WAUSAU, WISCONSIN: The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is one of 150 not-for-profit organizations nationwide and the only Wisconsin organization beyond Milwaukee to receive an NEA Challenge America Fast-Track grant, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Senior Deputy Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced this week.
The Woodson Art Museum is recommended for a $10,000 grant to support the “ReDress: Upcycled Style” exhibition, April 12 – June 15, 2014, and associated outreach activities. The exhibition features the work of artist, fashion designer, and environmental educator Nancy Judd, who uses recycled materials to create vibrant couture fashion – a dynamic approach to raising awareness about potential uses for typically discarded items.
“Over the years my message has expanded from recycling and waste reduction to broader issues around sustainability and climate change,” says Nancy Judd. “A pretty dress is a surprisingly effective way of engaging people in thinking about issues.”
Judd’s four-day Woodson Art Museum residency, “From Garbage to Gucci,” May 1-4, 2014, will include a variety of programs encompassing a public lecture about her work; workshop for art educators; hands-on workshop for families; trash-fashion “trashion” show; and “ReDress: Upcycled Style” gallery walk.
The Challenge America Fast-Track category offers $10,000 matching grants to support projects that extend the reach of the arts to populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
The Woodson Art Museum serves the surrounding 15 counties, and for those in its 90-mile radius, the Woodson is likely the first – and often the only – art museum residents will visit. The “From Garbage to Gucci” artist residency programs are developed to highlight fashion design as an art form and raise awareness about environmental concerns that can be addressed through creative upcycling.
“We’re confident the project is an excellent introduction to how the arts can enliven our community, while also imparting an essential environmental stewardship message,” said Woodson Art Museum director Kathy Kelsey Foley. “Nancy Judd’s art is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provokes thoughtful conversation about the world around us and what we use and discard daily.”
The Woodson Art Museum, best-known for its internationally acclaimed “Birds in Art” exhibition presented each fall, offers diverse, changing exhibitions and enriching educational programs and events for all year-round.
With its commitment to always-free admission, the Woodson Art Museum serves north central as a barrier-free cultural attraction and community art education resource.
“The NEA was founded on the principle that the arts belong to all the people of the United States,” said NEA Senior Deputy Chairman Joan Shigekawa. “We’re proud that Challenge America Fast-Track grants bring more opportunities for arts engagement to rural communities.”
In this FY 2014 funding round, the NEA received 294 eligible Challenge America Fast-Track applications requesting $2.94 million in funding. The NEA will award 150 Challenge America Fast-Track grants totaling $1.5 million to organizations in 46 states.
Woodson Art Museum
Hours: Tues–Fri 9am–4pm
First Thurs of each month 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
After hours press inquiries: 715.298.2901
Email: museum@lywam.org
Location: Franklin and 12th Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin 54403-5007
(700 N. 12th Street)
Online: www.lywam.org
