This episode is a little different because we won’t be exploring a museum. And the reason for that is that art isn’t confined to just one place. Art has a personality of unrestricted exploration. By that I mean, that you can mix different materials, techniques, and even the location of where you create it and present can vary. Art is transformative and multilayered. Just when you think you have it cornered, it changes and shows you a different side of itself that you never thought of. 

Listen to this episode on Spotify and Google Podcasts.

So for today, I am going to bring it in a little more personal with myself – though as the sole creator of the podcast, you will get to know more about me than I probably realize or anticipate showing you.  I was actually born in Puerto Rico and I was raised in New York CIty. I grew up living with my grandparents, but instead of loathing old people’s tendencies, I kind of embraced them. I do love antiques, old books, old historic places, so growing up in New York City, a place that overflows with stories, was definitely a magical experience. I use the word ‘magical’ because there is a level of romanticism that takes place when you speak fondly about something, and that is just inescapable. But New York City for me, was a place that had no limits as far as your eye could see. Which, in my opinion, that limitless characteristic of the city really is a driving force for the art community and museums to flourish. The minute you restrain art and museums (whether the museums be art-based, history-based, science centers, or even zoos), you strangle meaningful dialogue from taking place. Not sure if I make sense there for you all. 

But we’re stripping it back today. We’re going to the kernel of where a lot of things stem from…the local cafe. The local cafe has a tendency to feel like the safe living room of a grandparent. There are a few gallery cafes in the Orlando area that you can go visit and possibly purchase some art. Or you can sit and be inspired by the ambiance to create art or poetry or music. I’m bringing us to the small, local level because everything has a start somewhere. Growing up in New York City, there is a plethora of cafes, but THE place to go to in my neighborhood was the Nuyorican Poets Cafe which started in 1973 – in the living room of poet Miguel Algarin. Now, not technically a cafe in terms of food, it started as a place for sidelined poets, musicians, and performance artists to have a place to express themselves. A lot of cafes still try to keep that spirit of exploration alive. You just need to find the right place for you – or maybe you can start one. What we are talking about in this episode is the element of fluidity in art. Art is not still, art is not closed, art is not held to one space, and art is not contained to solely one form. 

We can see that cafes are a source of inspiration for artists throughout time. We have the famous works like Cafe Terrace at Night by Vincent Van Gogh, Dans un Café by Edgar Degas, At the Moulin Rouge by Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec – all of them created while the artist is at a cafe. The cafe is a place where you can watch people and people tend to be more unguarded, whether they are alone or with others.  

There’s a couple of Instagram accounts I like, but I think for todays episode I’m going to ask you to take a look at CircleCirque – and you can check out my link to them at our website Museummusings.art. It may seem like this episode is rambling but stay with me. CircleCirque is the Instagram account of an aerial artist, and it is just a prime example of how art doesn’t have barriers. You feel a sense of wonder, and I would even venture to say you feel like your spirit is moving along with her as she weaves herself in the air. Art is movement, art is dance, art is music, art can be found in silence. It breathes in the rhythmic staccato of a spoken word performance. 

So go check out your local cafe, if they have the word “gallery” in the name, they are a good place to start as they try to showcase unknown artists. But maybe you will find some inspiration for your own artistic endeavors. Maybe you’re the next Édouard Manet, or Nikki Giovanni.