Bear Necessities
Posted on April 22, 2020
My neighborhood – also home to other Woodson Art Museum staff – is engaged in a “Teddy Bear Hunt.” Inspired by Michael Rosen’s children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, neighbors display child-friendly items for viewing by children during walks.
Creativity in Socially Distant Times
Posted on April 15, 2020
For anyone determined to transform isolation into productive solitude, this may be the time to try something new, revisit an earlier interest, refine skills, or experiment in a new way. We eagerly anticipate a time when we can once again gather in the galleries. Until then, Museum staff extend warm wishes for wellness and invite you to remain engaged via the Museum's online options. Learn more here.
Making Museum Videos: Behind the Scenes
Posted on April 08, 2020
Behind the Woodson Art Museum’s app content, Catie is at the computer, turning audio into video. While the Woodson’s YouTube videos and audio-tour app are crafted to offer visitors – both onsite and remote – insights into artworks on view, the creation of the videos themselves presents an educational opportunity all its own.
Collection Virtual Views
Posted on April 01, 2020
My heart cracked a bit last week after reading Wisconsin Governor Evers’ “Safer at Home” order effective through April 24. I hope Covid-19 is controlled soon.
As for so many others, my routine is no longer, well, routine. I’m all about the comfort of sameness and control, yet that is gone. I know it’s for the best, but the uncertainty is testing me and all of us.
So, what can I share via this blog? The Woodson Art Museum is closed, staff are working from home, and the galleries are filled with dozens of beautiful artworks with stories to tell. Yet the joy of viewing them is available only online now.
Content
Posted on March 25, 2020
Although I’m biased, having institutional memories of much of the content, I think everything publicly available provides a good snapshot of what the Museum delivers to our visitors and members, both near and far.
Puppy Tales & Advertising Adventures
Posted on March 18, 2020
Earlier this month, as Woodson Art Museum staff readied two new exhibitions featuring French graphic arts and children’s book illustrations, I was touched by how the stories of three beloved animals came together for me. One is about a co-worker’s new puppy who scampered away for one harrowing day, and the other two creatures are referenced in the exhibitions. All three animal tales share aspects of successful networking, advertising, and happy endings.
It’s Master Time
Posted on March 11, 2020
Master Time? Yes. Time to announce the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s 2020 Birds in Art Master Artist.
In tandem with the 2020 exhibition, the Woodson Art Museum will honor Timothy David Mayhew with the Master Wildlife Artist Medal.
The Helping Hands Behind Origami Success
Posted on March 04, 2020
Throughout three origami exhibitions that concluded March 1, the Woodson Art Museum welcomed more than 1,100 students during class visits. Before closing – or folding – the book on origami and turning to upcoming exhibitions being installed this week., I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of the Museum’s volunteer docents who guided students during the past twelve weeks.
Masterful Motivation for Parents
Posted on February 26, 2020
For a cabin-fever-busting family outing, visit Art Park this week. Origami is a fun thing to do at home, too, if snowy weather requires hunkering down indoors.
Upcoming exhibitions feature a flair for France and delightful children’s book illustrations. Colorful French posters and illustrations by award-winning author and artist Melissa Sweet will grace the galleries, beginning March 7, and will offer spring-fever remedies galore.
Celebrating Student Art
Posted on February 19, 2020
It seems like it was yesterday when I visited the Woodson Art Museum to interview for a summer position as a gardener. It was April 12, 1979, and part of the interview included a Museum tour. One stop was an unfinished room in the lower level filled with colorful artwork and a staff member placing the works in groups. These artworks, it was quickly explained, comprised the Student Art Exhibition, an annual recognition and display of the creative classroom work of area students; the exhibition had just concluded. Cool.
One short year later, I was part of the team organizing and installing the exhibition. To ensure the exhibition’s viability, we’ve made major changes and minor tweaks over the past forty-three years but the goal remains to honor the region’s talented art teachers and students.
