Museum Didactics run amok

Count me as one of those who feels that sometimes there's just too much textual support material in museum exhibits.  It's clear that there is not dearth of explanatory in the museum world - and indeed, the glut of words seeking a context to explain seems to have spread to the back of the house, as it were, as is evidenced by this label that turned up in the kitchen at Bard CCS last month. 
In fairness, though this signage was intended to combat what was believed to be well meaning faux pas of someone using regular dish soap in the dishwasher, giving flight to a cloud of soapy bubbles eminating from the machine and covering the floor.

Speaking of text, there's a lot of it at the current offering at the Hessel Museum at Bard, and it ain't just on the wall labels.  A retrospective installation of several of Liam Gillick's works from the 90's is on view in the Hessel Galleries in the exhibit From 199A to 199B: Liam Gillick.  Over in the CCS galleries - by contrast - is a glowing, colorful affair featuring a selection of artists in the Johanna Burton curated exhibit Anti-Establishment.

Speaking of Anti-Establishment, just tonight I made the best batch of onion rings using onions I collected - which were cast offs from YES! Association's performance on the opening day of the exhibit on June 23.  The performance entailed both a healthy pile of soil and equally healthy pile of onions, some of which were cut open or gnawed by the artists....
Who says it's only the soul that is nourished by art.   

Over at Form in the Fire, Peter Acheson offers up a personal reflection of Gillick's show.

Both shows are on view through Dec, 2012.