Everyone has a story. At the Museum of Fine Arts, we've heard many. What's yours?

The late Charles Kuralt believed “everyone has a story.”

The CBS journalist famously traveled to small towns across America for his “On the Road” segments, where he reported on the people he met or places he visited.

During my regular journalism days, I always enjoyed talking to people. I liked sitting with people and having them tell me about themselves. I heard nail-biting recounts of World War II from a veteran. A rising musician once accidentally told me she was engaged before she told her family. I’ve heard about their passions on certain topics and regrets about others. I’ve shared a lot of tears and laughter.

What they all had in common was that they had a story to tell, just like the 7,000 objects in our permeant collection. And part of that story is how our visitors connect with our stories.

When I took the job as the director of marketing and communications, I felt a little out of place. I’m not an artist. I don’t have an art degree. But I felt I could help tell the museum’s story, both past and present.

This September we will celebrate 93 years of serving Washington County and the greater region. We regularly meet generation after generation of people who remember the gravel parking lot where the atrium once stood or how they sent their kids to the Saturday Morning Youth Program when it was in the basement.

I think one of my favorite aspects of this job is just chatting with our visitors. I ask them where they are from (one woman was from Turkmenistan) and what brought them in for a visit. I also love to ask our little visitors what is the favorite thing they saw in the museum. I’ve heard everything from the shiny floors to the lady and puppy in the window (“Diana of the Chase”).

An older gentleman told me during our special exhibition last fall, “Picasso on Paper: The Artist as Printmaker, 1923-72,” about how he was a young student living in Paris and saw Picasso sitting at a café. He started to approach him, but there was something in Picasso’s gaze that said maybe he should stay on his side of the street. He missed his opportunity to meet the famous artist, but he walked away with a great story about a chance meeting.

Asking questions leads to other connections. During the opening of “Cumberland Valley Artists,” I asked one of the artists which piece was hers. As we walked over to look at it closely, a young man was looking at it along with his family. I introduced them and his mother encouraged him to show her his artwork. They stood there talking about art for some time.

During the “Cumberland Valley Photographers” exhibition earlier this year, a photographer from York, Pa., told me how what he created was considered street photography. He didn’t know any of his subjects, yet they looked as if they connected with the camera. Soon after, another photographer wanted to discuss his work.

I am not the only person who recognizes the stories of our museum and our objects. It’s our staff’s job to find the objects’ histories and display them in ways that are relevant to our visitors.

One way to hear these stories is to sign up for a tour being led by Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator Daniel Fulco or Director of Education Kellie Mele. During the tours, you’ll hear fascinating stories about the artists or their work.

My new favorite story was one I heard during a tour Kellie was leading. She told the group that Dutch artist Godfried Schalcken’s “Self-Portrait of the Artist Holding a Candle, 1694,” actually survived a shipwreck and it now is displayed in our gallery. Now that’s a story!

We are now hosting guided-group exhibition tours that are available Tuesdays through Fridays. Call us at 301-739-5727 to schedule a group tour of the permanent collection or of either of our special exhibitions. You must schedule a tour at least two weeks in advance. Cost is $5 per person.

Every other month, we host a free online evening discussion called “Let’s Talk Art.” The next one is Thursday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. Fulco and Manager of Exhibitions and Collections Sarah Wolfe will talk about the backstory of our tattoo exhibition in our next installment. Contact Donna Rastelli at 301-739-5727 or drastelli@wcmfa.org for a Zoom link, or watch it stream live on our Facebook page

As a bonus just for museum members, we host a monthly online Art Social Hour. The discussion is usually about a specific piece of art. The next one scheduled is Wednesday, Aug. 14, at noon. Executive Director Sarah Hall leads this online discussion, and this month’s featured work will be Eastman Johnson’s painting “Child Playing Croquet.” This is a free members-only event. Contact Donna for a link or to become a member.

Next time you’re looking for a place to escape, think of visiting the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. Discover a story while you’re here or tell us how you personally connected with the museum or a specific object. We would love to hear your stories.

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Crystal Schelle is director of marketing and communications for Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is at 401 Museum Drive, Hagerstown. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and major holidays. Go to wcmfa.org or call 301-739-5727.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Everyone has a story. At the Museum of Fine Arts, we've heard many. What's yours?