Keeping a date with an artist is an important part of my life. Not the fantasy kind of date of extreme youth, but a date to appreciate the art that surrounds us, made by geniuses living or dead. With a little planning, I can be at a museum or a play, a movie or a concert or a festival, soaking in the output of creative souls.
I’m looking forward to visiting the new Walt Disney Museum which opened this month at the Presidio in San Francisco. I’ve made a date to go and no matter the size of the crowd when I get there, a date with an artist is really time alone. Just me and the art.
Going on an art adventure alone encourages a focus on what we’re there for. The idea is to take ourselves to see or hear something that we’re not exposed to every day. Appreciating while in the company of a friend is fun of another kind, involving the inevitable “what did you think of that?” discussion, but alone we soak it in on our own schedule, every bit of it, even the parts we disagree with, and then we’re free to form our own opinions about it.
We don’t need an excuse to keep dates like this, nor do we have to wait ’til we’re desperate for an escape. I want this to be a regular part of my life, going out of my way to see and hear the artistic output of other individuals. There is another advantage – the freedom to appreciate something that nobody else we know cares about.
Ó Anita Garner 2009