Shared Experience

My brother-in-law owns a small gallery in my community that features the work of local artists. It is always a lot of fun attending the openings. There is this vibe that makes me feel slightly more cultured than I am. I generally enjoy the exhibits but the last show, the artwork wasn't anything I could really relate to. The exhibit featured two artist, one a painter and the other a sculptor. The paintings were kind of abstract and reminded me of the game Pac Man and the blobby characters that would eat the dots. The sculptures where a sort of forest fantasy with rabbits being the main subject. So much for being cultured...

The nice thing about his exhibits are the artists attend and are very accessible. They are so willing to discuss their art and their process. I struck up a conversation with the sculptor who explained how she created one of her pieces. She spoke with such love and passion about it. Later I spoke with the painter who oozed those same feelings about his work. He had this sense of genuineness and belief in what he was doing. Both times I was able to feel their emotions. I was able to authentically put myself in their place allowing me to understand what their art meant to them. That is what shared experience is all about, the ability to put yourself in someone else's place and recognize their experience is just as important as your own. In this way, we learn to appreciate a different point of view.

I left that night with a new appreciation for the work these artists did. Did it make me want to purchase a piece of their art, no. But it did something more important, it made me realize there is space for everyone's ideas and opinions, especially those that are different from my own. It is these ideas and opinions that makes the world not just more interesting but more inclusive. And that made the show way more than just an event to make me feel cultured...