Art appreciation is high on my list of values. It is very important to hit the ground running sharing this value when you yourself are a mother, an artist, and work at an art museum. For Woodson Wanderings readers and Museum members and volunteers that have not caught wind of my absence writing blogs, or around the Museum, I returned from maternity leave mid-summer after having brought a beautiful baby girl into the world with my husband Scott.
Our daughter Orla has now attended three art exhibition receptions in her five months of life, with Birds in Art rounding out number three. While on maternity leave, I had the joy of bringing Orla to see two of my artworks displayed in juried exhibitions. Both artworks were made while I was pregnant and blogged about back in March—fitting that it was my last blog before she was born. In newborn fashion, she was asleep at both the 37th Annual Northern National Art Competition at Nicolet College and North of the 45th at the Devos Art Museum. However, a highlight was seeing her curiosity at six weeks old looking at all the artworks in the galleries at Nicolet College after she woke up and the crowds dissipated. I was amazed at how much she could already appreciate.
Of course, I was excited to share Birds in Art with her too.
There were many wonderful elements of this year’s Birds in Art opening: bringing live birds into the Hilton Garden Inn for artists to take photos of, learn about, and sketch with the Raptor Education Group Inc.; hosting five different food truck selections on the Museum’s campus to members, artists, and guests; and offering new art making opportunities both during the Members Preview Experiences and to the general public on Saturday afternoon of the Birds in Art Public Opening.
Throughout the extended weekend of hosting Museum members and Birds in Art artists, a moment that stood out to me was Orla’s debut at the Members Preview on Friday afternoon. During part one of the event on Thursday, she was a big topic of conversation among Birds in Art artists. Over the course of preparing for the exhibition and as artists return to Wausau over their years of getting into the exhibition, the Museum staff builds strong relationships with these artists. When I mentioned she would be coming to the Museum Friday, everyone had the same reaction—excitement. They didn’t disappoint.
Orla was a little debutante in her dinosaur-footed onesie—dinos were and continue to this day to be her dad’s favorite, so while I instill art, he gets to smatter in the love of dinosaurs. She was all smiles for everyone that shared one with her while walking around the Museum grounds and in the galleries. We only got as far as Gunnar Tryggmo’s Master Wildlife Artist retrospective when she was zonked by all the happy faces and artwork and promptly down for a snooze.
Now we are three for three of falling asleep at art receptions. Let’s just hope that it both stimulates and sooths her and not that she thinks the art is boring! If you’ve experienced this year’s exhibition, on view until December 1, you will agree that it’s the former and not the latter.
