Art museums tend to be favorite destinations of mine simply because you never know what you might find. Adam and I hit up the Columbus Museum of Art over Memorial Day weekend and saw all kinds of curiosities and beautiful objects.

I like seeing new things but always look forward to seeing some specific pieces like this gorgeous, larger than life Chihuly piece. The space it’s in is gorgeous and drenched in light making it the perfect spot for a glass exhibit.

I’m also partial to this Norman Rockwell painting. He is too broadly viewed as a cliche in my opinion and I think he deserves more credit for the stunning details in his slice of life paintings.

This piece always excites me as well. It’s called “The Little White Church,” a carved and painted wood relief made by Elijah Pierce in 1936. I see something new with every viewing.

 Museums are also a great place to people watch. They rightfully don’t like when guests get too close to the artwork but there were a number of people ignoring that rule. We saw one gentleman taking selfies with busts and paintings, standing close enough he very easily could have fallen into any of the artwork he was trying to photograph. 

This gentleman appeared to be photographing every piece in the museum. The wall color in this room was exceptional and really made the 15th century Tuscan processional cross pop!

Seeing how people interact with the art is fascinating to me. Do they stroll through? What grabs their attention and makes them stand and stare? What motivates them to like or dislike a thing? People are interesting and what they like or dislike is a window into their personalities.

I will note that museum admission is free on Sundays so that’s a great opportunity to check it out. However, it’s important to note that lots of people take advantage of this deal and it tends to be busy. People allowing their young children to roam and run freely among the art made me nervous. It’s worth the price of weekday admission to be there when it’s quieter.

However, if you’ve never been to an art museum and don’t want to invest in tickets, this is a wonderful way to just go look around and see what the fuss is about!

There is a fee for parking but they will valdiate if you spend that amount at the cafe or gift shop. Check out their website here to learn about current exhibitions, hours and more.

There is also a modern art wing. I’ll take you there tomorrow.