Art for heart's sake

I still remember my first trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum.


It was eighth grade, and that incredible building in Eden Park gave me the sense I had been transported to Europe. 


To this day I go to the C.A.M. to edify my spirit. Sometimes I seek out a specific exhibit or event, but in many cases I go because I feel a pull to be there. When it's been too long, it's as if my body almost aches to be in that environment. 


I go through the galleries and make sure my favorite pieces are still where I left them. I visit them as though they were old friends with whom I need to reconnect.


I've been fortunate to visit museums around the world, and each is a treasure in its own right. But only the C.A.M. gives me the feeling that I have come home, to a place where I belong.


I am not an artist, per se. I can't draw or paint. But I feel art in my soul. For me, it manifests itself in singing, writing, cooking, maybe even in the way I arrange my house or in the jewelry I choose to wear. 


And now I have a new opportunity before me, a concrete way in which to make art part of my life. Having completed a month of Boardway Bound training through the Fine Arts Fund, I'll be submitting a profile and an application for local non-profit arts organizations to view. 


Where will I land? What is the right direction for me? Will any organization select me to join its board and help guide its future? Am I meant to be a board member or a volunteer? 


As with seemingly everything in my life right now, there are dozens of questions. 


The one thing I do know is I need art in my life. I have it inside me, and I need the ability -- the chance -- to show it and to share it.


I think that might be one gift God gave me, and I can only hope He will help me put it to productive use.