Museums and Other Cultural Changes

When is the last time you visited a museum or any other community cultural center, or read an actual newspaper? We're online (alone) garnering our cultural snippets of art, literature, games, music and movies, and community news. We don't go to museums or to libraries unless we're in search of blockbuster entertainment.

A comprehensive discussion of the American museum historical perspective in today's changing needs can be found at this link. It's a long article, about our society, too, and well worth the read if you love art and museums. What's a Museum?

Picnic Island Prickly Pear

Thinking about our digital focus this week I spent lots of time at the beach, my cultural center. Google vs. Facebook; how we socialize and interact with one another, it's changing. I enjoy nature with other nature lovers at the beach where outdoor activities don't compete with computer time. We need both.

I found this ancient prickly pear in some mangroves. I've never seen cacti taller than I am, so had to read about it online. My digital library completed the picture by warning me to stay far away to shoot.

Picnic Island Restoration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This photo of fresh plantings at Picnic Island beach appears to be random growth of tropical plants. We know otherwise if we read local newspaper blogs. The whole story is: we've lost beach during storms and new sand was brought in, newly planted with sea oats, sea grapes and flowers and grasses, so sand won't wash away so badly during storms. Not at all nature's randomness in placement.

Gray Morning at Picnic Island

 For visual artists, the web is our life's blood. We must have an online presence to grow and survive in what can be a prickly environment. We are not in museums.

This is my only new finished painting for the week. All those that I've had on the drawing board are complete and just need to be photographed and uploaded.

Is there a museum masterpiece on this post?

Most probably no masterpieces. But until and unless Google decides to shutdown this blog, which they own, these images are captured for all the world to see and I've happily expressed a little of our Tampa Bay culture along with my images. I was able to do so only because life is changing and anyone can share almost anything digitally if they take the time to develop the skills.



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All the best,

Gail Kent
Gail Kent Studio

Find me or my work at the following addresses:
Gail-Kent.artistwebsites.com 
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