I [heart] art museums

Robert Indiana

One of my favorite things to do, especially when I travel, is visit the local art museums. There are always new exhibits to see, and as a former visitor services professional, I enjoy details that others tend to take for granted. For example, I notice where the trash cans are placed, and how accessible the space is. I really take note of the staff and volunteers and how they interact with guests.

Today, I went to the Baker Museum, in Naples, Florida. It’s a small museum with a very nice Robert Indiana exhibit. He’s the artist who designed the iconic “LOVE” sculpture that’s now associated with Philadelphia. Off to a good start, we were excited to head upstairs to join the tour in progress.

Art is all around us.

My background is in literature, not art, but I spent many years as an educational interpreter and I appreciate good educational zoo or museum experiences. This was not a good educational experience. This poor lady seemed so out of her element. She did not know the artworks at all, and would stop to read the card next to each piece, reading the name of the artist to us. She pointed to one painting, saying only “the broad brush strokes evoke the movement for which the impressionist period is known.” The piece was not an impressionist painting. And the brush strokes aren’t the hallmark of impressionism. And also … that’s it? The brush strokes? That’s all she had to say about this painting before moving on to a portrait. She read the name of the subject off the card, and then said, “And this is a very nice portrait of [subject’s name.]” And moved on. We didn’t follow.

Sometimes I do not get
modern art. 

What a contrast to a recent private tour I was lucky enough to receive when I met with the volunteer coordinator at the Currier Museum in Manchester, New Hampshire. This is a lady who not only knows the art in her museum, she loves the art in her museum. She took me around that museum, showing me all of her favorite pieces, telling me the stories behind them, and comparing one piece to another. It was fascinating. After we were done, I looked at my watch and was stunned to see I had been there for nearly two hours. It felt like minutes, that’s how interesting her tour had been. She also shared knowledge not just about the art, but also about the building itself, and the founders of the museum. I love that stuff.

Also terrific was the tour guide/educator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She had several specific pieces of a modern art exhibit chosen ahead of time, and walked us through each one, asking leading questions, and encouraging us to come to our own conclusions

about the pieces before telling us more about the history of them. She had chosen pieces that were drastically different from one another deliberately to highlight the different elements that can go into creating a work of art. My absolute favorite was Chuck Close. He made the most incredible large format portraits. They look so realistic that even up close, I would have bet money it was a photograph. My eyes said, “photograph” even after my brain read “portrait with oils” on the info card. Chuck became paralyzed and couldn’t paint the same way anymore. The educator took us around the corner to look at a large portrait done mosaic style. It was huge, and gorgeous, and impressive. And it was done by the same artist. After his paralysis, he found a way to create within and around his physically limitations. Thanks to that educator, my eyes were opened in a way they would not have been without her information and enthusiasm. Thanks to her, I saw more than two styles of portraiture, more than two lovely if slightly different ways of depicting a person. I saw the will of the spirit. I saw perseverance and beauty. I saw the way that art will find a way.

Rock Paper Scissors

Want to know the best part? At the Baker, I saw some abstract paintings by Willem de Kooning. When I looked up Chuck Close’s name to make sure I was getting it right, I learned that he was influenced by de Kooning. (I need to learn more about this, as Close made exceptionally realistic portraits, but de Kooning is known for abstract works).

Art and the spirit and humanity – it’s all connected, even across time and geography.