“Time” has always been abstract for me. It’s deadlines that get my attention and motivate me to action. 
Since March and our collective awareness of the gravity of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, I have been acutely aware of time.
At the Woodson Art Museum, we marked the days, weeks, and months with decisions that would have been previously unimaginable:
• Closing the Museum for twelve weeks and leaving the fabulous exhibition of nineteenth-century French posters, L’Affichomania, “available” only via video links
• Determining that the health and safety of staff, artists, members, and visitors required the suspension of Birds in Art opening festivities, although our commitment to the exhibition was resolute
• Re-opening the Museum with a commitment to the health and safety of all visitors as well as our staff and volunteers
• Eliminating touchable interactives, yet continuing to spark creativity in Art Park and through complementary – and complimentary – Art Kits
Time and timing seem over-arching themes as I look back on the past six months and also look ahead.
Birds in Art 2020 – the 45th edition of the Museum’s flagship exhibition – is now open, two- and three-dimensional artworks by 114 worldwide artists elegantly presented in a socially distanced fashion. Visitors are immersing themselves not only in the joyful and uplifting power of art, but also in the beauty of nature and avian life that are hallmarks of Birds in Art.
With the blink of any eye, we’re mindful that Birds in Art remains on view “only” through Sunday, November 29.
Don’t let time slip away this fall. Make plans to visit the Woodson Art Museum and Birds in Art . . . or make a virtual visit to our galleries through videos highlighted by artist-voices. You can revel in the artistry on view throughout the Woodson Art Museum’s galleries and grounds, and time can seem irrelevant.
