Visiting an art museum can seem intimidating — especially if it’s your first time exploring one, or you feel as though you need to know a lot about art to appreciate it. Bryant’s Senior Lecturer of History, Literature, and the Arts Joan Zaretti, Ph.D., reassures individuals that wherever they are in their art museum journey is a fine place to be.
“If you want to go, then you're a person who belongs at an art museum,” says Zaretti, who takes her Arts and Creative Industries students to Providence’s Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum to engage with its collections and exhibits.
In preparation of National Go to an Art Museum Day on November 9, Zaretti shares five tips for a memorable and meaningful art museum visit:
1. Intentionally slow down and observe
Observation is an important framework when considering art, explains Zaretti. Individuals can take note of colors and shapes within a piece, identify patterns, and consider how value (a.k.a. lights and darks) and textures interact with one another. She also suggests taking the time to consider a work’s artistic form — maybe it’s an oil painting, sculpture, or photograph — and to look at it from up close and farther away while thinking about how perspective impacts the viewer experience. Beyond design elements, a viewer should consider the content, story, or message of the piece. What was the artist trying to express?
“You don’t need to do that with every piece, but look at it and think to yourself, ‘I wonder why I like this?’ or ‘Why don’t I like this?’” Zaretti says, emphasizing that slowing down is an important part of the observation process.
She adds that, with technology, it’s easy to become overly focused on taking pictures of the art you’re looking at, but it’s important to be mindful of being present and engaged in the moment.
“Take the picture, that's fine, but that does not replace standing or sitting there and observing. That process deepens your connection with the painting, artist, and genre,” Zaretti says.
2. Bring a drawing pad and sketch
Sketching is a great strategy for homing in on your observations, notes Zaretti. She suggests bringing a drawing pad to the museum, picking a piece of art you like, and either sitting on a bench or finding a portable chair to pull up and sketch the 2D or 3D piece.
“You don’t have to sketch for long,” notes Zaretti, suggesting that, for a quick sketch, individuals spend anywhere from five to ten minutes with one piece and keep the piece rudimentary.
The main idea is to look for a piece's simple shapes and sketch those while also finding three or four values within the piece and using your pencil to produce those light and dark shades.
“It's not about creating something that you're going to put in a frame and hang up when you get home,” Zaretti says. “Sketching is just a strategy to focus on your observations.”
3. Engage with others during your visit
Be open to talking to people around you about the collections you’re looking at — whether you’re discussing the work with a friend you’re at the museum with or someone you may not know.
“Interacting is a nice way to get out of your own head and say, ‘I love this piece. What do you think about it?’” Zaretti says. “Someone’s insights of what interests them can open your eyes to a piece and what drew them to it.”
Zaretti suggests asking a docent, one of the museum’s staff members located throughout the galleries, about the most popular piece in the room.
If your art museum outing is with a bunch of people, Zaretti shares that you may all start out together, but may all begin branching out. That's okay, she says, and suggests planning when you want to regroup. She notes that in her own family, they will scatter about and, when they're done with the day, talk about their favorite pieces when leaving the museum or over dinner.
4. Keep an eye out for hidden art
While the artwork hanging on the walls and resting on display pedestals are the main attractions, Zaretti shares that museums also offer opportunities to observe functional artistic pieces, as well.
For instance, what does the building’s architecture look like from the exterior? How are the doorways between each gallery different? How is the bench you’re sitting on to study the artwork designed? What art is hanging on the museum cafe’s walls? What artwork is in the bathroom?
5. Start your art museum journey locally
If you’re just starting to check out art museums, begin with the ones in your immediate area. Zaretti suggests the RISD Museum, where Bryant University students, faculty, and staff can get in free with their school ID. RISD has a variety of art, from ancient Greek and Roman artifacts to 18th and 19th century American art.
RELATED ARTICLE: Bryant's Eric Paul explores parenthood and place in most recent book, Providence
Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is another location to visit and has a variety of tapestries, Dutch artwork, Italian artwork, and more. Also in Massachusetts, the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Garden leans into contemporary art through the natural world.
Zaretti adds that, on campus, Bryant’s Art Barn also features a steady rotation of artwork — recently holding an exhibit for Caribbean American Heritage Month over the summer and, this fall, a solo exhibition on the artwork of Fior De La Cruz.
“Visiting an art museum is just a way of being in the world,” Zaretti says. “It helps you feel a sense of place in a new space and grounds you in the community.”