It was a joy to spend the day with kindred spirits at The Joslyn, an art museum in Omaha, Nebraska, discussing art, creativity, life, aging, grief, family, and more.

“All art is a terrific bridge…Music, paintings, words, they really do speak to the soul, to the heart, to the spirit…” -Julia Cameron

Conversation with loved ones requires little effort, but time with Nancy and Marilyn was enhanced by the insights from the art pieces that drew us in. We easily transitioned from discussing art techniques to our own creative projects, from religious and contemporary art to our own spirituality and religious traditions, and from what the artist might have felt or intended to convey to our own feelings and responses to life’s challenges. Skipping from one topic to the next, which might not have made much sense to onlookers, made perfect sense to us.

When I started leading SoulFully You retreats at St. Benedict Center, Nancy and Marilyn, my dad’s first cousins, were some of my first participants. I am so grateful that we reconnected and get together a few times a year. My memories of them were mainly as a child, and now we are good friends.

“Viewing art activates the dopamine network in the brain…people’s minds open to wonder: they demonstrate greater creativity, inspiration, problem-solving abilities, and openness to others’ perspectives. Art empowers our saintly tendencies.“ –Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

Sharing some of the art and insights that filled our day with wonder, I hope to inspire an in-person or online visit to an art museum or your own creative project, such as SoulCollage.

New River at The Josylyn

One’s perspective and attitude matter. This artist finds wonder in revulsion. Awe is found in nature, music, art, and more, but especially in our present moment. How do we live in times that are deeply repulsive, challenging, and dark? We must cultivate our sense of wonder. Read more– Wonder Begins in the Present Moment

Image at The Joslyn

This one. Wow. All black…and yet, it’s not. It is a blending of colors. The streaked bottom is a metaphor for when light begins to break into the darkness of grief. We reflected on some moments in the last decade that felt like pure grief—and how one can be pinned to emotions, unable to respond differently—until some light enters, and then one can begin to find their way to more soulful ways of living. Upon first look at this image, each of us said, “I don’t get it.” When we walked away, we understood. 

Some reflections on darkness and grief: The Longest Night and Flood the World with Love: An Antidote to Darkness.

The First Sea at The Joslyn

I agree with Matthew Fox in Creativity: Where The Divine and The Human Meet, “Learning is one of the most spiritual, ecstatic, mystical, and prayerful experiences available to us all.” I write about a visit to a Colorado museum here–The Gift of Curiosity: There is no such thing as wasted learning!

A powerful exhibit. Each Native person is a human being who was moved around the land like a piece of furniture. We need to consider our history and those who have been forced from their home—refugees, immigrants, those oppressed because of their gender, religion, ethnicity, or age.

Could art be any more critical than it is right now?! “This gallery centers perspectives that have long been underrepresented, and at times actively silenced…” I had a white, conservative, Christian young man recently tell me that he feels underrepresented in educational institutions. It is essential to hear what he said. Yet, we must look at history and consider how immigrants, native Americans, enslaved, formerly enslaved, descendants of those enslaved, women, LGBTQ people, have all been underrepresented, treated unfairly, and oppressed. Perhaps “Do unto others” should be one of the lines in scripture that could be taken literally. Despite my mixed feelings about what the flag and America have come to represent for me, and especially for those who are marginalized, I consider the Pledge of Allegiance–A Flag Day Reflection

Our life itself is art. “Winter, spring, summer, and fall are mulch for each other. The seasons of our lives are like that also. We learn from the layers of life. Our joys, sorrows, regrets, hopes, miseries, and enthusiasms are mulch for each other.” The Flowing Grace of Now, Macrina Wiederkehr Learning from the Seasons of Life

I love this artist. I have a print of ‘Child in a Straw Heart’ that my grandma gave me, hanging in my study. I wrote about a SoulCollage card I created using the image here– A Child in a Straw Hat.

Dale Nicols is from David City, NE, not far from where I live. Many images like this are in the David City Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art. I often drive the country roads near this area and wrote about the wonder of music and country drives here–Wonder: The Dance and The Sweet Spot.

Enjoy an online visit to the Joslyn Art Museum, visit a local art museum, practice Lectio Divina with religious art such as The Prodigal Son: Where Art and Beauty Run Rampant, or create a SoulCollage card.

© Jodi Blazek Gehr, Being Benedictine Blogger