On Saturday last week, for some research purposes, I stayed in the Ormoc City Museum for an hour and sat down near the door where I could see the visiting people. My task was to observe the whole place. I was supposed to write down all the details about the sight, the sound and the interactions inside the place.
It did not surprised me anymore that I jotted down 6 similar situations in which groups of teenagers and even adults only cared about taking their selfies and photos with the paintings. I have also seen some teenagers who were not so cautious bumping the paintings with their packpacks and bodies. They were even touching the paintings and photographs exhibited in the museum, not aware of the rules they must follow when visiting a such places.
It saddened me that in an hour long of my observation and even after that, nobody even approached the artists who were also in the museum waiting for people who might get interested about their work. Not a single person actually approached them that day aside from me to ask what the exhibit was about and what those artwork meant. NONE.
Then I realised, that if it pains me knowing this fact, what more does it do to the artists responsible for such amazing attraction?
I think that it is about time that we educate our young ones the true value of art and the appreciation for it.
It is about time that we promote not how cool and beautiful it is to have one’s selfies and photos taken inside the museum with the beautiful paintings in the background!
Let us not visit museums or national parks for the sake of posting something “COOL” on social media but for the sake of appreciation of what we are really visiting.
