More Than Fun: Why You Should Visit Modern Art Galleries More Often

October 2, 2015

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Visiting modern art exhibitions is more than a fun thing to do. It can be one of the richest experiences you may ever have. Here’s how.

Art Can Make You Smarter
If you open yourself up to art, you open yourself up to the thoughts, feelings, philosophies, values, and ideas of others. According to a study published in the journals Education Next and Educational Researcher, students exposed to cultural institutions, such as modern art galleries, and performing arts centers, not only have higher levels of engagement with the arts, but show greater tolerance, historical empathy, better educational memory, and critical thinking skills.

You Get to See Amazing Things
When you visit a modern art gallery, you get to see amazing things that took not only years of experience, and profound skill to create, but also copious amounts of hard work. Consider glass art, for example. It was developed at around the same time as the establishment of the Roman Empire in the first century BCE, which is how it spread so quickly. Since that time, two major methods of glassblowing have been developed — free-blowing, and mold-blowing — both of which involve transforming raw materials into glass using heat of about 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Even cooler, some modern art exhibitions allow you to watch people free-blow glass, which involves blowing short puffs of air into a molten portion of glass that’s spooled at the end of a blowpipe. How amazing is that?

It’s a Wholly Different Experience
Sure, you can check out artwork online, but it’s just not the same. Think about it. Is meeting someone in person the same as seeing their picture on Facebook? Of course not, and this is true about art. You might know what Michelangelo’s “David” looks like, but you’ll never know how awe-inspiring it is until you see it right in front of you.

Contemporary art galleries can provide some of the richest experiences you may ever come across. If you have any questions about how great these places can be, feel free to share in the comments.