The Cultural Workout

Why museums and galleries may be the workout your mind has been missing

We know what happens when we exercise our bodies. We become stronger, more flexible, more resilient. But what about our senses?

There’s a compelling idea that visiting a museum or art gallery may be the cultural equivalent of going to the gym — a workout for the eyes, the imagination and the mind.

When you stand in front of a painting, study a piece of sculpture, wander through a photography exhibition or step inside a beautifully designed building, you’re doing more than looking at something pretty. You’re paying attention.

And attention, it turns out, may be something worth exercising.

Art asks us to slow down and notice things we might otherwise miss: color, proportion, texture, light, scale, craftsmanship, emotion. The more we look, the more discerning we become. Our eye gets sharper. Our curiosity expands. We begin to recognize what moves us — and perhaps understand a little better why.

Think of it as fine-tuning your aesthetic muscle.

A great museum can challenge what you think you like. A tiny gallery can introduce you to an artist you’ve never heard of. A piece you might have walked past five years ago can suddenly stop you in your tracks. Unlike the endless stream of images on a screen, seeing art in person asks something of us. We have to be present.

And there may be another benefit: connection.

Museums and galleries connect us to people who lived hundreds or thousands of years before us, to cultures different from our own, and to artists trying to make sense of the world we live in right now. They remind us that beauty, creativity and the desire to make something meaningful are profoundly human impulses.

Arizona happens to be a wonderful place to put this idea into practice. From major museums in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson to artist studios and galleries in Sedona, Tubac, Bisbee, Jerome, Prescott and small towns across the state, opportunities to exercise your cultural muscles are everywhere.

So the next time you have a free afternoon, consider skipping another hour on your phone and wandering into a museum or gallery instead.

Stay awhile. Look closely. Find one thing you love — and one thing you don’t understand.You don’t have to know anything about art.

You simply have to look.

Consider it a workout for your senses — one that strengthens curiosity, sharpens your eye and reminds you how much beauty there is in the world.

There’s so much to love.