How to Enjoy Your Local Art Museum

Chances are you live near a museum. This untapped resource can enrich your life and connect you with the community. Plus visiting museums is a kick! Here are some tips on how to enjoy your local art museum.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Visit the web site of the museum and sign up for their email newsletter. This will make it easier for you to keep track of upcoming events and exhibits. So many times I have heard about events after the fact and I wished I had someone sending me a gentle reminder. An eNews letter does that.
2. Become a member. Even at the basic level, members enjoy benefits such as free access to the museum and traveling exhibits, discounts at the museum shop, special invites to parties and lectures, as well as the great feeling of having contributed to your local community and supported the arts for future generations.
3. When you visit the museum, stop by the shop first and take a look at their bookmarks, magnets, and postcards for sale. Usually these are representations of the museums biggest treasures and the paintings or artworks that you don’t want to miss. You can also purchase the bookmark (which travel well and make great little gifts) and if you get lost, show it to a museum staff member who can point the way to the painting.
4. Pick a favorite piece of art and research it. If you love that John Singer Sargent portrait, then find out more about it. Who commissioned the painting? Who was the subject? How was the painting received? What symbolic details are present and how does that change the theme of the painting? These are fun questions to ask the museum curators as well. Often curatorial staff or visiting professors will discuss the answers to these very questions at special lectures – free to members!
5. Take the kids. Getting children involved with museum activities and tours is a fantastic way to educate them about art and the creative process. Plus it’s fun for the parents too!