ABSTRACT

Desire is a complicated thing. It can lead those whom it ensnares into wild and unfamiliar places, as they attempt to arrest the ache issuing from it. Scholars and curators alike often must bear up under continually unfulfilled desires. Curators, especially those who come from an academic background, long to demonstrate their expertise through labels that are way too long and specialized for their public to appreciate. Despite significant advances in the art of museum communication in recent decades, many curators still have hard lessons about brevity and language to learn, if they want their work to be noticed. Academics, on their part, sometimes regret that their books, articles, and conference panels attract comparatively small audiences. When they open themselves up to the sensory world of artifacts, they encounter thousands of curious and attentive gallery visitors.