I went to an art museum today for one of my classes. There are only two other students in the class and one was unable to go, so the other student and I drove up and met our teacher there. After giving us our assignment, she let us explore on our own for however long we needed to. The first exhibit we went to was on Classical Art. We weren’t sure if we could take photos, so we asked the older security guard that was patrolling the exhibit. He told us that we could, then asked if we were working on a homework assignment. We told him we were, then continued to look at the artwork. After a few minutes he came up and started telling us about the art. As we moved through the exhibitions, he came up a few more times, pointing out his favorite paintings and giving us information about particular works that wasn’t on the labels. He pointed out the symbolism in a Dutch painting, and showed us his favorite paintings in several of the exhibitions. He told us the processes the artists used to achieve a photo-realistic look in a painting of an old truck.
I was reminded that people aren’t always what they appear to be. Here was a security guard, probably in his seventies, but he wasn’t just a security guard. I can only imagine the hours he has spent in the museum looking at the pieces. His love for art was very apparent. I appreciated that he recognized us as two college students and helped us out. I appreciate the time he took to show us his favorite pieces and give us information above and beyond what the museum provided. It was a nice reminder that it doesn’t take much to be helpful, or to make someone’s day a lot better.
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