As many have noted, the economy sucks. Money’s tight, and people can’t afford the simple luxuries in life, let alone the not-so-simple ones. It’s a fairly shiteous time for a great portion of America, and even our fearless leader has said it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
In times of such crisis, with destitution all around, I prefer to recall the words of a great sage: “free your mind and the rest will follow…” OK, it was actually En Vogue, and they didn’t even write the song, but here’s what to do for stimulus.
Go visit a museum.
Locally, in Boston, there was shock and awe/outrage, when the President of Brandeis University annouced he was going to close the Rose Art Museum and sell off the art (Warhols, Lichtensteins, etc.) to pay for the university’s growing budget shortfall.
Attendance at multiple local museums and galleries are dramatically down, and the fear is that priceless collections may soon hit the auction block. This is ridiculous.
Here’s something to consider:
Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) -Free admission every Wednesday night
Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) – Free admission for students
The Smithsonian (WDC) – Free admission
Getty Center (Los Angeles, CA) – Free admission
And the list goes on and on …
People are very quick to criticize, complain, and bemoan so many things. They can’t afford this, won’t spend money on that, and worse, they’re unemployed or had their hours cut. Again, I say “free your mind” and take a small mental holiday courtesy of some amazing spaces with powerful and exciting art. And if you can find some extra money, and not that much, pay the modest admission fees at your local museum. All that time at the gym works out the body. Consider this a workout for your mind.
My resolve: Once each week, I go to a museum. Some free, some not … and I love it. Thus far I’ve been to the MFA, the ICA, and this week, I’m thinking Mapparium – note snazzy image above…
Care to join me?
