions… I want to make sure people do as they see us doing.

 

Thanks Shannon,

Kristy

 

 

Kristy Gledhill

Director of Communications

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, Washington 98402

T: 253.272.4258 x3017

F: 253.627.1898

www.TacomaArtMuseum.org