NOW YOU'VE BEEN TO ANOTHER MUSEUM

I’ve recently been to some fabulous museums and I brought my friend Marita along. Well, not literally. With my cell phone camera ready, however, she walked through the exhibits with me from the comfort of her home in Pennsylvania. Actually, she sat in her recliner the whole time, resting her knee replacements.

First, in September, there was the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Marita loves a good western and with the pictures I sent, she commented instantly by texting, “Oh, wow, really, really nice pics: I wanna go to the cowboy museum 😊 lol”

Marita readily responded to commentary at the museum, which stated in part “The American West…has few boundaries and crosses cultures, geography, socioeconomics, gender, age, and eras.” As a black woman in eastern Pennsylvania in 2019, Marita declared heartwarmingly, “Kinda interesting that it sounds like when you’re a true cowboy there’s no discrimination.” She added, “Thanks for all the pics and info. I feel like I am there with you guys! Almost 😁.”

Before leaving Oklahoma City, we toured the very moving Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, at the sight of the tragic 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, instantly sending pictures to Marita, of course. On our way back to New Jersey, we stopped to tour the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor. This museum, packed with exhibits detailing the history of working people, is another hidden gem. We had driven past it often for over a 10 year period while traveling to visit our son when he was studying and living in Ohio. The hours are extremely limited, however, and we, the offspring of a mail carrier for me and a milkman for my husband, were never there when the museum was open…until now. There in Youngstown, Marita, also the daughter of a postal worker, was again virtually touring a museum with us, this time featuring the toiling of laborers.

Next, when my husband and I were in Washington, D.C. this past October, I shared pictures with Marita from the African American Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Newseum. Being a hoarder of text messages, I can see that she liked these museums as much as the cowboy museum.

I took an outdoor photo on the brisk October morning in D.C. and sent it to Marita. Unfortunately, the picture and story in my November 5, 2019, blog post, “A Shameful Epidemic,” https://www.sharonmarkcohen.com/blog/2019/10/30/35f1v05wovywmizitgmmtzyugjn1rb, outweighed the majesty of what hangs inside the finely curated museums.

In December it was back to awe-inspiring museums, starting with the Mary Whyte exhibit at the City Gallery in Charleston, which mesmerized us. Naturally, I just had to share some of Whyte’s watercolors, like the one above, with Marita at home preparing for the holidays while craving the enrichment. Her responses as the pictures kept coming, included, “Beautiful!” “Love the paintings” and “These paintings are amazing.”

My husband and I agree that The Whyte Exhibit happens to have been one of our all-time favorites. The award-winning artist crisscrossed the country and painted watercolors of one person in each state who had previously served in the military. In her paintings, she depicted what each of those Military Veterans is doing today.

Whyte captured the expressions of our country’s heroes as they navigated their way back into society. After seeing my posting about the fabulous museum exhibit on Facebook, our cousin Rima, married to another renowned watercolorist, Jeffrey A. Jakub, commented, “Mary did a workshop for NCWS [The Watercolor Society of North Carolina] last year - phenomenal artist!”

Later in the week, from Savannah, I shared pictures with Marita from the historical Civil Rights Museum, and then from the captivating Frederick Douglass exhibit at SCAD (Museum of Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design). Whatever historical markers we found, the pictures took a free ride to Marita’s message box.

After I had already begun writing this blog post, I happened to see a study posted on Facebook, with a heading that caught my eye: Written by Katie Hunt, CNN, the article stated, “A trip to the theater, museum or art gallery could help you live longer. And the more often you get that culture fix the better, a new study suggests.

“Researchers from University College London (UCL) found that people who engaged in the arts more frequently -- every few months or more -- had a 31% lower risk of dying early when compared to those who didn't. Even going to the theater or museum once or twice a year was linked with a 14% lower risk.”

Hunt continued, "…engaging with the arts can act as a buffer against stress and build creativity that allows people to adapt to changing circumstances. It also helps people build social capital -- accessing emotional support and information that helps people age more successfully.”

She concluded, “…There is already much published work about the positive neurophysiological changes induced by activities, including the arts, which enable 'deep play' or 'flow.' However, as the authors note, further research is needed into the possible mechanisms that link cultural engagement with longer life."

Who knew that by visiting museums and sharing with Marita, I was possibly extending our lives? Truth or fluff? Either way, it’s a win-win situation, as these friends for four decades are enjoying virtual enrichment and fun. She laughs each time I tell her lovingly, “Now you’ve been to another museum.”

Marita with our son Moss at our daughter’s wedding - June 30. 2019