Crocker
Art Museum Event #2
Desma 9
July 2016
Mindful Meditation was an interesting exhibit
at the Crocker Art Museum since I had just learned about meditation and art a
few short weeks ago. The Museum had a great exhibit by artist David Ligare.
They offered a month-long course on meditation in the gallery, which enabled
people to come once a week to meet Dennis Warren, a nearby professor from U.C.
Davis to learn techniques of meditating through slow art. During the course
students would view selected works of art for an extended period of time while
using mindful meditation techniques. The idea is to focus on one piece of art
with eyes open and then closed, but still keeping the image of the art in your
head in order to train both the concentration and visualization powers of your
mind. “To meditate through art is to be fully present with the artwork and to
initiate a meaningful conversation between one’s own mind and heart and that of
the artist”. (Warren)
The museum had a collection of coloring books
for sale to go along with this exhibit. The books contained amazing intricate
patterns and designs of flowers, butterflies, shapes, and several animals.
These are not coloring books for kids, they are too detailed and it would be
difficult for a child to stay within the lines. These coloring books are meant
to be used as a meditative exercise. They provided some samples to try out, I
haven’t colored probably since I was about five years old. But, as I started
coloring I didn’t want to stop, I wanted to finish the page. I found it to be
relaxing and that it increased my mindfulness because I was extra careful not
to go outside the lines or mess up my color pattern. “Coloring
is a great way to introduce yourself to the concept of mindfulness,” Tiddy Rowan, author of The Little Book Of
Mindfulness and Color Yourself
Calm tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle. “The interesting thing about
mindfulness is that it’s got no allegiance to any spiritual or religious
beliefs, it’s about the self, I think that’s perhaps key to the popularity of
these coloring books.” (Moss) As discussed previously in our Neuroscience and
Art week, researchers at U.C.L.A. have found that mindfulness can increase attention and focus, lower blood
pressure, and help those that suffer from anxiety or depression.
Coloring books for sale in Crocker Art Museum to help create
mindfulness.
Overall I thought the Crocker Art Museum was
pleasant. It is one of the smaller museums I have been to, but has some
interesting pieces of work, especially the Glass for the New Millennium
exhibit. Not only are there exquisite and amazing artworks made of glass, the
museum offers a glass blowing class that offers a hands on glass art
experience. One of the unique features of the Crocker Art Museum is that there
are many different art classes available to the community. I would recommend
this museum to anyone visiting or living in the Sacramento area of all ages, including children because there is a great
interactive fun area for kids in the basement of the museum. It
is also very close to Old Sacramento and the
Capitol which could make for a great day.
Sources
"Dennis Warren | Mindfulness Meditation Programs."
Dennis Warren | Mindfulness Meditation Programs. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2016.
"Mindfulness Awareness Research Center at UCLA - Mindful."
Mindful. N.p., 2011. Web. 20 July 2016.
Moss, Rachel. "How Coloring Books Are Helping Adults Beat
Stress and Anxiety." The Huffington Post. N.p., 2014. Web. 19 July 2016.
Images
"Crocker Art Museum." Crocker Art Museum. N.p., n.d.
Web. 19 July 2016.
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