Breaking a sweat in the art museum

If you visited The Princeton University Art Museum in the last two weeks, you may have seen a group of joggers in workout clothes led by two dazzling dancers. They may have pranced by a Monet, or done squats in front of rare artifacts. And there may have been Elton John music. No, this was not a midterms hallucination.Students and members of the public were invited to take part in the museum workout, a tour of Princeton’s prestigious permanent collection that combines exercise with catchy tunes and curation from artist and author Maira Kalman. The performance is meant to offer participants a new way of interacting with art, and is led by dancers and choreographers Monica Barnes and Anna Bass from Monica Bill Barnes & Company.[video width="576" height="320" mp4="http://www.universitypressclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Dance-1.mp4" autoplay="true"][/video]Although the project was initially commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Kalman chose to test the performance in a more manageable space, and was put in touch with Princeton's museum through Theater Professor Jane Cox.As a live performer, Barnes said that she could relate to the museum’s goal of preserving the spirit of an artwork after it is consumed in the moment.“It’s a bit of a strange, losing battle,” Barnes said in a phone interview, noting that both artworks and performances often fade from memory when the show is over.“It’s an incredibly complicated thing to perform,” Barnes said, explaining that she has to make sure the pace and music correspond to the correct artwork all while respecting museum regulations.According to Mellon curator of academic engagement Julia Dweck, the dancers toured the museum with the head security officer and a museum registrar before staging the project, discussing concerns such as group size, music and pacing. Before the tour, a museum representative reminds visitors not to touch the art.Last Thursday, security guard Keith McCae shared his thoughts with an intrigued guest as he watched the workout group file past. “They know the rules and they have an officer with them,” McCae said, explaining that other visitors did not seem disturbed by the music, but expressed general curiosity. "People like it because it’s different."About 15 participants gathered in the museum lobby for the 45-minutes tour that day. Most of the participants wore workout clothes and athletic shoes.“I decided to participate because, I mean, it beats the gym,” Terry O’Shea ’16 wrote in an email after the workout. O’Shea said she was attracted to the idea of mixing high art with aerobic dance in a taboo context.“The art-viewer relationship felt more active,” O’Shea said. “I had to work to keep my eye trained on the art as we did sets of squats or arm thrusts. A very regal George Washington portrait watched me jog in place to the beat of "Stayin' Alive."Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse Michael Rosenberg also took part in the tour, and said he was excited to experience the museum in a more physical way.“I think it’s a great idea. Otherwise museums can become really dead places,” Rosenberg said, adding that the tour seemed more social and interactive.[video width="320" height="576" mp4="http://www.universitypressclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Dance-2.mp4" autoplay="true"][/video]The project adds to the art museum’s legacy of inviting the public to events that seem a little risky...  (Sampling food from Nassau street in front of priceless works of art comes to mind.)Thankfully, no mishaps were recorded during the tours. Visitors were encouraged to break a sweat, but not at the expense of art.-AW