I arrived at the Johnson Museum’s opening reception yesterday, quite unsure of what the atmosphere would be like. Art museums tend to hold a reputation of a sort of hauteur, and an “opening reception” seemed like a rather fancy sort of event in which my leggings and t-shirt would be unwelcome. In fact, when we arrived, almost all heads swiveled around, some faces already turning skyward with a barely perceptible disdain. Nonetheless, the group of college students forged ahead, and once other attendants saw us getting plates of refreshments, they joined in. Soon after, once more people came in, the atmosphere quickly became warm and inviting as jazz melodies danced in the background and people mingled.

I mention the initial reaction of some of the adults not to be petty or complain; rather, I mention it because it exemplifies a problem with many art museums. Oftentimes, people seem to think that art can only be appreciated by the aged. A lot of adults seem to think young people can’t understand the importance or meaning of art. It is my opinion that art is for all ages, because there is no correct explanation for any piece. The age-old cliche, “A picture says a thousand words” perfectly sums up this thought. For every brushstroke, there are a hundred different interpretations. I will not attempt to explain the pieces I captured below for that very reason, except to say that the bottles at the bottom were all used to contain snuff (tobacco).