The Nature of Art

We all have wounds, external or internal, in need of healing. As I continue to heal, spending time outside has been life-giving balm. Even when indoors, if I close my eyes and imagine being surrounded by nature, this can be comforting. When I allow myself to slow down and listen, I interact with, and become more in tune with, the environment. Isn’t that prayer?

“One thing a lot of museum staff work very hard on is to get visitors to slow down. There have been studies about how people go from one piece to the next quickly, and we wonder how we can get people to slow down and take things in more meaningfully. But when people are surrounded by fresh air, trees and nature, there’s a natural response we have that’s different from an urban environment. We slow down and breathe deeply and have a meaningful interaction with artwork in that setting.” ~Lauren Ross, new executive director of Laumeier Sculpture Park