I first ventured into the mirrored, angular walls of Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum on a chilly day in the middle of December. I was joined with a group of friends who didn’t strike me as typical museumgoers, so I figured I was walking into an eccentric experience.
As a kid, I was your typical, smock-clad art geek who had the layout of Detroit Institute of Arts down to a science. I loved nothing more than going to museums, standing in front of floor-to-ceiling paintings in a Ferris Bueller-esque style pose and pretending to contemplate concepts I was too young to understand. When I overheard other viewers criticizing an artist’s work, I felt an internal pang of sympathy for the creator, and if I didn’t like something, I kept it to myself.
Fast forward to last month. I walked into the museum expecting the worst — mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. But to my surprise, I saw my friends scatter throughout the museum, intrigued by what they saw. I overheard several “that’s so cool’s” and “I’ve never seen that before’s” and although I don’t have the insight to know if they were changed by the experience, I know I was.
I’m not the most skilled when it comes to visual expression, but to me, that is what art should do. Open eyes. Change minds. Show viewers an alternative side to what they thought or even awaken thoughts within a person they didn’t know existed. I believe art is meant to challenge norms, communicate and educate. I find it honorable the museum efficiently has managed to do all of this for me — and hopefully others — within two short months.
Since its opening in November, I’ve heard tons of feedback — both good and bad — from friends and family. I’ve heard the building affectionately referred to as “the spaceship” and not-so-affectionately referred to as an eyesore. Either way, people are talking. They’re walking into the museum, a bold metallic edifice among a shroud of age-old buildings and, most importantly, giving art a chance.
Some, like my friends, never have seen exhibitions of this kind, including innovative photography and mixed media pieces by artists hailing from countries across the world. College is so important when it comes to growth and independence, and to have a tool promoting creative thinking right at our disposal is a luxury not many have.
In addition, the Broad has become an essential milestone in the growth of art not only in the Lansing area, but throughout Michigan. With many other issues to take care of, art hasn’t exactly been a main priority. But with millions of dollars invested into the museum, its opening has set a standard with art lovers across Michigan for what to expect.
Katie Abdilla is a State News staff writer. She can be reached at abdillak@msu.edu.
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