Renewed Faith in Humanity: Short and Sweet

 

The last two days I have spent time on the Washington, DC Mall visiting the National Gallery of Art and the Freer/Sackler Smithsonian Museums of Asian Art. This is not unusual for me. I visit these wonderful art museums regularly.

  

I came to see Power and Pathos, the exhibit of Hellenistic bronze sculpture at the NGA and the art of Japanese artist Sotatsu at the Sackler.  I can recommend both exhibits.

So What's This About Renewed Faith in Humanity?

Was the art that compelling? 

Well it doesn't have anything to do with the art. It has to do with people watching. I probably have never been to the NGA on the Sunday of a Christmas holiday weekend.  IT WAS PACKED. A bit of a deterrent to really enjoying the art, but I was so inspired.

Families Enjoying the Museums Together

I saw so many family groups engaged in the artwork together. Many of these groups appeared to be three generations. I love seeing families and connecting the dots. I am sure most of my assumptions are wrong, but what was very clear about virtually all of the families I have seen in the last two day, they were enjoying being together. Parents and grandparents were actively interacting with the younger members of the family, sharing their interest and enthusiasm for the objects on view and the information provided about them. Parents clearly delighting in sharing this experience with their children.


Why Does This Inspire Me?

I distinctly remember the moment I got "it" that art museums have a mandate to preserve and make available to the public the treasures of civilization in perpetuity. What a great concept. We see and acknowledge that these objects have value to us now and we also want future generations to be able to enjoy, study and benefit from these objects as well.


That's What Education is All About

Civilization is all about the elders sharing with those coming up.This is what parents do, this is what teachers do. This is what museums do too. We share and then the collaboration begins. The collaboration between the parents and the children, the  teachers and the students, the young and the old, the artists and the viewers/audience.


Seeing Families Sharing a Love of Education in Visiting Museums Together...

This is what has renewed my faith in humanity for today.