Art critic Sebastian Smee embarked on a summer road trip to visit seven major art museums across five Midwestern cities over five days. The column reflects on how the rapid succession of artworks and ideas from these institutions—ranging from the Art Institute of Chicago to the Cleveland Museum of Art—creates oblique connections and correspondences, both among the works themselves and between art and the outside world. Smee describes the experience as anything but an escape, as the art continually mirrors real-world events and emotions.
This piece matters because it offers a personal, reflective take on the role of art museums in contemporary life, challenging the notion that they are purely escapist spaces. By weaving together observations from multiple institutions, Smee underscores how art can serve as a lens for processing collective experiences and current events. The article also sparks broader conversation among readers about the transformative power of art, as evidenced by the 415 comments it generated.