Thinking Critically About Art Museums

What is and should be the role of an art museum? This course examines the state and functions of art museums in 2026.

While the focus is on art institutions in Los Angeles, many of which are in the process of expanding or being revitalized with an eye to the 2028 Olympics, course coverage is international in scope, as the personal experience of class members is to figure prominently in our discussions.

Students will visit the new David Geffen Galleries at LACMA as well as the recently opened DATALAND and Lucas Museum of Narrative Art so as to evaluate their contents, layouts, signage, and more.

How do these institutions balance audience engagement and entertainment with the imparting of knowledge? Further, how are art venues positioned with regard to the current administration’s critique of standing institutional policies of free speech, diversity, and the recording of factual histories? Censorship and self-censorship on the part of museums are to be considered.

The course begins with a single Zoom meeting; the subsequent 5 sessions are held at locations in Los Angeles TBD.