Art is something of an escape, a relaxing journey through someone’s mind rather than the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This is why art is more important than ever for people to consume and view in any manner they can, but as the COVID-19 pandemic has raged on, the more the arts have suffered as a result.
St. Petersburg is known as a beacon for artists all over to flock to, and two art institutions are doing more for the community by means of educating and entertaining them through art even in these socially distanced times.
Studio 620 and the Dalí Museum have both been around long enough to know that art can be created in the bleakest of times, and, considering the current climate of the world, the more likely great art will be made.
Peter Tush, the curator of education at the Dalí Museum, said, “Art touches the soul, it can really fill the gap and give you an experience that puts you in a different headspace.”
The Dalí Museum is making rounds right now for the opening of the Van Gogh Alive experience, an immersive look at some of the artist’s most famous creations, achieved through massive LED lights and monitors. According to the museum’s marketing director, Beth Bell, the museum has been doing its part to keep visitors safe during the pandemic.
“We do obviously have a lot of precautions set in place for the health and safety of our staff and visitors,” Bell said. “Most notably are the controlled capacities.”
Controlled capacities have become the new norm in today’s world, and this is not just a practice used at museums or schools.
At the art studio, Studio 620, artists young and old can come to learn to appreciate art and even create it.
Owner of Studio 620, Bob Devin Jones, has made a career of being in the spotlight and has had to adjust to the pandemic’s measures.
“Since March, we’ve been at third of capacity, doing all the virtual things, but we’re slowly opening. We don’t know what the new normal is,” Jones said.
But why would someone potentially risk their life to view a piece of art or come to a studio to train to be a better artist? Is it so important that these museums and learning centers stay open during these uncertain times?
Dancer and instructor Alexander Jones at Studio 620 said the pandemic gave him time to reevaluate what was important in his life. “I had to be like, okay, you need to change this, and you actually need to dance because if you don’t it’s like a life or death situation,” Jones said.
I guess it’s safe to say art really is a matter of life and death and the more artists like Jones and the rest of the instructors at Studio 620, the more likely art will continue to flourish even under the harshest of conditions.
What better way to appreciate art and clear your mind than going to a museum or learning a new skill along the way? Art is all around us, and the more we create, the more normal life begins to feel and the more secure we become in ourselves.
Bell explained how art was an escape from reality, something to get your mind off what’s going on in the world.
“I think everyone could use an escape right now,” Bell said. “To get into a different mindset emotionally and to really feel the works.”
