Siouxland Magazine - Volume 5 Issue 3

Siouxland Magazine | Conversing / 10
Exposure to Art
By Todd Behrens
Sioux City Art Center’s fundraiser, Through the Looking-Glass, with Bruce Miller as the Mad Hatter, Marie Roeder as the
Queen of Hearts, and Greg Giles as the White Rabbit.
What do you think? What do you believe? When were
those thoughts and beliefs determined? And how were
they determined?
For most of us adults, we reach a point at which we feel
confident in our knowledge of how things work and in
our beliefs about what is right and wrong or good and
bad. And once that happens, we seek settings, friends,
and activities that align with our thoughts and beliefs. It’s
the safest method for living a relatively calm, stable life in
our increasingly tense, divisive society.
Challenging our thoughts and beliefs is often seen as
one of the most uncomfortable and unnecessary things
an adult can do. But participation in and exposure to
new experiences can have beneficial effects. Engaging in
art, music, writing, or performing is one of the easiest
ways to reap benefits. While children’s brains benefit
most from these activities, adults who play music can
experience brain improvement too.
But I’m not a scientist. I’m an art museum director. I have
not conducted studies on the physical development of
the human brain, but I have seen what time with art can
do. When you pick up a book you’ve never read, listen
to music you’ve never heard before, or enter a gallery
filled with art that is new to you, you have a risk-free
opportunity to step into a new way of thinking. Too often,
readers, listeners, and viewers keep their attention on
the surfaces of what they experience. It’s hard to give
yourself the time required for a deep exploration of art,
but it’s incredibly rewarding. Whether it’s characters