Chambers Art Hotel Response
Personally, I enjoyed the trip to the Chambers Art Hotel more than the Walker. Although both feature contemporary art, and even though the Walker Art Center has more actual art, I really enjoyed the atmosphere at Chambers. Perhaps it is because at Chambers we had Jennifer to guide us and make us feel comfortable, but for some reason I felt that the hotel was accessible and fun.
In particular I enjoyed the way the hotel incorporated the art into the restaurant and rooms (even though we didn't actually get to see any rooms), because I really love the idea of making art 'common' - that is taking art out of a gallery or museum and putting it in common places where people can feel personally connected to it. I think the idea of an art hotel is wonderful, and even though the prices are steep (I looked it up - staring at around $150 a night for the cheapest room), it is not impossible for many people from middle class 'blue collar' backgrounds to afford to stay a night or two.
Though I would still consider the hotel itself a luxury, I think the fact that the Chambers has a public gallery and restaurant is very clever; in this way they avoid being labeled purely elitist and open up contemporary art to the public in a way that not even the Walker can. I really loved much of the art on display. I particularly liked the work of Sam Taylor Wood (The Smoking Video) and Gavin Turn (Bronze 'Trash Bags'), because these artists created works that look like one thing but actually are another, playing with the viewer's expectations and perceptions of art, which is what the Chamber's hotel does as a whole.