Foucault’s notion of “parrhesia”—free, blatant public speech—as perhaps a better model through which to understand some kind of “educational turn” in art.
The term parrhesia is borrowed from the Greek, and Foucault introduced this concept into academic field, believing that parrhesia is extremely courageous and that one must be prepared to take risks when choosing parrhesia. This also reminds me of the concept of panopticism proposed by Foucault. In 1975, Foucault reintroduced the panopticism of Bianchin’s “panopticon” in Discipline and Punish, considering it not only an architectural innovation, but also “an event in the history of human thought”.
“What can we learn from the museum?”
Museum education is an important element of arts education. And museum education differs from ordinary art courses in that it brings a scenic experience, a reverence for the original work, that is very different from traditional classroom lectures and online resources. What we can learn from museums is a meaningful discussion of value and a subject that cannot be ended.
Finally, I would like to see education as a stage
Education nowadays is not only about results, but also about encouraging students to find their own potential in the process of exploration, giving them more opportunities to showcase themselves and encouraging them to think critically rather than having a single answer
There are questions about cultural difference that ask whether the museum is really a representative institution, designed to represent people outside its system and a privileged audience. If not, then perhaps those ‘outsiders’ are not outside at all, but can be identified as already here and part of us, but only if we listen – really listen to our own voices, as in Sounding Difference!
Whether a museum exists as an institution or as a place of educational initiation depends on the purpose for which different people view it. The process of some visitors viewing the artwork becomes part of the museum while listening to the self resonate with the artwork, and whether true museum education will become a punchline experience is something that needs to be asked more deeply
Born out of a belief that the institutions we inhabit may be much more than they are, these questions ask museums, universities, art schools, capable of going beyond their current functions.
Is academy-style education still fulfilling its primary role in the teaching of contemporary art? With the emergence of more and more ‘institutions’, we have more options for accessing art education, and we are constantly refining and renewing to go beyond that.
