Ritual and the art museum: An architectural analysis

Stephanie Lynn Parrish, Purdue University

Abstract

In this project, I present a diachronic analysis of art museums, from the nineteenth century to the present, which investigates the strategies employed by the museum as an agent of cultural change. I do this by developing an ethnography of the museum experience. By looking at chronologically-specific groupings of art museums, traditional structures of the nineteenth century and modern and postmodern structures of the twentieth century, I document the experience that is unique to each architectural strategy. It is my contention that the act of attending an art museum should be seen as one kind of common cultural ritual of the modern world Depending on factors of individual experience like level of education, socio-economic standing, and cultural affiliation, the museum experience is different for each user. By creating a ritualized experience, an art museum reinforces group identity, thereby creating a cohesion that previously did not exist between members of a diverse, often global community.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Blanton, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Cultural anthropology|Aesthetics|Architecture

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