OPI Participants Immerse Themselves in a Paris Exhibit

This past Saturday, a group of OPI participants visited the Hammer Museum, located in Westwood, where they viewed an exhibit titled Tea and Morphine: Women in Paris. For an hour, the docent-led tour introduced participants to a collection of 100 works which included prints, rare books, menus, theater programs, and music scores that explored the fin-de-siecle representations of French women from 1880-1914. The various media on display gave participants an in-depth view of the female experience during that time.

The docent was particularly effective in not only encouraging the participants to talk to him but each other as well. Instead of just relaying facts to them, he stopped at specific pieces and asked what they saw and thought about them. The participants were not only interested but engaged and respectful in listening to their fellow peers’ opinions and thoughts. It was both enlightening and refreshing to have a tour that allowed group members the freedom to suggest what should be taught and discussed.

Here is what one participant had to say about the experience: “The Tea and Morphine exhibition was gorgeous! We had a great guide who really knew his stuff, and at the same time he allowed us to explore our own opinions about the artwork. I would definitely go back to check out the rest of the museum.”