Some how-tos at art galleries

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I tend to wander into art exhibits on a regular basis. Half the time on purpose and half the time led by my muse.

Last week, I wandered into the Meadows Museum of Art on the western edge of the Centenary College campus and discovered their new exhibit, Sacred Symbols in Sequins: Vintage Haitian Vodou Flags, about the religion of Haiti.

The exhibit educated me that the spelling “voodoo” is now considered incorrect.

The museum has been closed all summer and I was met with a surprise. The museum staff had been preparing for this fall exhibit and I had forgotten about it. This, the last stop on the traveling exhibit’s tour, is a very well-mounted and fascinating exhibit that both pulled me in and held me.

But aside from this specific exhibit, the experience made me think about art galleries in general, how to approach them and how to view various exhibits.

I think it’s okay to wander into an art gallery not knowing what is on display. No, you are not going to be overjoyed or overwhelmed by every exhibit. That is the nature of art itself.

But the more you expose yourself to art in all its mediums and levels of professionalism, the more you will learn about art in general and your own response to certain mediums and styles and artists. You may even find yourself searching out certain exhibits or styles or artists as you progress.

I am pretty much self-taught on art, but my classrooms mostly have been art galleries. I would not give up my education for anything. And, yes, I have walked into art galleries, glanced around briefly and walked out. That’s okay, too.

A truly memorable visit to a gallery was one in the San Francisco Museum of Art that had on display both a major exhibit of legendary photographer Ansel Adams, and The Art of The Far Side (by Gary Larson — Lordy, don’t we all miss that guy and his daily guffaw?) In the same building! It’s been a journey.

Anyway, it’s important that if the art needs explanation, does the artist and/or gallery help you understand it?

The best galleries have people on staff that will hang (or put on the wall in other ways) the artist statement or, if historical, like the Meadows exhibit, give context to what we are looking at. Some art needs explanation, while some artists like the work to speak for itself. You decide which is better.

Is the exhibit a permanent collection or constantly changing? Or both, like the R.W. Norton Art Gallery? Is it a group exhibit? If so, what is the theme, if any? Does this help? If the exhibit is by a single artist, find out who the artist is and their background.

Ask questions about it. Is this exhibit a retrospective of the artists’ career or an exhibit of recent work? Is the artist alive or dead? What influenced the artist to create the work? What year or years was the work created? All of this gives deeper meaning and context to the work on the wall.

Then ask yourself: Does the art “work” for you?

So what do you feel when you view a specific piece? Sadness, anger, joy, pain, hope, frustration, love? These emotions are all valid. If the art fails to inspire any emotion at all in you, it fails. If you feel an emotion, do you think it is one the artist worked toward pulling out of you?

Is the art by a student or by a professional? Does the art inspire you to learn more about the artist or the subject matter? Is it realistic or abstract, where the piece is about color, shape, form, line, textures, etc.? In what culture was it created? The more foreign or exotic the culture from that of the viewer, the more difficult the connection between viewer and work — or this could make it more fascinating. Is the work about that culture (like the Meadows exhibit)?

Is the work’s medium metal, paint, ink, photography, stone, pencil, paper, wood, or mixed media? Some artist use recycled found objects that could have been fished out of the city dump and put together in a beautiful and creative way to make something that has absolutely nothing to do with the trash from which it is made.

Don’t be inhibited because you don’t understand some art. Give an exhibit a chance.

It’s okay to walk away from art unimpressed, but if it does impress or move you, tell folks about it. Better yet, if it is available — and most is — bring it into your own “home gallery” with a purchase.