As I walked through the Walker Art Center one morning last week, I came to a Vincent Fecteau sculpture. It looked interesting. Unfortunately, it was in the dark. I looked up and sure enough, the light that was supposed to illuminate it was out. I grumbled, audibly.“Excuse me sir,” said a voice to my left. “I’ll call and see if we can get that fixed. How much longer will you be here?”
Slightly astonished – I’m accustomed to visiting the Phillips Collection in Washington where visitors are apparently expected to consider lightbulb outages and poorly lit art as part of the place’s charm – I said that I’d be at the museum for a few more hours yet.
“Well, then come by before you leave,” she said. “We’ll try to get it fixed before then.”
And it was. Well done, Walker.
[Image: Vincent Fecteau, Untitled, 2010.]
As a guard at the Phillips I’m actually quite offended by that comment! We do our best to report and replace burnt out lightbulbs. Obviously we can’t catch them all but if you do tell us if you notice one that’s out, we will report it! Yes, we’re an intimate gallery, but we do want you to be able to see the art!
I’d expect nothing less from The Walker.
I guess I’m assuming readers are well-familiar with my gripes about the poor quality of the lighting at the Phillips. It’s as much the odd burnt-out bulb as it is the museum’s frequent inability to light paintings well.
How many museum employees does it take to replace a light bulb?