Patricia Joseph
Beauty
After a career in academia as an economics professor and a dean, I needed a retirement strategy. A friend suggested I become a docent at the BMA. This was completely different from what I'd done all my life—it was like getting a master's degree in an entirely new subject. I've loved it all the way through. Being a docent has changed the way I view things. It has cultivated my eye. Every time I go into the galleries, I feel so incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by all this beauty. And I love introducing the collection to people, bringing that beauty to them. People are utterly astonished at the scope of it. You know, much of life takes place in settings that are not beautiful. But everyone needs beauty in their lives. It's critical to our well-being. The BMA gives us that.