Sometimes it’s hard to imagine what history was like in a place, notwithstanding somewhere hundreds of miles away from Siouxland. Even with movie “reenactments” to help provide a clearer visual cue, I find it difficult. And then there is the issue of traveling to view historical sites, even pre-pandemic, it wasn’t always possible. And it seems some folk also thought that, after having experienced the real deal and had the wherewithal to make it possible for the masses to encounter something one has seen in books, online and museums. Of course there is a buck to be made, but considering the cost for an individual or family to travel to see a place and yes enjoy all the other accoutrements associated with visiting a place, the chance to view up close and personal the works of Michelangelo’s at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is pretty amazing.
One can sit and view the frescoes that Michelangelo created so many centuries ago. Audio devices when swiped near an icon plays recorded pieces that talk about each specific fresco and its historical meaning vis a vis the Bible. I attended during an opening photographing for a media outlet and didn’t have the chance to really sit and take in all of the amazing work to be seen. Each piece is life sized and one can sit or stand and marvel at what was created from the mind of many historians who think the artist a genius.
I do plan to return to Omaha to see this exhibit on display not too far from the Old Market. Just to marvel at the work someone spent so much of a lifetime to create and to understand a bit more. While maybe I won’t get to wander about the Vatican, which probably wouldn’t happen anyway, or taste the local cuisine in Rome, it will be nice to get lost in art for a while and imagine what it must have been like or to even comprehend what was being created and to see it happening in real time.
I live in the Siouxland area that encompasses a wide swatch of land in northwest Iowa, northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota. The people that inhabit this area are generous folk and your basic honest, Midwestern people you like to have as neighbors. I explore the area and share observations, mostly photographic, sometimes through video, and and short text. All images and video are copyrighted material of the author.
Jerry Mennenga, Sioux City, Iowa
jerrylmennenga@yahoo.com