In my first semester freshman year, I took a studio art class to fulfill my art general education credit. Second semester I took Dance As An Art Form— quite possibly the best college class I have taken to date. Even though my only dance experience is breaking out some moves at parties, and the extent of my artistic endeavors end at doodling during lectures…I mean taking notes… I loved the creative release they gave me, and I vowed to get involved in art.
Fast forward to now: all the classes I’m taking are for my major. I thought I would be able to breathe since midterms are over but instead of oxygen, I seem to have inhaled a few research papers, a statistics project and the budding realization that finals are just around the corner.
But last Thursday, one of my classes was cancelled so I had a free afternoon. As you may know, last week was FotoWeekDC, a week to celebrate photography, photographers, and D.C.’s creative side. When most people think of this city, they think of government and business, but there is a thriving art community. There are museums, galleries, and alleys full of street art.
I experienced this first-hand when I visited the Hillyer Art Space, a small gallery in the Dupont Circle area. And by small, I mean I walked past it three times before realizing it was nestled behind a parking lot. Regardless, the size made it feel cozy and personal and I was able to fully appreciate the three exhibits. I often feel that at bigger galleries and museums, I see so much art that I’m saturated – I can’t take in any more in a meaningful way. Maybe it was because the exhibits were so great, maybe it was because of the size, or maybe both, but this was one of the best gallery experiences I’ve had.
It isn’t just the actual finished products that make art so enriching. One of the exhibits in this gallery, called “My Kingdom for A Stage: Contemporary Ibero-American Staged Photography”. It played off the idea that we take photography as a factual representation of the truth, when in reality, it can be completely or partly false. Reading the thoughts behind the artistic process made me think about things in a different way. When you look at someone’s Instagram feed and conclude that she had the perfect life because in all her photos she’s having so much fun, you often start to crave a life like theirs. But how representative is this really? How many shots did it take to capture the candid that really looks candid? And very few people post pictures when they aren’t having fun: “In the 8th hour of my Chipotle shift! #blackorpintobeans?” or “Crying in my dorm room because I miss my cat #sorryileftyouMrFluffers”.
This is just one example of the ways art and new experiences have opened my mind. It’s a new way to see life, a change of pace, and a source of new perspectives. You don’t have to be an art major, or an acting superstar like Sam Fromkin, or even know anything about art, but art is all around us.
Photo Credit: Photos belong to the author