I love visiting art museums!
It’s something I grew up doing, having a fine art painting mama.
Not familiar with visiting Art Museums?
Here’s a few things you can do to be more comfortable about going and how to have more fun.
I’ll be using a collection of paintings hanging in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to illustrate.
Look with your eyes, not your hands.
Wisdom we’re all familiar with, “look with your eyes, not your hands.” Don’t touch the art.
The reason not to touch is some of the works of art are hundreds of years old. The oil on our hands can damage the delicate pigments, ancient fabrics, canvas and wood frames. And any pokes or jabs can rip or scratch a masterpiece.
The more practical, immediate reason is the museum has people on staff who will call you out for getting too close. They may also have alarms that’ll buzz. Which means everyone around you will judge.
Be safe. Leave at least 12 inches between your face or finger and the art you’re looking at.
On a similar note, most museums allow photography, with no flash.
The flash can also damage the materials.
Please, use your inside voice.
Museums tend to be quiet, in a scholarly kind of way.
Hushed voices can be heard as visitors discuss painting styles or sceneries depicted or what not. Tours are given by docents, or guides, who explain and highlight pieces for those in their group. Most often docents speak at regular volume so everyone in the group can hear.
Many exhibits have audio tours available, some times for an additional charge. These tours can deepen the experience by sharing the inspirations and circumstances surrounding the creation of the work. Some art museums will rent earphones; others have audio tours apps that allow you to listen through your phone. Either method is nice in that it doesn’t disturb those nearby, as long as earbuds are used.
Folks visiting museums, largely, are there to absorb, reflect and admire these depictions. Paintings, drawings and sculptures that inspired an artist to duplicate what they saw. Then someone else liked the art well enough to buy it and keep it safe for how ever long. Lastly, a museum hung it where the rest of us could see it.
I guess all of this to say, if you get a phone call, please don’t talk on speaker.
Don’t stand so close to me.
Patrons are those who support the arts.
Support can be financial, like paying admission to a museum, or in other ways, such as showing up. Which makes everyone in an art museum a patron.
The obvious way to respect other patrons’ space is to not crowd them. Someone standing too close is annoying. Try not to push others along. Make them feel uncomfortable or rushed. Keep in mind, your opinion of what you are seeing may not be in sync with those around you.
Another thing to consider is there are two ways view a piece of art: up close and from a distance.
Standing far enough away from art to see the entire thing, is the best way to take in the entire story the artist set out to tell.
For centuries, churches used paintings and tapestries to illustrate teachings. Royals commissioned painters to make them look beautiful and to preserve their likeness for generations to come. Artwork is made to be view as a whole.
Moving up close to a work of art lets you see the individual brushstrokes or how colors are mixed.
So, in addition to not standing too close to someone or rushing them along, also be aware when you are viewing artwork from a-near, there may be someone behind you trying to see the piece from afar.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself.
