As an art history major, I have a deep personal love for museums and the treasures which they hold. However, I've begun to notice, as I become more knowledgable about this love, there's something that doesn't sit quite right with me: Museums should be for everyone, but they are not accessible to everyone. This inspired me to write this piece, regarding the universal experience that I hope for museums one day to be.
sat primly upon the shelf, well out of reach
getting a good perspective on the situation is nearly impossible,
but if you do, it comes at a price
we must be very, very quiet or we will surely scare the prestige away
in this land of the sculpted and portrayed, pretense is king
but michelangelo did not sculpt goliath
the sure bet, the mammoth of a man
rather, he created david
the small, the meek, the outside bet
museums were made for underdogs
but van gogh died a man of poverty,
he sold but a handful of paintings before his death
and to his brother, no less
to everyone else, he was little more than an alcoholic who cut off his ear for a prostitute
mental institutions were like a second home, to which he made frequent visits
does that make his sunflowers any less dynamic?
are his nights any less starry?
museums were made for individuals of all mental acuity
but frida kahlo was a disabled woman
her spina bifida did nothing to stop the development of her backbone
she created a surreal world that was entirely her own from her bed
and shared her experience in a world that largely ignored her
museums were made to be accessible
but basquiat dropped out of high school
samo was banished, couchsurfed, made his living by post cards
in the 80's, he painted the streets of new york with his success
and his controversy soon became the mainstream, from couch to california king
do you care that that piece you're bidding on has no degree?
museums are made for all levels of education and income
my museum is not a church
my museum is not a coffin
my museum is not stagnant
it is alive, it is culture, it is zeitgeist
it is breathing, and pulsing with the heart of the community in which it lives
it wants you to laugh, it wants you to touch, it wants you to think
it is universal, opening its doors to any who care to enter
it is a learning space
it is a public forum
it is a place to understand and question and debate
it is a place to feel together
it is a place to feel alone
it is a place to feel joy, worry, grief, confusion, and everything in between - the artist's, as well as your own
museums are made to feel
