By Natalie Reis
Art museums have always held a special place in my heart. There is something so other-worldly about tall white walls and the quiet bustling of individuals, each experiencing something unique.
I find this especially true at the Seattle Art Museum. The few times I’ve been able to visit, I’ve left realizing nothing quite compares to viewing it in person.
“Seeing a piece in the flesh is a transformative experience that a screen simply cannot express,” says Michael Miller, art professor at Peninsula College.
When viewing an artwork in person you notice the texture, the way a swipe of paint extending from the painting makes it three-dimensional and pulls it from the canvas into our world.
You notice the size of a work, as well. Whether it be small or dauntingly grand, you see every small detail. You notice the colors just as the artist themselves had seen them.
The Seattle Art Museum offers a chance to immerse yourself into worlds you wouldn’t be able to otherwise, to enter the lives and minds of people from different countries and centuries, and to be humbled by how art is constantly changing and evolving.
“You get to witness this breathtaking art for free and the experience gives you this exposure to hundreds of different art styles,” says Jupiter Hills, who went to the SAM on a field trip for an art class offered by Michael Miller. Hills says the experience “encourages each individual artist to expand their boundaries and try new mediums.”
As a student, you may have a chance to go to the museum as a field trip if enrolled in an art class.
Though, classes haven’t been going on the trip in recent years due to budget cuts. For that reason, the field trip may be too much to ask.
The Seattle Art Museum is free to visit and the only cost would be transportation, which some art students and Miller see as a minor fee.
In my opinion, it is an invaluable experience that should definitely be prioritized.