A visit to the Museum of Modern Arts (MoMA)…the learning and self - discovery continues. (August 3rd 2012 Fulbright excursion)

One of the activities planned for the 2012 group of Fulbright students doing their pre-academic program at St John’s University, New York City was a visit to the Museum of Modern Arts (MoMa) in the city. As we gathered around the St. Johns atrium getting ready to leave one of the graduate students, Elizabeth, who was also our group leader, asked me; ‘Are you excited about the Museum?’. And my response was an unpretentious ‘not really, I have never been interested in Museums actually’. Little did I know that was to change in a few minutes.

I thought my take on museums was confirmed the moment we stepped into the first ‘room’ of the ‘many roomed’ museum with many floors-or at least I thought it was confirmed. This is because the first work of art we looked at was a collection of drawings that could have easily passed for some kindergarten work arranged on one section of the wall. There were about 100 pieces drawn on a simple A4 paper with pencil, and framed, nothing artistic really, o r so I thought, until a fellow ‘Fulbrighter’, an artist (Felipe Eduardo Corral Sobrevilla), explained this important piece of information to me, not in so many words though, that; ‘for one to understand art, they have to appreciate the situation, emotions and the story behind the artist’s work’. On directing us towards the A4 sized write-up, that I was later to note that was placed next to every picture (with the relevant information of course) , explaining the story/circumstances behind the picture and all that it depicts, I knew that the way I view art from then onwards will never be the same. Each write-up described what the artwork (i.e. picture, sculpture, media) was all about, when it was made, what inspired the artist to come up with the piece, etc. One look at the write-up of the drawings with the kindergarten feel and my view on art changed at that very minute, for the positive, and I can officially say I have one more thing in my ‘bucket list’; to explore as many museums and art galleries, as well as exhibitions as much as I can because not only the energy and emotion that goes behind the pieces is admirable, it is also educational and can teach one a lot of things they might have never thought of before, art can actually help one look at the world in a totally knew way that can make them a better person, make them impact the next person’s life in a better way, etc.

The one particular piece that really sunk me deep into the world of art was a collection of videos on a lot of screens propped against the wall that had a lonesome old man doing nothing interesting, or so it seemed. In one monitor, he would be sitting by a desk, writing; in the other he would be in a bathtub, whilst the other would show his unmade bed, etc. uninteresting, right? Well, wrong. One look at the ‘write-up’ and I got to learn that the videos were a collection that the old man recorded in the last days of his life. He had just returned from a rehabilitation process as he was an alcohol addict, and his reasons for recording the video was to try and give people an insight of the world of the lonely so that they appreciate what goes on in their world. So, during this experience, not only did I get to appreciate art and museums in a way I would have never imagined, I also got to look at the world in a different way as far as understanding the human race is concerned…each and everyone has a story to tell, even if not necessarily through art. Which takes me back to my favorite sayings/lines that; ‘Always be wary of the next persons’ feelings, we do not know what they have been through, nor what they are going through, so sensitivity is key and we should stay away from being too quick to judge. ..so, what better way to start looking at art in a brand new, informative way than through the circumstances that I did? This is a humbling, educational and eye-opening experience that will forever stay etched in my mind.