I had mixed feelings today as we visited a wonderful museum in Bentonville, Arkansas, Crystal Bridges Museum. http://crystalbridges.org
The exhibit of American Folk art was very inspiring.
It showed the accomplishments of every day people, in wood carving, quilts, weaving, embroidery, metal working, scrimshaw, painting.
A picture of every day wealth was exhibited by the accomplishments of every day people.
What our ancestors knew how to do and make was beautiful, practical, and astonishing.
A very great deal of satisfaction came from this work, both while it was being done, and now, one hundred and fifty years later.
This museum was built by Alice Walton, of Wal-Mart.
I couldn’t help but notice that it was built on the backs of their Wal-Mart minimum wage employees.
I was grateful for the classical education of Alice Walton.
I wish I could feel better about the possibilities for the education of the Wal-Mart employees and their families.
I usually am happy to visit museums funded by real estate and oil and utility magnates; it never bothered me before this.
But now, with the growing inequality of our country, I realize I am missing so many conversations with literate people.
I had expected that would be my great joy as I continued my own education and got out into the world.
But those conversations are fewer than I would have hoped, and it looks like they will be fewer still with the corporatist attitudes which have replaced the idea of businesses as services for every day people.
Now people service businesses.
At the end of the day, although the museum experience was beautiful, it is in a context of inhumanity after all.
© 2016 Kathryn Hardage
www.sharedvisionswmo.blogspot.com
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