2. Does this sound familiar? You’re out with some friends, and you’re trying to decide what to do when someone suggests the art museum. You say something like, “Yuck. I’d rather go to the dentist than go to an art museum.”

3. Your friends are surprised, so you tell them, “Well, I don’t understand modern art. Whenever I go to an art museum or have a conversation about a painting, there’s always someone who tells me what I should like.

4. And if I don’t like it, that makes me feel there’s something wrong with me. I actually do like some paintings, but I don’t like being told how to react. I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like.”

5. Your reaction is not unusual. A lot of people these days claim not to like art because they don’t understand it. Others object to being pressured to like a painting or a sculpture because it’s famous.

6. Now the new downtown art museum is set to open next week. If someone insists on dragging you to it, don’t despair; things are not as bad as they seem. You can make it through the experience, and you might even get something out of it. Let me give you some tips on how to survive a visit to an art museum.

7. Here’s the first tip: Take it easy. Just go for a short time and only look at a few pictures. If you try to see everything, you’ll end up suffering from sensory overload. There’s only so much that your brain can absorb at a time. Don’t feel that you have to get your money’s worth and stay until the museum closes.

8. Second tip: Walk around by yourself, not with a friend, or a group of people. Take your time, not someone else’s. You won’t get much out of a piece of art unless you experience it in your own way. That won’t happen if you’re on a schedule or if someone is trying to move you along.

9. Third, and most importantly: Don’t make a trip to an art museum an intellectual experience. Make it a personal experience. When you walk into a room of art objects, your eye will be attracted by certain paintings or sculptures. Go and look at those first. Be honest about your reactions.

10. Don’t try to like something just because someone else thinks you should. There are plenty of people who don’t think much of the Mona Lisa, even though it’s one of the most famous paintings in the world. Keep this firmly in mind: Although many works of art are famous (and therefore supposedly “good”), there’s no accounting for taste.

11. A piece of art should be like a favorite piece of music, an exciting movie, or a fascinating book. It should speak to us personally. We need to make it our own.