The Public Lives Of Private Family Albums

125 Pages·2013·2.35 MB·English

by  Heather Rigg

Ryerson University
Digital Commons @ Ryerson
Teses and dissertations
1-1-2012
Te Public Lives Of Private Family Albums : A
Case Study In Collections And Exhibitions At Te
Art Gallery Of Ontario And Max Dean : Album
Heather Rigg
Ryerson University
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Rigg, Heather, "Te Public Lives Of Private Family Albums : A Case Study In Collections And Exhibitions At Te Art Gallery Of
Ontario And Max Dean : Album" (2012).Teses and dissertations. Paper 1517.
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THE PUBLIC LIVES OF PRIVATE FAMILY ALBUMS:

A CASE STUDY IN COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS AT THE
ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO AND MAX DEAN: ALBUM

by

Heather Rigg

BA, University of Victoria, 2007

A Thesis presented to

Ryerson University
and
the Art Gallery of Ontario

in partial fulfilment of the requirements of

Master of Arts in the Program
of
Photographic Preservation and Collections Management

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2012
© Heather Rigg 2012
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AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A
THESIS

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of
the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my
examiners.

I authorize Ryerson University to lend this thesis to other institutions or
individuals for the purpose of scholarly research.

I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this thesis by
photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other
institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research.

I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the
public.
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ABSTRACT
The Public Lives of Private Family Albums: A Case Study in Collections and
Exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Max Dean: Album
Master of Arts
2012
Heather Rigg
Photographic Preservation and Collections Management
Ryerson University and the Art Gallery of Ontario

This thesis uses Toronto artist Max Dean's performance Max Dean:
Album, produced in conjunction with the Art Gallery of Ontario, as a case study to
investigate the complex issues involved in the display and recirculation of private
family albums in the public space of the art gallery.
A survey of the critical literature that addresses the placement of
vernacular objects such as family albums and snapshots in the art gallery
functions as a preamble to a series of interviews done with scholars, academics
and curators in the fields of photography and art history. Drawing on the results
of these interviews, this paper examines the challenges that arise when family
albums are publicly displayed and exhibited. Terry Barrett's methodology of
investigating the context of photographs is considered and applied to family
albums and to Dean's Album project, analyzing how his public performance
provides a creative solution to the issues raised.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Professor Blake Fitzpatrick's generous contribution of time, expertise,
insight and enthusiasm was central to the development of this thesis and I am very
thankful for the support and knowledge that he continued to provide throughout
the creation of this project. Thank you very much to my second reader Sophie
Hackett, for her willingness to share her ideas, her time and her guidance. Thank
you as well to Max Dean, Maia-Mari Sutnik and, of course, all of the participants
of my interviews.
My infinite gratitude must be extended to Tristram Lansdowne for his
editorial prowess, insightful feedback and enduring patience and support
throughout this program. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Robert
Burley for his help in ensuring my internship at The Museum of the City of New
York, an experience I will always be thankful for.
Thank you to the PPCM class of 2012 for their friendship, encouragement
and inspiration.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

List of Illustrations...............................................................................................x
1. Introduction.......................................................................................................1
2. Literature Survey..............................................................................................6
3. Context and the Public Display of Private Family Albums........................18

4. Barrett's Three Modes of Contextualization................................................31
5. Family Albums within the Art Gallery of Ontario......................................44
6. Max Dean: As Yet Untitled..............................................................................48
7. Dean's Public Gesture.....................................................................................54
8. Conclusion.......................................................................................................73
9. Appendix..........................................................................................................77
Geoffrey Batchen.......................................................................................77
Alison Nordström.......................................................................................79
Sophie Hackett...........................................................................................81
Elizabeth Smith..........................................................................................88
Vid Ingelevics............................................................................................89
Daile Kaplan..............................................................................................97
Martha Langford......................................................................................103
Bibliography.......................................................................................................108

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