i know the ngv went through this a while ago. i know they’ve got some good reasons for it (mostly financial, really), but can i just say that i’m fucked off that i won’t be able to take a pen or pencil in to sketch their winter masterpieces Art Deco show next week? i’m a student and will be taking advantage of their extra discount, but what’s the point in encouraging students to see the show, if you can’t actually learn from the show in a way that is helpful: ie, writing about and sketching about the show? ok, so as i write that, i can see that there are other ways to learn from the show, but as an artist and a student of art, architecture, design, craft, etc. [ie, all the good stuff of the art deco era], i get the most out of an artwork when i can stand in front of it and draw it. i process it on a very deep level and can learn by imitation from master artists and craftsman.
if a public institution is serious about having educational quality, surely allowing people to learn on this level is important? or am i just being selfish?
UPDATE: this says it all, really