In order to analyse the visitors experience, the visitors experience and the learning of it is being explained by the example of the exhibition The Artist is Present by Marina Abramović in the Museum of Modern Arts in New York, putting it in reference to the Contextual Model of Learning (2000/2004) by Falk and Dierking. The exhibition took place in the MoMA in New York from March 14th until May 31st 2010 and showed the career of Marina Abramović with about fifty works spanning over four decades of her early interventions and sound pieces, video works, installations, photographs, solo performances, and collaborative performances made with Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen). In addition, Abramović performed an original work, that marked the longest duration of time that she has performed a single solo piece. Underlining the title of the exhibition „The Artist is Present“, for this performance Abramović sat on a chair in the middle of one level of the MoMA, in front of a table and another chair. This performance for the show asked visitors to come sit with her and essentially become a part of the performance piece.
To see what the visitors experienced and learned at this exhibition, the personal experience at The Artist is Present, written by Fracis Prose in the article Marina Abramović: When Art Makes Us Cry on the website of The New York Review will be analysed, as well as the things she has potentially learned during and after her visit at MoMA. Her statements about the visit to MoMA will be examined based on her personal, physical and sociocultural context in order to find out what she has ultimately learned during and after the visit to Abramović’s exhibition.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Falk and Dierking’s Contextual Model of Learning
2.1. Joint approach
3. The Interactive Experience Model
3.1. The Museum Experience (1992)
3.2. The Interactive Experience Model
3.2.1. Personal Context
3.2.2. Physical Context
3.2.3. Social Context
3.3. The Contextual Model of Learning (2000/2004)
3.4. Comparism of the two models
4. Example
4.1. Short term learning
4.2. Long term learning
5. Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present
5.1. The Visitors Experience at „The Artist is Present“
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
This work aims to analyze museum visitor experiences and subsequent learning processes by applying the Contextual Model of Learning developed by Falk and Dierking. The central investigation explores how individual factors—specifically personal, sociocultural, and physical contexts—influence what visitors learn and retain from museum exhibitions, using case studies to demonstrate that learning is a highly subjective and non-predictable outcome.
- Theoretical examination of the Contextual Model of Learning and its evolution from the Interactive Experience Model.
- Case study analysis of visitors at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to illustrate short-term and long-term learning variations.
- In-depth investigation of Marina Abramovic’s exhibition "The Artist is Present" at the MoMA as a practical application of the model.
- Evaluation of the role of time and personal engagement in shaping the depth of understanding and emotional resonance in museum encounters.
Excerpt from the Book
5.1. The Visitors Experience at The Artist is Present
The visitor participation is central to Abramovic’s art and especially the exhibition and the performance at MoMa. As Abramovic’s own performance for the show asked visitors to sit with her and become part of the performance, it is interesting to see how the visitors experienced their visit to this exhibition.
„There are so many different reasons why people come to sit in front of me. Some of them are curious, some of them are angry, some of them just want to know what happens. Some of them are really open and you feel incredible pain. So many people have so much pain. When they are sitting in front of me, it is not about me anymore (...) I am just the mirror of their own self.20
One visitor describes her perfomance as a „giant canvas of projection.“21 What this underlines are the different experiences each individual visitor has when sitting in front of Marina Abramovic, depending on their own context and as a result they also learn different things from the exhibition. The visitors experience at Abramovic’s performance at MoMa can be analysed in more detail using an example and the Contextual Model of Learning by Falk and Dierking.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the research interest in museum visitor learning and outlines the use of the Contextual Model of Learning to analyze visitor experiences, including the specific case of Marina Abramovic’s exhibition.
2. Falk and Dierking’s Contextual Model of Learning: This chapter details the foundational theoretical framework developed by Falk and Dierking to understand and predict learning within museum environments.
3. The Interactive Experience Model: This chapter traces the development of the authors' framework from their 1992 model to the expanded Contextual Model of Learning, defining personal, physical, and social contexts.
4. Example: This chapter provides a case study of two visitors to illustrate how identical experiences can lead to divergent short-term and long-term learning outcomes.
5. Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present: This chapter examines the specific exhibition "The Artist is Present" to demonstrate how interactive performance art engages visitors beyond conventional museum displays.
6. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, reaffirming that museum learning is a dynamic, individual process shaped heavily by the visitor's existing context and the element of time.
Keywords
Museum learning, Contextual Model of Learning, Falk and Dierking, Visitor experience, Personal context, Sociocultural context, Physical context, Marina Abramovic, The Artist is Present, Interactive art, Long-term learning, Short-term learning, Performance art, Museum studies, Exhibition analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work examines the processes of learning within museum environments, specifically investigating how and why visitors gain different insights from the same exhibition.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The study covers museum pedagogy, visitor behavior analysis, the evolution of learning models, and the integration of performance art into educational frameworks.
What is the main research question of this study?
The primary research question is: Do museum visitors learn, and if so, how does their personal, physical, and sociocultural context dictate what they actually learn and retain over time?
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The research employs a qualitative analysis of visitor experience literature, utilizing Falk and Dierking’s "Contextual Model of Learning" as a framework to interpret observational data and personal visitor reflections.
What is the content of the main body?
The main body bridges theory with practice by contrasting a standard museum visit case study with an in-depth analysis of Marina Abramovic's performance-based exhibition at the MoMA.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Museum learning, Contextual Model of Learning, Visitor experience, Marina Abramovic, and Interactive art.
How do personal contexts affect a visitor's experience during "The Artist is Present"?
Personal context—including the visitor's prior knowledge, emotional state, and expectations—acts as a filter, determining whether a visitor views the performance as an interactive spiritual encounter or merely a crowded museum event.
Why is the "time" dimension significant in the analysis of museum learning?
Time is crucial because genuine learning often matures only after the visit, as demonstrated by the subject who gained a deeper understanding of the performance only after watching a documentary years later.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Maleen Junge (Autor:in), 2017, The Museum Visitor Experience at Marina Abramović’s "The Artist is Present", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1254166
