Music in Museums: A Case for the Curatorial Model

Music is ubiquitous. The ways in which we experience music, and sound, are innumerable. The effect of music, or sound in general, has a proven neurological effect on the way we see art. In fall of 2021, I proposed a research project for the Ailsa Mellon Bruce National Gallery of Art Sabbatical Fellowship stemming from my personal and professional interest in the relationships between musical performances, locations, and people. This report addressees the beginning of ongoing research into the role of live performances and sound installations in museums and other nontraditional venues (public spaces), as well as urban festival settings. Some of the questions I seek to answer are: Should the performances illuminate the place, or should they be socially and culturally responsive to the place? How is the public, or audience, impacted by the experience? Will people attend live performances despite the availability of music online? How should presenters or organizers approach the curation of their offerings? With shifting economies, demographics, and cultural priorities, how do we, as curators and artists, shape and democratize live performances for the future? My research focused on two main areas: performances in museums and those experienced within a festival structure. 

I visited and/or spoke with museum colleagues who organize concerts and performances, and I attended a variety of performances in museum settings. My interviews and on-site research with performing arts programs included a range of historical art museums, both privately and government-funded, of varying sizes. Some of the sites included the Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington; Cleveland Museum of Art; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Knoxville Museum of Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. Other research conducted without meetings or conversations was done on modern and contemporary art museums with robust performing arts programming, including the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams, as well as some museums with more specific focus areas, including the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary in Bentonville.

By and large, concerts and performances that take place under the auspices of museum “programming” fall into one of the following categories: for marketing and/or development (fundraising) purposes; as part of an educational program; as a stand-alone event because the museum has a lovely setting; or as an independent curatorial department. One common thread among the different types of museums and the different rationales for programming concerts is the importance of funding and organizational structure. Like the National Gallery’s after-hours series, performances used for marketing and development are designed to bring new people into the museum, and to provide entertainment as opposed to a more focused artistic experience. They are often done as pop-up concerts, in short spurts, in various locations where attendees can also purchase drinks. Typically, these events are funded by marketing or an outside sponsor for the distinct purpose of engaging new audiences. Educational programming is usually organized by museum educators—not music or performing arts specialists—and will typically invite audiences of students and teachers. Funding for these programs is usually sourced through grant money targeted for educational programs. Many historical art museums with European collections have long-running concert series that were initiated by a director with an interest in music; examples include the National Gallery of Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. These concerts have usually featured classical music and often take place in an auditorium or room dedicated to that purpose. In recent years, some of these series have found themselves stretching into jazz and global music. In most cases, these performances are ticketed and funding is endowed. At private museums, the concerts are not free but may include gallery admission along with the price of a concert ticket. At public museums, such as the National Gallery, ticketing—or advance registration—has been implemented for the purposes of crowd management and data collection, although there is no charge to register. In modern and contemporary museums, such as the Walker and MASS MoCA, performing arts take a different shape. These institutions commission and produce performing arts as independent curatorial programs, where the performances or sound installations have their own lives, similar to a special exhibition. One exception is the Met’s Department of Live Arts, a robust, independent producing organization whose managing director is an employee of the museum.

The National Gallery of Art is in a unique position among traditional art museums in that for decades it has had an endowment specifically for music programs, created in the mid-20th century by two gentlemen who were regular concertgoers. It is not to be taken for granted that the National Gallery can use these funds to create musical experiences to further its strategic goals. My research is ongoing, and I have begun to write an article making a case for the curatorial model of music programing in a historical art museum like the National Gallery. 

Department of Music Programs, National Gallery of Art
Ailsa Mellon Bruce National Gallery of Art Sabbatical Fellow, 2022–2023

Danielle Hahn has returned to her duties as head of music programs at the National Gallery. She will graduate with an MBA in Arts Innovation through the Global Leaders Institute in December 2024. 

Back to Research Reports