By Kaylee Johnson
Campus News
Upon entering my quaint campus gallery, I came to the realization that it’s not a very approachable place. Snobbish curators purse their lips when telling visitors to sign in and leave their bags in the entryway, and there’s an overwhelming attitude of false righteousness and superiority that usually scares away students who have not learned how to wear imposter blinders in the pompously feathered art world. It’s a haven, advertised to a very specific clique of individuals, and nobody else. That’s not to say there are not lavishly decorated flyers placed around the city of Albany describing the new shows, using words like “surrealism” and “avant-garde.” But, by doing this, they are making art exclusive and elitist, while they should be focusing on using their resources to make the gallery a unifying part of both the campus and city. Art is for everybody, period. And if it’s not meant for everybody, then it is not true art; it’s a facade meant to seduce paper doll socialites in the “community.” While some art is meant to be enigmatic and opaque, it should never be inaccessible to non-artists.
Recently I re-visited The Met in Manhattan, and found that it is much more inviting than the small, struggling art galleries I have visited in my college city. First, I questioned how that could be; The Met is home to some of the greatest pieces of art ever created; Pollock (pictured), O’Keefe, Monet, Van Gogh. But, the relaxed security and spacious hallways allowed me to enjoy intimate moments with each piece, without feeling hovered over or judged. The immersive rooms, extensive playspace and organized galleries were surprisingly inclusive and yearning to be fawned over. College students can make any donation to The Met or Guggenheim, and the Whitney has Pay-What-You-Wish: Fridays from 7-10PM. So, these famous New York City museums and others of their caliber in big cities are trying very hard to make their mark on college students, and it makes sense, since social media has changed the fine arts so dramatically. Why pay thirty dollars to see a painting when you can look at a picture of it on your phone? But these museums are advocating that spending physical time with a work that strikes you is an emotional experience, and simply cannot be felt so deeply by seeing a picture of it on Instagram. It’s not an anti-technology attack, it’s a peaceful philosophy that has been tested for decades; in fact all of the major art museums in NYC have great social media presences to make the younger generations feel comfortable and excited about art. But the ultimate goal is to get people so curious about the art that they are seeing in their feed, to feel inclined to look at it in person.
Most college campuses have art galleries, and while the collections they house are not always prominent or classic, a lot can be gained from visiting. Firstly, even if you consider yourself a person who struggles to understand the “meaning” behind abstract works, beauty can still be celebrated in gentle brush strokes or paint color. You do not always need to formulate an intricate metaphor for a landscape or portrait. There is nothing wrong with visiting a gallery solely to lust over the aesthetic. It is okay to feel attracted a piece of art, and not be able to understand or articulate what you like about in the moment. Art can be appreciated much like a sturdy, practical piece of furniture or garden, or it can be dissected and given life like a complicated, soulful poem. You pick.
Don’t let unspoken rules and longstanding snobbery intimidate you and prevent you from enjoying the tranquility of both massive art museums and small campus art galleries. Who knows? Maybe you will find so much comfort in a gallery and the mysteries it beholds, that it will be your retreat; the place you flee too when you are feeling stressed and buried with burdens. Art adoration is one of the healthiest and most beneficial forms of escapism, and my personal favorite, as I have been known to leave my problems with Monet. Find your Monet.
Kaylee Johnson is a senior education major at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY.
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