The Amateur’s Guide to Visiting an Art Museum

How to get the most out of an intimidating space

Photo by Mihai Surdu on Unsplash

For some people, setting foot in an art museum can feel like dropping your phone in the toilet or showing up to a party not knowing a soul: a source of dread above all else.

It’s not without reason. For all of their enriching attributes — showcasing art as creative expression, art as protest, art as therapy or proxy for cultural understanding — art museums can be intimidating. To someone without an art background, they can seem like aloof, pretentious ivory towers or puzzles uninterested in being solved. And learning how to be comfortable and engaged in an art museum isn’t exactly something that’s widely taught.

Which is too bad, because the ability to navigate one is a skill in itself — and learning it can make the experience more approachable, and even enjoyable, to those who might otherwise shy away. Below, museum curators offer tips for beginners who want to appreciate an art museum but don’t know where to begin. Consider this your primer on how to think about thinking about art.

Relax

As a first step, remember that there’s no “right” way to experience art. It may sound like a cop-out, but the art museum experience really is yours to create. It’s a personal endeavor, and it’s…