the secret life of museum security guards

Museum Guard, mixed media, 1975. “Collection of the Estate of Duane Hanson” Art © Estate of Duane Hanson/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Forget the curators. They get all the attention and media hype. The museum director is too intimidating and hard to reach. Conservators are really interesting and so are museum educators, but I sort of already know what they do. With all of the fascinating people to interview in the museum, with all their expertise and art-world status, my choice of making a documentary about museum security guards may seem strange. However, I think these people may have the most interesting insight into the museum world. Of course, I haven't done any interviews or started filming yet, but just from my casual interactions with the guards at the Whitney so far, I can honestly say that they form a group of compelling characters.

First of all, the Whitney museum guards are the most friendly, approachable, and endearing guards I have ever met. If you enter the museum with your intern badge around your neck, they will pretty much always engage you in conversation about the art, what you're doing, and what you think. When I tell them "hey, I'm new here. Just a lowly intern," they give me a little pep talk about how it only takes one breakthrough to embark on the road to success. I have met some really optimistic people watching over the art in the galleries and I want to know what they think about the art and the institution.

Apparently, there was a meeting between the security guards and the museum administration in which the museum guards requested more art education for themselves. They were tired of not knowing the answers to questions other than "where is the bathroom?" and "how do I get out of here?" I am not sure what the outcome of that meeting was, but I hope that the administration will recognize the importance of educating everyone that works in the museum, not just those that visit.

So, once I get my camera and Youth Insight participants, I am ready to go! Just need to set up some meetings with security guards and get the camera rolling. The film will be posted on the Whitney website or youtube and hopefully on this blog too (pending approval from Whitney's Rights and Reproductions department). Let me know if you have any suggestions or probing questions to pose.