HOW TO VISIT AN ART MUSEUM

A lot of time artists go to museums for inspiration. Other times people may go just to practice sketching. Tourists seem to be running around trying to see everything and only really slow down for the "main stream" artists. Some slowly read every bit of information and stand in front of pieces for a long time pretending to examine them. But what is the best way to get the most out of your trip to a museum?

I've found that since most museums have so much hung at one time it's best to plan out your trip ahead of time. On almost every museum website you can find a map of the museum with the current galleries as well as special exhibits.

If you are going to be inspired by things you don't know then I suggest walking through the museum and stopping when you're intrigued. This way you aren't bumbling around an entire museum looking at every little piece. Don't skip any sections because you may find inspiration in something you never expected.

If you're going to practice sketching be aware of the layout of the museum so that you leave yourself enough room around you. Also it's important for this to know which artist you are going to copy ahead of time (unless you just want random inspiration sketches) so you know where to go to make the most out of your time. I find this helpful because you can plan out which artist you want to learn from (because techniques change quite a lot from artist to artist).

If you're a tourist, you've probably planned out a good portion of what you want to see or get out of the trip to the museum so make sure to note where all of the famous pieces are located throughout the museum. This is pretty simple because museums never really hide any "main stream" art and all museums employees will know where the pieces are. Just be prepared for crowds.

If you're there to learn, read up ahead of time. Know what it is you're going to see before you do so that when you see the piece you can really see it and get the most out of it because you can right away apply what you read instead of reading about it and trying to see it all at once.

Overall, make sure to bring a sketchbook to sketch and write things down. Also don't bring a huge backpack because it will probably have to be put in with coat check. Just be aware you are in a public place and you aren't the only one who is there to appreciate what is there. Everyone wants to get the most out of their trips to museums so be courteous (don't say things like "a 5 year old could do that") and soak in as much as you can.