Author: Andrew McGivern, curator of exhibitions
Exploring New Frontiers in Technology
Posted on May 23, 2012
Adopting a new technology can be both daunting and exciting. Recently Woodson Art Museum staff decided to switch from offering audio tours on simple MP3 players to the more flexible iPod Touch devices. The Museum’s current audio tours, which have been offered for a few years, require visitors to follow... Read More
Honey, I Shrunk the Staff! Adventures in Museum Audio Tours
Posted on March 01, 2012
Have you used an audio tour to enhance your visit to an art museum? In 2007, the Woodson Art Museum purchased MP3 players, headphones, and began using free audio-editing software to offer visitors insights into changing exhibitions. Visitors embraced these self-touring units and today our audio tours are an integral... Read More
A Community of Wood Enthusiasts
Posted on January 18, 2012
In my last blog post, I expressed my appreciation of wood and fine woodworking. The Museum’s winter exhibitions Boxes and Their Makers, and Think Inside the Box close after this weekend and we then shift our focus to the world of children’s book illustrator James Gurney’s Dinotopia where dinosaurs and... Read More
Wood You, if You Could? I Wood!
Posted on December 07, 2011
I’ve always enjoyed working with wood, whether helping my father finish our basement while in grade school, turning a wooden bowl in junior high shop class, or years later building display cases and crates for the Museum. I guess I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands. Ray JonesOmega... Read More
Aldo Leopold: A Wisconsin Treasure
Posted on October 12, 2011
Last fall I led a bus trip to southern Wisconsin for Museum members to experience museums, historic sites, theater, and fine dining. Our first stop on this three-day trip was the Aldo Leopold Shack and the Leopold Center Green Building near Baraboo. We arrived on a beautiful fall day in... Read More
Kids Get a Kick Out of Art
Posted on August 17, 2011
Looking through a camera lens this past week, the delights of art came into crystal-clear focus. It’s been written all over the faces of the children who’ve flocked to Family Fest, the Woodson Art Museum’s new drop-in, art-making festival. The glee, the sheer joy was in their movements, too. Skips,... Read More
Winning with Art History
Posted on August 10, 2011
Last March, I blogged about the Woodson Art Museum’s Art History 101 program. It is designed to appeal to adults who wish to learn more about the broader subject of art. The program is presented in the evening on the first Thursday of every month and repeated over the lunch... Read More
Stacking Paper with a Purpose
Posted on June 02, 2011
Last week, Amy Beck blogged about artist-in-residence Steven Siegel’s monumental paper sculpture underway in the Museum’s sculpture garden. I was fortunate to work with dozens of volunteers and Museum staff as we assisted Steven in the construction of his 30-foot-long sculpture, now complete. Artist Steven Siegel and his Woodson... Read More
Art History 101 – A Monthly Dose to Boost Cultural Health
Posted on March 09, 2011
Last summer the Woodson Art Museum added a regular dose of art history to our events lineup. These noon-hour programs are designed to feature a different artist whose work complements the exhibition on view. That style then is woven into the hands-on projects planned for children in monthly Little Masters... Read More
Live for Today, Plan for Tomorrow
Posted on December 22, 2010
In the museum world, we live with one foot in the present and one in the future. As I wrap up details for the crating of the Birds in Art tour, I can’t help but think about our next set of exhibitions. In fact, a few of us focus on... Read More
