Tag Archives: Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
Best Indoor Birdwatching
Posted on October 01, 2014
What secret sauce whets someone’s appetite to pursue a passion for art, birding, or both? Maybe it starts when a child assembles and customizes a birding journal cover. Perhaps it continues through careful observation while sketching basic body shapes and then characteristic details of crest, mask, or beak – all while seated in Woodson Art Museum galleries or on a tree stump in the field.
Internship Surprises
Posted on September 24, 2014
As I flip through carbon copies of old, typewritten letters, I am in awe. Why are these letters – among hundreds – part of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s collection? The correspondence between artist Don Richard Eckelberry and his many friends and colleagues accompanies thousands of the artist’s watercolors and sketches, thanks to the bequest of the late artist’s wife. One of my first internship projects is to help preserve these letters written throughout the early years of World War II until 2001. I’m pleasantly surprised to be working with such important, historical items in addition to artwork.
Help SPARK! Solutions
Posted on September 17, 2014
Sunday afternoon’s SPARK! program for individuals with memory loss and their care partners at the Woodson Art Museum, September 21, 1-2:30 pm, fittingly follows Saturday’s nationwide walk to raise awareness for Alzheimer's care, support, and research.
I continually witness sensory-rich, interactive SPARK! programs at the Woodson break through and ease the isolation and depression that those with dementia often experience. SPARK! participants gather to view artwork and engage in related multisensory activities that incorporate movement, music, scent, and tactile objects. During a recent visit, one participant rose from his wheelchair to dance with me, displaying deft footwork! Subsequent group discussions and hands-on art making often evoke reminiscing, laughter, and feelings of belonging.
Barry’s Bobolink: In the Field with a Master Artist
Posted on September 10, 2014
The whole bird vibrates. Side-lit by sun, a bobolink spills song across new meadow grass on old farmland in Westminster, Massachusetts in May. Notes vector out from half a head of open beak and half a buffy helmet, aquiver with sound. With wing-pumping, reverse-tuxedo verve, this bird makes “going out on a limb” look good.
I am in the field with my teacher, Barry Van Dusen, in mid-spring – out early in the day, out ready in the field where things are just beginning. It’s my first bobolink. And I’m completely happy.
Family Fest Feathers Nests
Posted on August 20, 2014
A friend with young children thinks, at this stage of summer, that my impending “empty-nest” life stage sounds like a slice of heaven. Our youngest child flies the coop for college in just eight short days. As for my harried-mom friend, she’d like to be the one to fly over the cuckoo’s nest.
I well recall that for young families, mid-August often can be a limbo land of loose ends. Children get restless with the more slack summer routine and are overflowing with anxious energy about returning to fall classrooms. The resulting behavior can be enough to drive even the most patient parents bonkers. When my own kids started bouncing around the room like Ping-Pong balls, I sought out a change of venue with family-friendly activities. Parents, as a wall-crawling alternative, here’s a suggestion that you’re sure to enjoy, too: drop in, 9am-4 pm, today and tomorrow for Family Fest at the Woodson Art Museum.
Special Delivery
Posted on July 30, 2014
Preparations for this year’s Birds in Art exhibition are well underway. We continue to receive a steady flow of artwork with over half of the 126 paintings, drawings and sculpture safely unpacked, stored in a Woodson Art Museum vault, and ready for installation in our galleries.
Coming from an international cast of artists, artworks are shipped from all over the world.
I’ll Have a Pabst Blue Ribbon-Tailed Astrapia
Posted on July 23, 2014
Believe it or not, the Woodson Art Museum’s flagship exhibition, Birds in Art, is just around the corner. In preparation, the Museum is looking into potential marketing opportunities to heighten awareness of the exhibition and honor the great work of the artists in the 2014 edition.
Inspired by recent projects undertaken by other museums, staff talked about partnering with local microbreweries to develop a craft beer with a Birds in Art theme. It is an intriguing idea and could be mutually beneficial for the Museum and the brewery. We’ve been kicking around possible names of the potential brew, and I personally have taken charge of this task and also volunteered my services for future taste testing.
Merit Badges, Just for Fun
Posted on July 09, 2014
Whether or not you’ve ever toasted marshmallows or swapped ghost stories around a campfire, the idea of summer camp simply says “vacation.”
“Fun has its merits.” That’s the tagline for Camp Wisconsin, the Department of Tourism’s theme encouraging people to explore the state this summer, earning digital scouting-inspired merit badges along the way.
After downloading the Travel Wisconsin mobile app, travelers can earn thirteen digital Brag Badges at hundreds of locations across the state – including the Woodson Art Museum.
Permission to Play
Posted on June 25, 2014
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to play? Last Thursday evening, during the preview for the Purely Prints exhibitions, Woodson Art Museum members took a moment to play, engaging in a fun printmaking process.
One of my favorite printing methods that I’ve used for over a decade with children now has found its way into the adult realm. Who could resist a pan filled with shaving cream and some colorful drops of food coloring? Resembling a white frosted cake with sprinkles, it’s calorie free and releases your creativity.
Rear Windows
Posted on June 18, 2014
Last summer, my wife and I went on a date to an outdoor showing of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window. For those who haven’t seen it, I briefly will summarize: Jimmy Stewart is temporarily in a wheelchair and watches his neighbors to pass the time. He sees something suspicious and tries to solve the mystery, all while keeping the ravishing and elegant Grace Kelly (who is madly in love with him) at bay.
