Free time in the summer can involve taking the family to museums. Of course, what one finds in a “museum” today varies widely! Somewhere out there has to be a Museum for the History of the Horseshoe. And probably there’s a Museum filled with Historical Toothbrushes and Hair Curlers too, don’t you think?
But most museums are fairly tradition, so a visit will entail walking into a more-or-less formal structure where coats and bags can be checked and tickets bought (unless entrance is free). Brochures with the building’s layout are placed in our hands, and off we run!
If such a visit lies ahead of you, particularly if the museum holds art or historical objects, then the following 7-minute talk may be helpful. It was just recorded as part of a series from Memoria Press called The Speaker’s Guild and, I must say, it was fun to put together. One of four talks on the arts and education I recorded while working in Louisville, this offers different strategies for approaching and handling museum visits that, at times, present challenges for adults who take children and grandchildren along.
If you do watch it, take special note of my encouragement to recognize how easily the observation of, and interaction with, art can make a person tired, no matter how many hours of sleep you had the night before! I make a statement about there being a reason why museums have cafes. Sometimes, making this point before live audiences, I say, “There’s a reason why museum cafes offer cappuccinos and espresso.” Viewing art is intense! Just as one would not eat three pieces of cheesecake in a row (would one?), we get to overthrow the guilt-laden sense that every item in a gallery needs to be trudged through. In fact, despite adoring museums, I’m good for about 47 minutes without having a break, be it a cup of tea, a serious sit-down while I pour over the museum guide or something else, or an appointment with the sun streaming down in the museum’s pretty courtyard.
Perhaps too some of the other suggestions will be useful for you, too. So enjoy and let me know your thoughts!
