- Address: 984 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL
- Date Visited: February 25, 2015
1. In what type of neighborhood is the museum situated? eg. residential, commercial [small, strip mall, large]. How wide are the streets – 1-2 lane traffic, picturesque boulevard, small residential one-way; what kinds of stores, schools, industries are there now? Does it seem very busy, inhabited, remote, lackluster, lively? [these are some ideas-please add your own, as appropriate] Explain/describe in detail:
The Polish Museum of America (PMA) is in West Town's lively (but soon-to-be culturally indistinct) neighborhood of Noble Square, just north of Eckhart Park. It's on Milwaukee Avenue, a major commercial thoroughfare. Within a few blocks on Milwaukee, one can grab lunch at the Roots & Culture Gallery, or watch a film at the Nightingale Cinema.
The PMA has its own parking area, and there's street parking all around.
3. In what type of building is the museum located? eg. 2-flat apartment; 8-flat apartment; former bakery, rectory, hospital?; has it been renovated? Is the building a specifically designed museum space? If can’t tell, why?
The museum occupies part of a building built by John Filzikowski for the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA) in 1912. Most of the building is dedicated to that organization and to a library, but the museum occupies the third and part of the fourth floor. It is not a specifically-designed museum space.
4. What is the architectural style of the building? Describe the façade and areas facing the street, plaza. Describe also, what materials it is made of to the best of your ability [greystone, red masonry; wood, stucco, glass wall/windows, concrete, if painted, what colors and where?]
The brick building was built in the Beaux-Arts style, and is considered historic. At street level, the building features terra-cotta decorations.
5. What is the condition of the exterior? Normal wear and tear? Any obvious disrepair? If so, is it being fixed, and if so, how? [scaffolding, drywall repair, floor refinishing]
The exterior of the building is in decent condition, and shows no signs that it is currently being repaired.
6. Is there a museum sign? Where? Is it prominent? Describe briefly – scale, color, block letters, discreet. Do you think it will catch the attention of passer’s-by or does it appear one has to already plan on visiting as a destination point – ie. The sign doesn’t draw much street attention?
The museum has its name inscribed twice along a black band that runs down the north side of the building at around 8 feet up.
It is not particularly eye-catching.
7. How does one gain access to the interior? Describe: A. Steps, ramp, street level[no steps]; Greco-Roman type grand staircase; winding; B. Doors-eg. single or double door, wooden, glass, bronze . C. Scale – about how high/wide?
Having come with the address and spotted the sign, I spent about five minutes trying to find the museum's front door. The door was poorly marked. I walked past it several times. It's an average-sized single door in what appears to be slightly-tinted glass.
8. Is there a garden, sculptures, planters demarcating the staircase/plaza, and/or entrance? Explain any landscaping.
There is no landscaping at the Polish Museum of America.
9. Once inside the entry area/lobby, but not yet further into the museum, what is you impression of the museum space?
I see posters with some info about the museum. It is not clear how to get to the galleries, but the front desk attendant seems friendly. I'm sure she'd tell me.
10. Is there an open atrium, space for assembling groups, but not an obvious `exhibition gallery? If so, how is it decorated? Are there neighborhood activity notices on tables or bulletin boards; artwork; a small shop; something else?
From the lobby, I can see a small gift shop with books and cultural artifacts. It is closed, or at least the lights are turned off. I don't see any community information, but I'd imagine that the PRCUA exists for exactly that type of thing.
11. How many floors are there? How many are open to the public? How many galleries are there on the first floor; second; third, etc.?
The building has four floors. The museum occupies the third, part of the fourth, and one room on the second.
The first floor of the building contains the library, museum lobby, and space for offices.
The great hall of the museum, which as our point of entry functioned kind of like a first floor, contains the following:
- The museum's only space for rotating exhibits, currently "Truth and Rememberance" about the Katyn massacre
- Large works that couldn't fit into other rooms
- An exhibit about Pope John Paul II
- The museum's most valuable artifact, a royal sleigh belonging to the Queen of France in the 1750s
- Other works deemed important
13. Are there wall texts and/or labels for each object displayed; only some of the objects? Is the decision to label some objects but not others obvious?
Maybe half of the objects are labeled, maybe less. Some in Polish, some in English, most in both languages. It is not clear on what basis this decision is made.
14. Is there a permanent collection? Is it displayed? If not, can you ask a staff member why and state here? If so, can you find out how many exist in that collection?
The museum's entire collection is permanent. About 10% of it is displayed. Our friendly tour guide did not know how many items are in the collection.
15. What types of works constitute the permanent collection? What themes do they explore? What is their visual style?
70-80% of the Polish pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair went to the Polish Museum. I couldn't find a good answer as to how much of the museum's collection these works make up, but I got the sense that it's a great deal. Since it was Poland's first world's fair as a sovereign nation, it sought to demonstrate its modernity in terms of art, technical achievement, and culture. The works strive to represent the best that 1939 had to offer.
16. How are the works displayed? Are there pedestals for sculptures – what color?; do they seem proportionate to the scale of the sculptures upon it?; If not, how so? What is the height of the images on the walls more or less? Average eye level, above, etc. Does the height seem in keeping with other gallery, museum standards or different? Explain.
In the great hall, which seems like the museum's main room, most objects are in wooden display cases behind glass between floor and eye level. Since the hall's walls are so high, the wallspace above the display cases are occupied by larger paintings.
In the art-deco posters hallway, the walls are filled floor-to-ceiling.
It seems clear that the museum doesn't have nearly enough space for their whole collection (10%), they're trying to make the best of what they have and cram as many things in as possible. I can't blame them. Another strategy could be rotating the collection more frequently, but that takes lots of resources, which the PMA might not be able to commit.
17. Display – please analyze the lighting quality, strategy. Does it complement the manner in which the works are displayed; illustrate the object? Also describe the placement of objects and their relationship to each other. Are they spaced out to accommodate traffic flow; too dense so as to fit into a single display case, etc.?
The great hall of the museum is very dimly lit. There are lights on most of the display cases, but not all of the unencased larger works. Many ligts are burnt out, or perhaps turned off to save on energy.
18. Is there literature for visitors to take/purchase? What kind? Does it describe the museum, programs, events, membership? Is there other literature – community newspaper, neighborhood business information?
I found two pamphlets to take with me, one about Pulaski and one about the museum in general.
The library in the same building offers Chicago's largest (or second largest?) collection of Polish-language material.
19. Does the museum have a mission/ideological position? Answer and explain the mission. This is often stated in their brochures, otherwise it should be apparent in how they display their collections, the themes of the exhibitions, and type of works they collect.
A blog post on the museum's website, announcing the new (now seven months ago) managing director, Malgorzata Kot, states the mission as follows:
The mission of the 79-year old Polish Museum of America is to be a reflection of national culture and historic events, a center and workshop for academic and scientific research, and a contribution to the growth of enlightenment, within, and for, the community of Poles in America and abroad.
20. How does the mission interface with the museum’s environment? In other words, do the exhibits, displays, exterior presentation, programs support their goal? How successful is it? Are some elements more successfully articulated than others; are some elements more important to prioritize than others? [eg. The building condition may be less important than its contents, or the architectural style may seem disconnected with the museum’s activities, cultural identity
The museum appears to support its goals effectively. Its extensive archive makes it a viable site for academic research. Any well-trafficked library is a wonderful contribution to the growth of enlightenment, and the library at the PMA was the most active part of the building that we encountered.
21. Do you think the museum provides a culturally ‘authentic’ experience? Is it striving to do so? Please explain. As you develop your answer, consider the following question: Does the museum try to identify factors important to understanding their art and/or culture? [This is a difficult question, and requires conscientious analysis of what you have seen here. Do the best you can, even if it seems ‘incomplete’ – you may jot down ideas].
The Polish Museum of America provides a culturally authentic experience of a struggling museum working with what resources they have available. It provides what feels like a good sense of how Poland wanted to be seen in 1939, and an honest account of how Polish culture has grown less distinct in Chicago over the last hundred years.
I'd say that the museum experience speaks more to the experience of being Polish or Polish-American in Chicago than it does to the experience of being Polish in Poland, although the collection itself is of course from Poland.