--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Remember, this is back in the '40s, and…" description: "\"Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact with works hadn't arriv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg" --- # Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a… ![“Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact with works hadn't arrived on the scene yet. That, I think, I first ran into at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C., where a man named Marty [Martin] Amt decided that he…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg) > “Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact with works hadn't arrived on the scene yet. That, I think, I first ran into at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C., where a man named Marty \[Martin\] Amt decided that he really felt his job - part of his job, as an assistant \[to the\] director was to make the collection available to interested people.” [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early museum practice aimed to make art accessible; Marty Amt’s role was to open collections to the public, a novel concept in the 1940s. **In simple terms:** Museum staff began inviting public access to art. Key Takeaway Accessibility reshaped museum purpose. Themes museum accessibility history cultural policy education Mood historical optimistic Type historical institutional When to use this quote - curatorial planning - community outreach - exhibition design Key Concepts public engagement institutional mission Practical Applications - Develop free‑entry days - Create interactive guides for visitors Questions to Reflect On - How does public access change the role of curators? - What challenges arise when opening collections to broader audiences? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Marty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marty/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Man, there's another freedom out there, and it comes from somewhere else, and that somewhere else is the place I'm interested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/man-there-s-another-freedom-out-there-and-it-comes-from-somewhere/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [The idea of the museum is to show my work since the start, and I wanted to show all of it, not just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/the-idea-of-the-museum-is-to-show-my-work-since-the-start-and-i/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [“Films featuring museums are on the whole, not serious ones. They are mostly comedies, mild thrillers, romances, and horror movies, with a few disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-keene/films-featuring-museums-are-on-the-whole-not-serious-ones-they-are/) [Suzanne Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-keene/) > [I like the idea of the museum world and the university-academic situation where artists talk to each other or where artists or art students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-reinhardt/i-like-the-idea-of-the-museum-world-and-the-university-academic/) [Ad Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-reinhardt/) > [A museum is a place where one should lose one's head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/a-museum-is-a-place-where-one-should-lose-one-s-head/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [A lot of the stuff I've done is inspired by the location. Usually my works are pretty site-specific. There are a lot of shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ragnar-kjartansson/a-lot-of-the-stuff-i-ve-done-is-inspired-by-the-location-usually-my/) [Ragnar Kjartansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ragnar-kjartansson/) > [“A museum is a place where nothing was lost, just rediscovered…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanette-l-avery/a-museum-is-a-place-where-nothing-was-lost-just-rediscovered/) [Nanette L. Avery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanette-l-avery/) > [I was kind of a little disappointed when they started building a competition between Marty (Martin Scorsese) and me. I have the greatest respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-was-kind-of-a-little-disappointed-when-they-started-building-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [Marty Richards is an angel on Earth. A producer that does what he says he'll do. He helped me greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rip-taylor/marty-richards-is-an-angel-on-earth-a-producer-that-does-what-he-says/) [Rip Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rip-taylor/) > [I hate categories. Hank Williams is a great artist, period. Bob Dylan is a great artist, so is Marty Robbins. They just classify these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/i-hate-categories-hank-williams-is-a-great-artist-period-bob-dylan-is/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [Marty Robbins once sang you give me a mountain, I've been given a few mountains in my life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allan-coe/marty-robbins-once-sang-you-give-me-a-mountain-i-ve-been-given-a-few/) [David Allan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allan-coe/) > [Cinema is a visual language, and you're always looking for visual metaphors for things. You know, if I was writing a play about Howard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/cinema-is-a-visual-language-and-you-re-always-looking-for-visual/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [Marty and I are playing with the same intensity. That's the beautiful thing, man, we're actually better now than ever, probably more intense now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-vega/marty-and-i-are-playing-with-the-same-intensity-that-s-the-beautiful/) [Alan Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-vega/) > [You get kicked around long enough, you become a professor of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/you-get-kicked-around-long-enough-you-become-a-professor-of-pain/) [Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/) > [Nothing will ever replace the feeling I got when Jesse Orosco struck out Marty Barrett to end the game (Game 7 of the 1986…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/nothing-will-ever-replace-the-feeling-i-got-when-jesse-orosco-struck/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) ## More by Warren MacKenzie > [ \[Kathleen Blackshear\] just said, "Have you thought of looking at this?" and so on and so on and so on. And it was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/kathleen-blackshear-just-said-have-you-thought-of-looking-at-this-and/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Some years ago I was working on some forms which were vase forms with a fairly narrow base, and it was after \[Hans\] Coper… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/some-years-ago-i-was-working-on-some-forms-which-were-vase-forms-with/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I found out later on that was not true, that life drawing tells you a great deal about rhythm, about the structure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-found-out-later-on-that-was-not-true-that-life-drawing-tells-you-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ At the end of that two weeks Bernard \[Leach\] asked us if we would like to sit with him tending the kiln, the big… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/at-the-end-of-that-two-weeks-bernard-leach-asked-us-if-we-would-like/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I got drafted into the army and by pure chance was pushed into a silk-screen shop at this camp where I was, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-got-drafted-into-the-army-and-by-pure-chance-was-pushed-into-a-silk/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[In the Field Museum of Natural History\] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-we-could-see-very-simple/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [Chicago is a wonderful area because it's blessed with a tremendous number of museums of various sorts, not only the Art Institute of Chicago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/chicago-is-a-wonderful-area-because-it-s-blessed-with-a-tremendous/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ It was a wonderful opportunity. And so for two and a half years we lived with \[Bernard\] Leach. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-a-wonderful-opportunity-and-so-for-two-and-a-half-years-we/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ We thought \[with Alix MacKenzie\], if those are the kinds of pots from every culture that interest us, why would we think that it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/we-thought-with-alix-mackenzie-if-those-are-the-kinds-of-pots-from/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I went to the Chicago Art Institute, which was the best painting school in the area at that time. And I took painting classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-went-to-the-chicago-art-institute-which-was-the-best-painting/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [It was there that we really first came in contact with the work of Shoji Hamada, who was Bernard's best friend from Japan, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-there-that-we-really-first-came-in-contact-with-the-work-of/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Bernard \[Leach\] was making pots which were duplicates of his drawing, and that was a difference of approach, which I think is quite critical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/bernard-leach-was-making-pots-which-were-duplicates-of-his-drawing/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I don't know, it's very difficult if you're in a strange country to just barge in and say, "Hello, I'm Warren MacKenzie, and aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-don-t-know-it-s-very-difficult-if-you-re-in-a-strange-country-to/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[Shoji\] Hamada seldom drew an exact drawing of a pot that he was going to make. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/shoji-hamada-seldom-drew-an-exact-drawing-of-a-pot-that-he-was-going/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Eventually we even got to the point where we could disagree with \[Bernard Leach\]. I mean, when we first went there, gee, I mean,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/eventually-we-even-got-to-the-point-where-we-could-disagree-with/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) [Explore all 108 Warren MacKenzie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) ## More Assistants quotes > [I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-m-a-good-assistant-that-s-why-i-don-t-have-an-assistant-because-i-m/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/) [Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/) > [To this day, I've never had an assistant. I really insist on doing everything myself because I value the role of the artist's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/to-this-day-i-ve-never-had-an-assistant-i-really-insist-on-doing/) [Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/) > [ Well, that would be a title \[the busiest guy in Hollywood\] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-guy-in-hollywood-still/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) > [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [I know that you observe Christmas Day as you learned it at home. I do not observe it. However, as assistant director of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilo-globocnik/i-know-that-you-observe-christmas-day-as-you-learned-it-at-home-i-do/) Odilo Globocnik > [Hollywood is a whole other level of crazy. I've never met so many assistants who have assistants. It's a stratified society on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/hollywood-is-a-whole-other-level-of-crazy-i-ve-never-met-so-many/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photoshop-is-useful-in-many-ways-but-must-never-be-used-for-the/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [The mind reels at the multiplication of books intended to justify the author's promotion from assistant to associate professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-mind-reels-at-the-multiplication-of-books-intended-to-justify-the/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [I was in Japan, and my assistant director had worked with Kurosawa. I used quite of number of Kurosawa's crew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/i-was-in-japan-and-my-assistant-director-had-worked-with-kurosawa-i/) [John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/) > [It's one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Not everyone has a chance to meet Greta Garbo! I was so in awe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/it-s-one-of-the-most-beautiful-memories-of-my-life-not-everyone-has-a/) [Giovanna Cau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanna-cau/) > [Think like a head coach, but act like an assistant coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-amaker/think-like-a-head-coach-but-act-like-an-assistant-coach/) Tommy Amaker > [I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-must-have-assistants-who-will-solve-their-own-problems-and-tell-me/) [George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/) > [I don't know if you've ever tried writing a Doctor Who story, but it's a lot more difficult than it initially appears, especially if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-sutton/i-don-t-know-if-you-ve-ever-tried-writing-a-doctor-who-story-but-it-s/) [Sarah Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-sutton/) Browse all 322 Assistants quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact with works hadn't arrived on the scene yet. That, I think, I first ran into at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C., where a man named Marty [Martin] Amt decided that he really felt his job - part of his job, as an assistant [to the] director was to make the collection available to interested people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Warren MacKenzie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assistants" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could…” — Warren MacKenzie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Warren MacKenzie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Remember, this is back in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```