Tag Archives: Permanent collection
The Everyday Exceptional
Posted on January 18, 2023
For artist Martin Johnson Heade, knowing nature was the promise of knowing oneself. Read how his take on landscape painting differed from his friend and fellow painter Frederic Edwin Church and featured the poetic everyday scene.
Morning at Mud Lake
Posted on December 14, 2022
It was 4:30 am and the full moon shone above the frozen lake. While taking our black lab, Bella, for her morning walk through the woods it was calm, clear, and silent, save for the sounds of our steps crunching across the icy snow.
Making Visual Connections
Posted on November 30, 2022
Whether in Wausau or Philadelphia, enjoy these image pairings as a "sneak peek" into the visual connections I saw between French artist Henri Matisse and Wisconsin artist Ruth Grotenrath!
Leonora Carrington’s Celtic Garden
Posted on October 12, 2022
Artist Leonora Carrington’s enduring interest in myth created a unique approach to the frequently seen Surrealist subjects of things like dreams, visions, and the shamanistic presence of animals within them. Recently acquired by the Woodson Art Museum, Carrington’s The Saints of Hampstead Heath, 1997, showcases these tendencies.
A Burchfield Backstory
Posted on March 30, 2022
Recently acquired by the Woodson Art Museum, American artist Charles Burchfield’s large-scale watercolor, Brooding Bird, radiates the power of nature: calligraphic strokes describe vibrating, leafless trees at the horizon line.
In-Between Times & Possibilities
Posted on November 24, 2021
When I first visited the Woodson Art Museum in September to interview for the curator of collections position, I was struck by John Felsing’s Ghost in the Twilight, now on view in the Avian Celebrations exhibition.
A Few of My Favorite Things
Posted on July 28, 2021
I’ve been asked hundreds of times what my favorite artwork is in the Woodson Art Museum collection. My answer always centered on a question: do you have a favorite child?
What I do have are memories, including my first impressions of a work and the stories I conceive in my mind while standing before a work; I’ve always had a great imagination. Many factors influence my opinion of each artwork.
When Cranes Call, You Answer
Posted on June 10, 2020
Alright, fine; I can’t communicate with cranes. When I say “cranes,” I mean people who work with cranes, which is close enough for me when it comes to blog titles.
The crane-loving colleagues of whom I speak are none other than dedicated staff members at the International Crane Foundation.
Art of the Hunt
Posted on June 03, 2020
It’s not a secret; I love working at the Woodson Art Museum. What’s not to love? Each day I’m with fabulous colleagues, in a beautiful facility, surrounded by stunning artworks. Working with the Museum’s collection of thousands of historic and contemporary paintings, works on paper, and sculpture throughout forty years, I’ve curated more than 100 exhibitions.
Where do I get the themes and how do I choose the artworks? That’s the challenge and joy. Rather than a recipe, it’s more like a jig-saw puzzle. The exhibition idea “picture” is there; getting the pieces in the right place is the goal.
Collection Virtual Views
Posted on April 01, 2020
My heart cracked a bit last week after reading Wisconsin Governor Evers’ “Safer at Home” order effective through April 24. I hope Covid-19 is controlled soon.
As for so many others, my routine is no longer, well, routine. I’m all about the comfort of sameness and control, yet that is gone. I know it’s for the best, but the uncertainty is testing me and all of us.
So, what can I share via this blog? The Woodson Art Museum is closed, staff are working from home, and the galleries are filled with dozens of beautiful artworks with stories to tell. Yet the joy of viewing them is available only online now.
