Not Your Average Museum

This week my museum experience led me to the Burt Chernow Galleries, Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, CT. It was quite different from my other museum experiences as the gallery was smack in the middle of Housatonic Community College. At first I wasn’t impressed and I started to turn around and leave. But I quickly decided to stay since I was already there. I took a chance and I am so happy that I did.

I approached the small gallery on the first floor and entered a room where I was surrounded by what looked like sketches. There were religious prints and landscapes etched and engraved on laid paper from the Rembrandt collection and other 17th century printmakers. I walked to the back of the small gallery and wondered if this was the end of the art and began to dread my decision to stay. I poked my head out into the hall and lining the halls were paintings.

I wasn’t sure if this was part of the gallery but I followed the path of art anyway. In circles I went snapping photos of bright, beautiful oil paintings, a sculpture that resembled a ship laying on it’s side, a wooden sculpture, there were paintings all along the hallways. Very interesting, I thought to myself. I kept going since no one stopped me, inside the stairwells I went until I found myself on the second floor where there were more paintings and sculptures. I mean they were everywhere you looked. In the president’s office, yes I peeked there also, surrounding the student lounge, in between restroom doors (not your typical place for art), outside of classrooms, I even had to excuse myself a few times as students rushed by me to get to their classes. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, I had forgotten where I was for a

moment as each new piece reeled me in. So many questions began to run through my mind. Were the paintings done by the students? Does the art promote a better learning atmosphere? Why wasn’t this the norm in all colleges? It was a refreshing experience that I am happy I didn’t pass up. The painting that grabbed my attention, the one that I really liked was The Wall. It is a 40” x 50” oil painting done on canvas by Leonard Everett Fisher. It was a really simple piece but I loved the shadowed image of the man reaching for the sky trying to get to the moon that is partially blocked by this stone wall. For me it symbolized my journey towards earning my

bachelors degree. I see it, it looms above me but in order for me to get there, I must climb the wall of classes, leaving the shadow of my past behind me while balancing my work life and home life. I won’t look too far ahead of me for there are shadows of challenges and obstacles but one step at a time and I am almost there. Anyway, enough about my goals, this was the first time that I had seen a painting where the majority of the picture was done in shadows. I think that the artist did an excellent job of bringing in the light in the midst of darkness and it turned out to be a very positive piece. Now I don’t know if my interpretations were the author’s intent. I wonder about the gap in the wall, what does that space represent? Perhaps it is hope seeping through and encouragement from outside sources. It could mean a lot of things. That’s another reason I liked it, you can apply it to so many aspects of your life.
Like my previous museum visits this mod, I really enjoyed myself. Each new piece told a different story and my imagination soared. It’s like an out of body experience that I recommend to everyone. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to tap into my “artsy” side.