The Metropolitan Museum of Art- New York, NY

     The Met, as in, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a monster of a museum. It houses some of the most famed artists and artifacts throughout centuries of human history. On one end you can learn about the mummification process in ancient Egypt and at the other, you can be standing in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The various escapes to different genres of life provides visitors with enough information to settle any curiosities. At this point, I've been able to lay eyes on some of the best museums in the world and The Met just evokes that "Major Alert!" feel. Some museums have quaint cosy vibes, and others pure, simple and fresh, but then the are the "Other, others" which houses more than anything else, visitors.

     If you love art and care deeply about all of its nuances, it may be important to try to feel the space around you, and even think of the history of the person who made what's in front of you. But often times in the major museums, the excitement of seeing some works, evoke a different agenda, like taking selfies. This museum is one of those, you just can't help it. It's vast, its architecturally stunning, super educational and yet it lacks something.

      My first ever museum experience was amazing because I felt at home. I understood little about what was hanging along the walls but I recognized the preservation of beauty and detail in an organized and peaceful way. It was honestly to say the least just the vibe of the place. However, after traveling quite a bit, I've come to realize that viewing a Monet or Van Gogh isn't as sacred as once believed. Museums around the globe house the same greats of the art world and still somehow lack charisma. The mega museums unfortunately focus so much on names that personality seems to be a lacking factor in curation.

    There is also another unsettling characteristic to these places. For instance, while at The Met, staring  down at a real sarcophagus, my first thought was "wow!" but after that I thought about how so much history of ancient Egypt came to even settle in New York City. But its not just New York, it's major museums everywhere, which leaves me to wonder if anything at all was left for the actual inhabitants of Egypt. That same thought applies to countries around the world who's history gets boxed up and taken away to far away lands for people to gaze over, take a selfie, and walk off.

     Now of course its nice to be able to see things from places that you never thought you'd visit, and thats nice. It's also nice to be able to have to the world at your hands within the time span of the train ride, but what about the people who will never be able to see all of what their own ancestors have contributed to the world? It would be like if the newly opened African American Museum in Washington D.C. was housed in Europe, nice but unnecessary.

     Anyway, I don't mean to take away anything from the hard work of the curators and directors that spend time and resources to find material for exhibits, but I do think that maybe there is a better way to showcase human contributions that doesn't revolve around the same old artists and themes.