In love with a museum

            Our main goal: a young public

When we head to a museum and propose activities with teenagers or young people in general, their response is almost always filled with surprise. Young people? But they never want to come! And we say, yes. We are looking for those who don’t want to come. Some really want to though, but they feel a little ashamed of this due to peer pressure.

We want to ask, Why don’t they want to come?

Can we put the blame on the  educational system? Is efficiency much more important than creativity and learning to look at art?

At this point, a very interesting book by Nuccio Ordine comes in handy:  “ The use of the useless “L’utilità dell’inutile. Manifesto”

And after all the questions, we head right into action. Doing this in a way they can enjoy it, with the ideal language, time and so on.

Public within their fifties are loyal to the museums. Especially women. It doesn’t matter  what exhibition is ongoing , what a conference is about, they’ll go. And it happens in big, well known  museums such as the Prado Museum, as in smaller ones in tiny villages, just as the Gustavo de Maeztu Museum.

        “ Feel the museum” was born 

For more than a year, the Gustavo de Maeztu Museum was closed because of the installation of an elevator. Something absolutely needed in order to allow old people or people with disabilities to have access to the museum rooms.

With the occasion of the new opening , Camino Paredes, the person in charge of the museum, asked Patrimonio para jovenes for some proposals of activities here.

Talking about accessible museums we thought of “ Feel the museum”, with special focus on people with visual disabilities or straight blindness. It was about touching the objects represented in four paintings of the museum. Wood, porcelain, silk, jewelry, headdresses, fabrics… Even with perfumes that evoke the scenarios of the paintings, but let’s talk about perfumes later.

And , of course, the sense of hearing. First with the nice explanation by Iñaki Rifaterra and with the help of music. Flamenco for “ En la Dehesa” and “ Copla Andaluza ” and Jazz for “ Evening party “ and “ Ciro’s Club couple”. Camino liked the idea, so here we are now.

With the help of great professionals : Iñaki Rifaterra and Puy Portillo 

 

I met Iñaki during a Christmas children’s workshop taught in Euskera. He works as a guide at the Gustavo de Maeztu Museum. His kindness, smile, and knowledge makes you trust him at first glance.

Puy Portillo is the person in charge of communication at the Museum. She had such a great ability when broadcasting the news about the event “ Feel the museum” on newspapers as well as in social networks.

            The musicians

 

As professionals, they were very conscious about the public. Thinking about young people in the museum, they had to adapt their repertory to them. All of them, both with Jazz as with flamenco, played in harmony to the four paintings we were talking about.

What a pity, just because of space and security, jazz musicians are not in front of “ Evening party”. Look at this painting here

but in front of “ The couple of Vozmediano” another painting that has a great relation with our association, have a look here

                    Meanwhile,  the perfumes

Music began at the same time we presented to essences Chanel n 5  and “Wonderwood “ ( perfumed water from sandalwood and cedar) with jazz.

Flower and amber fragrances  introduced the Flamenco music.

 

            The surprise : Gipsy young people from La Merced slum

 

If we can blame someone for spreading magic, art, and great feelings, it has to be these children. They sang and danced in such a way that someone broke into tears. Tears provoked by the emotion of art that causes more art.

Thanks to Ricardo Hernández and Sonia from GAzkaló for coming with us and making possible the visit of these children.

It took four months to prepare an event that lasted one hour and a half. Time well spent thinking, travelling, and introducing people, but everything is well worth it when you get a result such as the one you can see on the pictures here . If you want a deeper look, visit our social profiles and you can also enjoy some videos.