Ah, The Sweet Life
Posted on November 10, 2010
The 2010 Birds in Art exhibition is quickly coming to an end. You have until Sunday, November 14, at 5:00 pm, to see it before it flies away. Birds in Art is always wonderful and this year’s exhibition is no exception. While visitors are still enjoying Birds in Art, I’ve... Read More
McGivern Goes to Madison
Posted on November 03, 2010
Organizing a three-day motorcoach tour can be challenging. I’ve hosted one or two of these tours each year since 2005, including trips to Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Springfield, Illinois. The initial tours focused on visits to museums, art centers, and visual-arts-events. Recently, I’ve added theater components and travelers really have... Read More
Cutting through the Fog of Information Overload
Posted on October 27, 2010
A foggy day dawned Monday as Jane Weinke, curator of collections, and I whisked eastward in her red Jeep toward Oshkosh for the Wisconsin Federation of Museums annual meeting. Amid huge, suspended airplanes in the galleries of the EAA AirVenture Museum, I hoped the sessions might afford me a similar... Read More
Making Art Accessible
Posted on October 20, 2010
October is Art Beyond Sight Awareness Month, presented by Art Education for the Blind. The Woodson Art Museum actively participates in the awareness month, just one of the many ways we carry out our commitment to accessibility. These are some of the other ways: I presented a program on Tuesday,... Read More
Cleveland Rocks
Posted on October 13, 2010
Last week’s journey to Cleveland for the Association of Midwest Museums annual meeting was inspiring, thought provoking, and exhausting. The conference brought together museum professionals from eight Midwest states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Events included visits to local museums (my favorite: “Rock Hall”), sessions on... Read More
The Magic Is in the Name
Posted on October 06, 2010
Twenty years ago, random word associations during a Woodson Art Museum staff meeting led to our creation of OctoBIRDfest. This annual bird-related family festival took place Saturday, October 2, to chirps and tweets of delight among fledglings, older siblings, parents, grandparents, and extended family members and friends. OctoBIRDfest 2010 was... Read More
T.A.C. – Teen Art Council
Posted on September 29, 2010
Recently the Woodson Art Museum formed a Teen Art Council that quickly was named T.A.C. by the council members. Last year while planning programs for those that are 13-19, I wondered if anyone would attend. I decided to go to the source and ask teens to help with the planning.To... Read More
Off to the Wickets
Posted on September 22, 2010
In previous blogs my colleagues discussed preparations for the opening of this year’s Birds in Art exhibition. I thought it important to examine one of the more serious associated events. It involves artists and the highly competitive sport of croquet.The tradition of Birds in Art artists playing croquet began innocently... Read More
Birds in Art Whirlwind Weekend – What a Party!
Posted on September 15, 2010
I’m coming up for air after a breathtaking Birds in Art opening weekend, my first as a Woodson Art Museum staff member. Hired in late June, I jumped into the midst of Birds in Art preparation – a whirlwind of year-round work that whips into a frenzy during the two... Read More
The Quiet Before the Storm
Posted on September 08, 2010
Pardon the idiom – but I’d be lying if I said otherwise. As you can imagine, this week is a standout among the other 51 at the Woodson Art Museum. We’re all buzzing with energy as we busily complete the tasks needed to ensure the upcoming weekend is another success... Read More
