Bone up on your Gopnik

If you've ever enjoyed a museum, had an idea about how they could improve, or wondered why museums are the way they are, I guarantee you will enjoy New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik's lecture on Feb. 5.

For some background, you might want to check out Gopnik's essay "The Mindful Museum." This article, which discusses the past and future essence of a "museum," seems incredibly prescient now, as non-profits and museums face an ever-increasing crunch in this dire economy. And, for the UIMA, it's particularly applicable -- this is the perfect time to start a dialogue about the big picture of what a musuem actually *is* as we move toward a long-term solution for our own museum.

If you like what you hear in "The Mindful Museum," I'd encourage you to check out Gopnik's best-selling book, Paris to the Moon. I read it for a class -- Paris and the Art of Urban Life, taught by John Beldon Scott and Jack Johnson -- and I loved it. (In fact, I'm almost embarassed to loan my copy to anyone, as I have such ridiculous notes in the margins!)

Or, go online to newyorker.com to read some of Gopnik's work for that publication.

Hope to see you on Feb. 5 -- remember, 7:30 p.m. at the University Athletic Club, 1360 Melrose Ave., Iowa City.


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-- Maggie Anderson
UIMA Marketing and Media Manager