Post 3

by Margot Naber

In Ted Gioia’s de-institutionalization of arts and entertainment chart, he claims that web users obsessively scroll through images online, but art museum attendance is down, especially at large premier institutions. This is true, however I think the cause is complex. Ted Gioia’s article was written in 2023, post-pandemic. I don’t think it is sufficient enough to blame the increase of online viewership and the decrease of in-person attendance on the fear of contracting Covid-19. 

As we all know, everyone became reliant on technology during the pandemic. That has furthered the already brewing addiction to screens that has plagued our society. Even after the world’s re-opening, normal life has not resumed and our inability to put our phones down has become more apparent. I’m not surprised that locking everyone up in their houses, with the internet being the only thing connecting them, has caused a decrease in in-person revenue. 

When you have developed an addiction to something, it’s hard to break away from it. I think the majority of people are suffering from an addiction to technology. Why would they leave their homes and pay money to visit an art gallery when they have free access to images online? It’s hard to argue the appeal of in-person visitation to these businesses. 

Coming from a family of artists, I think this is a bad trend. My step-father, a photographer, and my step-sister, a painter, have struggled with their careers after a decline in gallery attendance. It’s already a hard profession to make a sustainable income, and the decline of museum and gallery attendance is only making it more difficult. I think that using social media and the internet to boost artwork and reach a larger audience is helpful, however I think in-person exhibitions are equally important. Museums and exhibits allow for interaction with art and give a platform for the artists. Most art museums are inexpensive and provide discounted prices for children, students, seniors, and the military. Visiting them doesn’t break the bank, I just don’t think people really care anymore when they have access to so much online. 

Unfortunately, I think the numbers will keep trending downwards or stay the same. I think the leading cause of people visiting art museums at this point in time is because they are tourist destinations. A few that come to mind are the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Louvre in Paris, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Now that travel has opened up, I am hopeful that more people are traveling to see such places. However, that doesn’t really benefit smaller museums and galleries that don’t have as big of a reputation amongst tourists.