The security team at the Baltimore Museum of Art get asked a lot of mundane questions by visitors on a daily basis, but when their bosses asked them, “Which pieces of art were the most meaningful to you?” it was definitely a change of gear.
Guarding the Art is a special exhibition at the BMA curated entirely by the security detail. 17 members were each asked to select three pieces that they wanted to exhibit, and were tutored on how to curate, set lighting, and write placards.
The idea was first mooted in February 2020 when BMA trustee Amy Elias and Chief Curator Asma Naeem were talking over dinner about how to get the security guards more involved, and how to get different perspectives into the museum.
What they found is that the team had more than enough love, curiosity, and knowledge of the art profession to curate an entire exhibition.
With 95,000 pieces in the museum’s collection, and only 1,800 on display at any given period, it’s no wonder the men and women who spend all day looking at them did an excellent job.
“Our guards are always looking at the art and listening to people as they talk about the art,” Naeem told the Washington Post. “People enjoy talking to them, and their education is really a ‘hands on’ gallery experience. We wanted to see things from their perspective.”
“There are certainly pieces of art that haven’t been seen in decades,” she said. “That’s part of what makes all of this so fascinating.”