Skip to content
koksiarz

koksiarz

Art will brighten

Primary Menu
  • Art & Entertainments
  • Music
  • Film Industry
  • Art Kids
  • Art Photography
  • Art & Culture
  • About Us
    • Sitemap
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertise Here
    • Contact Us
Watch Video
  • Home
  • San Jose Museum of Art curator wants people to see their own stories
  • Art Kids

San Jose Museum of Art curator wants people to see their own stories

Angelia S. Rico 21/07/2022 3:07 AM

The San Jose Museum of Art is not just for “art” people, says Lauren Schell Dickens. It’s for all kinds of people, including families with small kids and those who don’t normally visit museums at all.

“Everyone comes from a different place and engages with art differently,” the museum’s senior curator says.

We recently had the chance to learn more about this San Jose native, who grew up in Sonoma County and now calls Oakland home.

Q How did you get interested in art museums?

A I always liked making art but don’t recall being very interested in museums as a kid. It wasn’t until college, when I realized that a museum experience is more than just looking at paintings.

I studied theatrical light design in college, and that training in thinking about lights, staging and the experience of seeing a painting are all part of how the story of an art object is told. It’s how art can be used to tell stories that really hooked me.

Q What is it about visual art that captivates your attention?

A I love all kinds of art — music, dance, theater, literature — and many of the artists presented at SJMA work in sound, movement, text, as well as visually.

Great art operates on a register that logic or reason or language cannot touch. It can pull me in with beauty and then reveal or show me something about the world, about people and experiences around me that I hadn’t thought of or paid attention to before.

Q What are the most challenging aspects of your job? What are the most fun?

A The most challenging aspect of my job is also the most fun — I get to work with artists!

Artists play such an important role in society — giving us new perspectives on the world and imagining possibilities for how we can inhabit this Earth together in ways that are better than what we’re doing now. And they have wild, world-changing ideas. But artists dream big — as they should — and managing logistics and expectations of the many players involved can be challenging.

It can also be challenging to get audiences to slow down. Some people want to look at a sculpture and “get it” right away, but understanding, engaging takes time.

Q What was it like working at SJMA during the pandemic?

A The pandemic was certainly challenging. We had a fantastic exhibition on view that looked at art and prisons called “Barring Freedom,” which was only open to the public for nine days. It’s sort of heartbreaking, for us and the artists, when so much work goes into a project that the public doesn’t get to experience.

But we had time to pause during the pandemic and really look at ourselves, what we’d been doing well that we wanted to do more of and what wasn’t working.

San Jose Museum of Art curator wants people to see their own stories
Lauren Schell Dickens, Senior Curator at San Jose Museum of Art, poses for a portrait. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) 

Q What is the museum’s mission — and what is your role in that?

A SJMA is about nurturing community through contemporary art, highlighting stories of our various communities and following artists’ lead in engaging socially relevant topics like prisons, climate crisis, immigration and identity through art.

My job is to identify artists and artworks, both locally and from around the world, that resonate with the lived realities of our South Bay audiences. The hope is that someone visiting the museum sees their own story — their history or dreams or community or concerns — reflected in the artworks.

We want visitors to not only feel connected to their geographic neighbors, but build solidarities with communities around the world.


Dickens’ favorite Bay Area museums

Headlands Center for the Arts: During public open studios, people can chat with residing artists and see works in progress at this Marin Headlands art hub — and the food in the mess is great; www.headlands.org.

Japanese American Museum of San Jose: A fascinating museum of objects and stories that focuses on the impact of Executive Order 9066 (creating Japanese American internment camps during World War II); www.jamsj.org.

Legion of Honor: The San Francisco setting is unbeatable, and I love the ornate intimacy of the building. They have a wonderful series of installations by contemporary artists that really challenge the history of the place. https://legionofhonor.famsf.org

MACLA: This Chicano/Latino contemporary arts center is not exactly a museum, but they show great art and always have fun events.  And you can walk from SJMA! https://maclaarte.org

Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose: My kids never want to leave this place. www.cdm.org

Continue Reading

Previous: Moss Street Paint-In draws thousands to immerse in art
Next: Art show focuses on improving body positivity

Related Stories

Recovering | Lee Wolfe | Episode 884
  • Art Kids

Recovering | Lee Wolfe | Episode 884

Angelia S. Rico 03/12/2024 8:06 AM
Stewart Mungo Portrait Unveiling – Maniscalco Gallery
  • Art Kids

Stewart Mungo Portrait Unveiling – Maniscalco Gallery

Angelia S. Rico 24/11/2024 9:18 PM
Vote Tuesday – Democracy is in the Balance
  • Art Kids

Vote Tuesday – Democracy is in the Balance

Angelia S. Rico 24/11/2024 9:55 AM
July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jun    

Archives

  • June 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • March 2020
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • December 2016

Categories

  • Art & Culture
  • Art & Entertainments
  • Art Kids
  • Art Photography
  • Film Industry
  • Music

Recent Posts

  • Top Duck Hunting Gear You Need for Success
  • The Age of Social Media is Ending
  • New School Strike Ends With Victory for Adjuncts
  • Build Your Art Business with a Small Email List of Subscribers
  • Exploring Cotton by Kara Walker beyond a simple glance. | by Cleveland Museum of Art | CMA Thinker

Fiverr

Fiverr Logo

BL

Tags

"Culinary Arts Education Morris County 4th Grade Lang Arts Arcade Game Martial Arts art Arts Arts Amp Entertainment Arts And Crafts Roof Richmond Arts And Culture Planning Ata Martial Arts Southlake College Rankings 2019 Liberal Arts culture Cvac Arts Slc" Decorative Arts Victoria And Albert Dijon Musee Des Beaux Arts Electronic Arts Disappoint Eugene Lang College Lib Arts Federal Way Arts Fine Arts Graduate Degree Programs Fun Kids Activities And Arts Global Martial Arts Houston Gretchen.Bender Redbull Arts Harvard Master Of Arts Relig Helper Arts Festival Schedule Hook Arts Media Jobs Jacqueline Traide Artist Arts Kagami Spark Arts Kaleidoscope Student Arts Festival Beijing La Arts District Bowling Language Arts Bulletin Border Language Arts Emoji Language Arts Interactive Game Liberal Arts Quizlet Apush Little Caprice X-Arts Loyal Arts Matt Jacobson Medical Arts Hospital San Lean Mh Gen Hunter Arts Gunlance Musica And Arts Hurst Pauline Arts Pdf Pembroke Pines Arts Crafts Festival Performing Arts Weekends Professor In Martial Arts Ron Culbreth Arts And Entertainment Tamil Nadu Arts Sketches Tamu Arts 149 Exam 1 The Arts Dallas Apartments
techizio
shinycream

You may have missed

Top Duck Hunting Gear You Need for Success
  • Art & Entertainments

Top Duck Hunting Gear You Need for Success

Angelia S. Rico 23/06/2025 2:10 AM
The Age of Social Media is Ending
  • Art & Culture

The Age of Social Media is Ending

Angelia S. Rico 18/12/2024 9:23 AM
New School Strike Ends With Victory for Adjuncts
  • Art Photography

New School Strike Ends With Victory for Adjuncts

Angelia S. Rico 17/12/2024 12:56 AM
Build Your Art Business with a Small Email List of Subscribers
  • Music

Build Your Art Business with a Small Email List of Subscribers

Angelia S. Rico 15/12/2024 2:05 PM
koksiarz.com | MoreNews by AF themes.

WhatsApp us