Wausau, Wisconsin: An exhibition highlighting cut paper and other surprising materials – from vintage maps and magazines to a leaf, car tire, and saw blade – opened at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum on Saturday, March 2. This contemporary take on the ancient, yet ever-evolving, art of cutting paper celebrates both innovation and tradition. “Cut Up/Cut Out” features the work of more than fifty artists, representing diverse styles, techniques, and sizes from three-inch artworks to sprawling, complex installations.
To transform paper, rubber, metal, and more into thought-provoking artworks, artists explore varied piercing and cutting techniques that provide endless possibilities for change. Cutting into and through surfaces, artists alter items from opaque to transparent, flat to sculptural, rigid to delicate, and ordinary to exquisite. The process and precision required are laborious, technically demanding, and always astonishing. The art of paper cutting dates back thousands of years, with early artwork emerging from sixth-century China, extending worldwide by the fourteenth century, and later sparking a wave of folk art traditions. “Cut Up/Cut Out” was organized by Carrie Lederer, curator of exhibitions, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California, and remains on view at the Woodson Art Museum through June 2.
Museum’s Tactile Exhibition Debuts
The Woodson Art Museum’s inaugural tactile art exhibition also debuts on Saturday, March 2, encouraging all visitors to experience the artwork through touch. “In Touch with Art: Tactile Sculpture” comprises five avian sculptures, available on a “touch table” in the Decorative Arts Gallery.
The first in an ongoing series, “In Touch with Art” provides ready access to original artwork for visitors with low vision or blindness and also encourages sighted visitors to experience a new way to “see” via the mind’s eye – visualizing artwork through touch. This tactile exhibition also is enhanced by accessible interpretive materials, including braille labels and a listening device for use by visitors with blindness or visual impairments.
The Museum’s commitment to providing accessible and compelling art experiences for all inspired the tactile art exhibition with guidance from sculptor Ann Cunningham, who teaches at the Colorado Center for the Blind and is dedicated to creating stone and metal sculpture intended for touch. Cunningham’s pioneering work in the field of tactile art has led her to research and develop experiential art education practices for individuals with low vision and blindness. Ann’s expertise and passion for inclusive and illuminating art experiences for all helped guide the Woodson Art Museum staff in developing this tactile art exhibition.
The Museum continually strives to provide quality, barrier-free art experiences through programs that enliven and amplify the themes of temporary changing exhibitions and Museum collection exhibitions. Art Beyond Sight, a Woodson Art Museum program implemented in 2006 and since offered quarterly during each changing exhibition, provides multisensory ways for individuals with blindness or low vision to experience the visual arts. The Museum’s tactile exhibition will enable all visitors – sighted and visually impaired – to engage with artworks during each Woodson Art Museum visit.
Complementing the launch of “In Touch with Art,” Cunningham will lead public programs during her Museum residency, March 7-9.
• During Art 101: Tactile Art Survey on Thursday, March 7, 5:30-6:30 pm, learn about the history and evolution of touchable artwork in museums via Cunningham’s presentation.
• Individuals with low vision or blindness join Museum educators and Cunningham during Art Beyond Sight on Saturday, March 9, 10:30 am-Noon, for a guided experience exploring In Touch with Art, followed by hands-on art making. Call the Museum to register for this free program.
• Participate in Tactile Art Introduction on Saturday, March 9, 2-3 pm, when Cunningham and Museum educator Catie Anderson offer for all visitors a guided introduction to In Touch with Art.
In Touch with Art: Tactile Sculpture is generously supported by a grant from the Green Bay Packers Foundation and a Community Enhancement Grant from the Wausau•Marathon County Fund of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin.
Hands-on Programs for All Ages Make Exhibition Connections
Museum programs for all ages will bring to life themes, artistic styles, and techniques from “Cut Up/Cut Out” and the Museum’s collection exhibitions. In Art Park – the Museum’s interactive family gallery – all ages explore layering, cutting, and collaging techniques and hands-on activities, reading, and multisensory play. Also, seek and find “Cut Up/Cut Out” details via the Museum’s free Activity Guide, designed for use by all ages, in the galleries and at home.
Program Highlights
Explore the layers of material and meaning behind artworks cut from paper and array of other intriguing materials during Art 101: Cut Up/Cut Out Gallery Walk, led by Museum educator Catie Anderson, on Wednesday, March 20, 12:15-1 p.m.
During Art 101: IB Art & Artists on Thursday, April 4, 5:30-6:30 p.m., join Wausau East High School Art Department Chair Joel Pataconi and this year’s International Baccalaureate Art Program students as they offer insights into students’ portfolio artwork on view at the Woodson in “exh-IB-ition” through May 12. On Wednesday, April 17, 12:15-1 p.m., Art 101: Student exh-IB-ition Insights, Museum staff discuss their roles – from matting and framing to guiding IB students in preparing artist statements.
Join a worldwide art appreciation effort designed to encourage taking time to view and reflect upon artwork during Slow Art Day: Observe & Converse in the Galleries on Saturday, April 6, Noon-2 p.m. Visit the Museum and linger with a few “Cut Up/Cut Out” artworks of your choosing, Noon-1 pm, and then share your observations with others during a discussion with Museum volunteers, 1-2 p.m. Learn more about selected artworks on view, anytime, by checking out the audio tour and picking up an activity guide, too.
During Book Excavation Sculpture: Teen/Adult Studio Workshop, Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, 10 a.m.-4p.m., participants learn about the book excavation process and its sculptural storytelling potential from Shannon Pueschner, artist and Woodson Art Museum curator of exhibitions. Alternate narratives and clever compositions lie within the pages of a book, ready to be revealed and re-imagined. $50 for members, $75 for nonmembers; materials and lunches provided; for more information and to register, call 715-845-7010.
Book Art Techniques are highlighted in Art 101 programs on Thursday, May 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Wednesday, May 15, 12:15-1 p.m. Learn about the materials and methods artists use to transform books into sculpture. Shannon Pueschner, artist and Woodson Art Museum curator of exhibitions, shares insights from her work in book and paper arts.
“Cut Up/Cut Out” artist and Marathon County native Mark Wagner, whose intricate collages are made entirely from deconstructed U.S. dollars, leads a workshop, gallery walk, and public program during his “The Currency of Collage” artist residency, Saturday and Sunday, May 4 & 5. Wagner slices thousands of bills to create artwork that pointedly and playfully explores the intersection of wealth, power, value, and American identity. He re-imagines this revered icon of American commerce, manipulating the material with virtuosity to depict portraits, plant life, fantastical beasts, and allegorical scenes, recasting George Washington in new roles.
• Cut & Paste: Workshop for Teens & Adults, Saturday, May 4 10 a.m.-5 p.m. – Teens and adults join artist Mark Wagner for a one-day workshop designed to kick-start your collage endeavors with a practical overview of this art form. Emerge with new insights, knowledge, and a half-dozen finished collages of your own. Printed source-materials will be provided; participants also are encouraged to bring paper items whose construction inspires deconstruction. Fee: $35 for members; $50 for non-members; includes materials and lunch. Call 715-845-7010 to register.
• Gallery Walk, Saturday, May 5, 1-2 p.m. – Explore “Cut Up/Cut Out” during a gallery walk with artist Mark Wagner, who will reflect on artworks and offer insights into the various processes utilized by his fellow artists.
• Making Money by Cutting It, Sunday, May 5, 2-3 p.m. – Delve deeper into Mark Wagner’s work with money as he shares a presentation that includes images, a time-lapse collaging video, and the tools of his trade; Q & A session follows.
Creative Economy Week is May 11-18. Support, encourage, and spark creativity with frequent Woodson Art Museum visits – this week and year-round. Celebrating the power, benefits, and impact of the arts and creativity in Wisconsin’s communities, Creative Economy Week coincides with the final day of National Travel and Tourism Week, Wisconsin Museums Week, and culminates with International Museum Day. Stop in to make collage artwork inspired by “Cut Up/ Cut Out” artwork.
During International Museum Day Open Studio, on Saturday, May 18, Noon-5 p.m., drop in to create your own “Cut Up/Cut Out”-inspired postcard collage, celebrating International Museum Day at the Woodson Art Museum; we’ll even mail your postcard for you. Bring friends and family to explore the galleries, sculpture garden, and Art Park, and use the Museum’s audio tour and Activity Guide, too.
Additional Program Highlights
• During Art Park Open Studio on the first Saturday of each month, 1-3 p.m., all ages drop in for hands-on art making inspired by artwork on view in the galleries.
• SPARK! programs for individuals with memory loss and an accompanying friend or family member on the second Thursday of each month, 10:30 a.m.-Noon, offer social interaction in the galleries, followed by a hands-on art activity. Registration opens March 1, call the Museum at 715-845-7010.
• During Toddler Tuesdays on the third Tuesday of each month, 10:30 a.m.-Noon, little ones, 18 months-4 years, and accompanying adults drop in to sample art making and interactive play in Art Park.
• Art Babies, Art Time for Tots, Art 4 You, and Art Kids programs offered during the third full week of March and the last week of April and May; check the online events calendar. Registration opens March 1, call the Museum at 715-845-7010.
For details about these and other programs, check the online events calendar at https://www.lywam.org/events-calendar/.
For more information, visit www.lywam.org, e-mail the Museum at info@lywam.org, call 715-845-7010, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Acknowledgments
“Cut Up/Cut Out” was organized by Carrie Lederer, curator of exhibitions, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California. UMR is the presenting sponsor of “Cut Up/Cut Out.” Educational support for “Cut Up/Cut Out” comes from the Bell Family Charitable Foundation and WoodTrust Bank. Additional educational support comes from Bonnie Kraft.
“In Touch with Art: Tactile Sculpture” support comes from the Green Bay Packers Foundation and a Community Enhancement Grant from the Wausau·Marathon County Fund of the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin.
Support for the Wausau East High School art student “exh-IB-ition” comes from the Clyde F. Schlueter Foundation Fund administered within the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin.
Exhibitions and programs are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Marketing supported in part by City of Wausau Room Tax funds.
Woodson Art Museum Hours
Tues–Fri 9am–4pm
First Thurs of each month (except Sept. 6, 2018) 9am–7:30pm
Thursdays during Birds in Art 9am–7:30pm
Sat–Sun Noon–5pm
Closed Mon & holidays, including New Year’s Day, Easter, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas
Admission: Always Free Admission
Phone: 715.845.7010
Email: info@lywam.org
Location: 700 N. 12th Street (Franklin & 12th Streets), Wausau, Wisconsin 54403-5007
Online: www.lywam.org
