In Raleigh, NC and the surrounding area, I explored public arts and education institutions like the North Carolina Museum of Art, The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, The Contemporary Art Museum: Raleigh, The Gregg Museum of Art & Design, and The JC Raulston Arboretum to see how these institutions address issues with the provenance of their collection, artistic commentary on on-going political and social issues on a local, national, and global scale.
I also documented how these institutions are funded in ways that provide free admission to all guests. Being an able-bodied, white, adult male in public spaces catering to my gaze, I have not had to worry about moving around a crowded museum, being tall enough to fully see the exhibits, or if I am able to read and understand the literature and signage in an exhibit or educational space. I began documenting how these institutions make their exhibitions accessible to young and learning readers and other English language learners. I spent hours upon hours in quiet art museums, full of strangers from around the world but still able to explore the art, make connections, designing projects for our scholars, and finding inspiration for my own practice and future works.
On this Almazing adventure, I have seen multiple artists' struggle with race, love, and identity as told through portraiture, sculpture, and video. I marveled at Rembrandt van Rijn's copper etching plates. A local musician/folk historian performed songs on his fiddle and banjo that were taught to him by older generations of local musicians going back to the 1700's. I have been entertained, educated, impressed, and entirely delighted by the hospitality and enthusiasm for promoting STEAM educational programs and environmental conservation I have experienced in the Raleigh museums. I am excited to share the work of some fantastic local artists with our scholars and to put some of what I've learned from the museums of Raleigh into practice in my own classroom!