Bonus Blog Question

Though the museum was very open in space, the exhibitions themselves felt crowded. Artifacts placed in the upper levels were positioned in ways in which the visitor had to go through a pathway in order to observe them. It almost felt as if I were in a maze. Though at first I did not understand this order of placement, I now realize that the visitor could become even more engaged in the museum if he or she were to choose to dive into the exhibitions in order to look at the artifacts. As a visitor, I was engaged. Having to go and actually seek for artifacts captured my attention more than if the artifacts were just placed in wide, open, and visible areas. Due to the lack of space in the exhibition, I submerged myself in a history that I must admit, I am a bit ignorant of. I became surrounded by history and was therefore more receptive of the portrayed cultures.

Lighting was also an interesting factor of the museum. In the fourth floor, the lighting of the exhibitions was dimmed and focused solely on the artifacts. Due to the lack of light, I began to feel as if I were in a mystical place. I kind of don't really know how to describe this mood with another word besides "mystical." It's just that something felt kind of mysterious about the whole atmosphere. Maybe it was to reflect how Native Americans were not really rooted to solid ideas but rather to abstract forms of thinking. What I mean, is that many of their beliefs seemed to be centered on things such as folklore or finding symbols in objects rather than focusing on actual scientific fact. Maybe this was the whole reason behind the layout, to reinforce the idea that this culture was an abstract one.