Whenever I give a tour to students, I tell them that the Meadows School of the Arts is my favorite building on campus. As a Pre-Med student majoring in Health and Society and minoring in Spanish and Photography, I have an extremely busy schedule. My studies allow me to use both the left and the right sides of my brain and think both logically and creatively. I find so much comfort and happiness in the professors and classes I take in Meadows. From my background, it must be shocking to hear that despite my love for the Meadows School of the Arts, I had never visited SMU’s very own Meadows Museum until this semester. As a class trip, my Spanish class received a tour of the museum to get a real-life look at our studies of the history of art in Spain.
The entire museum is breathtaking. As I walked up the stairs to the entrance of the museum, I was greeted by one of the most impressive sculptures of a human face that I have ever seen. On its own, the sculpture has the ability to draw an audience into the museum due to its intricate design and impressive 3D form. Inside the museum, I got to see even more beautiful artwork, from very famous artists!
Having studied art for four years, it was extremely exciting to see the work of some of the most renown Spanish artists, such as Salvador Dali, El Greco, and Gaudi. Each original piece of work holds so much history and culture, and was only thirty steps from my classroom. SMU provides its students with the ability to learn about a topic, culture, and the importance of art in the world while in the classroom, and then provides tangible examples in our very own Meadows Museum.
After my initial with my Spanish class, I have returned to the museum three times. Two out of the three times I visited were to complete my original tour of the museum. The third time, however, was to appreciate the beauty and work along its perimeter. Along the outskirts of the museum is a beautiful garden filled with flowers and statues of a variety of materials with a variety of meanings. From the outside in, I can guarantee that SMU’s Meadows Museum has something to catch and hold everyone’s attention.
-Taylor Nickens
