Catch Birdwatching Fever
Posted on February 21, 2018
Emerging from what seems like a long winter, I’m always happy to get back into nature to pursue my favorite pastime – birdwatching. The Great Backyard Bird Count was last weekend, and I’m happy to report that our winter bird population is vibrant and healthy. In fact, we’ve seen a robust return of common redpolls and pine siskins, whose numbers were very low last year.
Manifestations of Love on Valentine’s Day and Everyday
Posted on February 14, 2018
Valentine’s Day is one of my two favorite holidays. No surprise, the other is Thanksgiving. Love and food. These holidays are hard to beat. I take an expansive and inclusive approach to Valentine’s Day, perhaps more like a kindness day — to others and to ones’s self — and a reminder that love takes many forms. We regularly see aspects of love and kindness on full display — yes, pun intended — at the Woodson Art Museum.
Animal Motifs + Relief Printing = Classroom Quilts
Posted on February 07, 2018
I met printmaker Sherrie York late Sunday evening at the Central Wisconsin Airport where she arrived after a harrowing day of travel to begin a two-week printmaking residency, which kicked off early Monday morning. During her residency, Sherrie and I will work with over 150 area students, first onsite at the Woodson Art Museum and then again in their classrooms.
Stories Spur Us Onward
Posted on January 31, 2018
On this final day of January – a month full of reflection, goal-setting, and resolutions – I’m thankful for opportunities to listen to and learn from people. Their stories are powerful, especially when they provide a boost to improve or strive onward.
Still Defrosting
Posted on January 24, 2018
At face value, Tom Queoff, Mike Martino, and Mike Sponholtz seem to have nothing in common (in looks nor personality), but work together as well as any team or group I’ve had the pleasure of watching.
Blogged Down
Posted on January 17, 2018
I typically anticipate my slot in the “Woodson Wanderings” posting rotation. Storytelling is what I do; it’s the creative filter through which I experience the world. This time I became stuck, until I focused on a recent spontaneous creation that SPARK! participants sculpted from modeling compound. It means the world to me. May a modicum of all that SPARK! is – for individuals with memory-loss and their family members, friends, care partners, Woodson volunteers, and staff – find its way through my blogged-down thoughts and into this post so that you can delight in it, too.
Mid-Winter Warm Up
Posted on January 10, 2018
During the winter holiday break, my wife Jeana and I visited our son, Justin, and family in Dubai, located on the Arabian Gulf in the United Arab Emirates. Leaving the bitter cold of Wisconsin and spending a week in warm weather was a good reason for the trip. An even better reason was spending time with our family, including two grandsons.
Bring on 2018
Posted on January 03, 2018
I’m a perennial optimist; looking ahead makes me smile. I’m excited about the programs and exhibitions on the Museum’s 2018 docket and the extraordinary “rarely seen” National Geographic photographs that will fill our galleries this spring. Here’s to a fabulous 2018!
Battle the Winter Blues
Posted on December 27, 2017
The days following the Christmas holiday are anticlimactic for me. If you, too, experience a post-holiday slump, I encourage you to battle the winter blues with friends and family and a visit to the Woodson Art Museum. In addition to being warm and cozy, the Art Museum galleries offer a wonderful change of scenery.
One Good Turn Deserves Another
Posted on December 20, 2017
I have fond memories of turning my first wooden bowl during shop class at John Muir Middle School. The bowl became a Christmas present for my parents, who used it for serving holiday treats. Years later, I was surprised to learn there was a woodturning club in the area.
