It is the day before Thanksgiving and I find myself reflecting on what I am most thankful for in my life. I am most thankful for shared moments of joy. They happen everyday and connect all of us in an undefined way. A moment of joy is hard to define, but it happens when something small done by you or another brings a smile to your face and laughter to your heart.
At home with my family shared moments of joy are plentiful. A good morning hug, a thought or word spoken at the same time, a joke shared, a story told about a day at work or school, or a grateful smile for just being you.
Throughout the day at the Woodson Art Museum, a shared moment of joy can be showing up at work dressed the same as a colleague and agreeing that great minds think alike. A group of colleagues wishing someone a happy birthday in a special way that brings joy to everyone involved. A smile shared with someone I know or a stranger I pass in the gallery. A child discovers something in Art Park and his or her unguarded laughter warms the heart. The look a parent shares with their child as they work together on an art project during Toddler Tuesday. The pride children have as they tell me about the artwork they created during an Art Buddies program. Witnessing the outright laughter and joy as a group of kindergarten children are introduced to freeform chenille stem sculpture.
I am thankful for having the ability to find joy in small moments and the wisdom to know these moments add up to a lifetime of happiness. I thank those who have touched my life because they have created enough moments of joy to cushion some of life’s disappointments. As I reflect on my experiences, I realize life doesn’t need to be perfect to be truly joyous.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Birds in Art: The Sun Never Sets
The 2008 Birds in Art exhibition closed on November 9 and after a week of installing four new exhibitions, I’m now busy preparing crates for the year-long four-venue tour. This year’s exhibition will travel to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, California, February 15 – April 18, 2009; the Frank H. McClung Museum at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, May 8 – August 16, 2009; Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Vermont, September 5 – October 12, 2009; and the Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, November 14 – December 31, 2009. The artworks then return to the Woodson Art Museum for unpacking, a condition check, and repacking for shipment back to the artist or lender.
While I work on crating details, my colleague Jane Weinke prepares a condition report binder with images, a description of the condition of each work, and space for each venue to record the subsequent incoming and outgoing condition. We also share an exhibition checklist, a list of frame sizes and sculpture dimensions as well as recommended pedestal sizes to best display the sculptures.
The touring Birds in Art exhibition consists of 60 artworks, 50 two-dimensional and 10 three-dimensional works. A more manageable size than the 126 or so works presented at the Woodson, the touring exhibition requires 2000 square feet of gallery space.
While some of us are working on the tour, others are already focusing on next year’s Birds in Art. In fact, office manager Shari Schroeder has already posted the 2009 prospectus on the Museum’s web site. The prospectus also has been mailed to artists who do not have internet access. The prospectus provides all of the information an artist needs to submit artworks for jury consideration. Before we know it, entries will begin to arrive in anticipation of the April 15 postmark deadline. The jury convenes in May and Birds in Art 2009 quickly begins to take shape.
While I work on crating details, my colleague Jane Weinke prepares a condition report binder with images, a description of the condition of each work, and space for each venue to record the subsequent incoming and outgoing condition. We also share an exhibition checklist, a list of frame sizes and sculpture dimensions as well as recommended pedestal sizes to best display the sculptures.
The touring Birds in Art exhibition consists of 60 artworks, 50 two-dimensional and 10 three-dimensional works. A more manageable size than the 126 or so works presented at the Woodson, the touring exhibition requires 2000 square feet of gallery space.
While some of us are working on the tour, others are already focusing on next year’s Birds in Art. In fact, office manager Shari Schroeder has already posted the 2009 prospectus on the Museum’s web site. The prospectus also has been mailed to artists who do not have internet access. The prospectus provides all of the information an artist needs to submit artworks for jury consideration. Before we know it, entries will begin to arrive in anticipation of the April 15 postmark deadline. The jury convenes in May and Birds in Art 2009 quickly begins to take shape.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Visitors Comment
I have a secret vice. I love reading the notes that visitors jot down and post on our Comment Board before they depart the Woodson Art Museum. Their observations and remarks range from complimentary to curious to compelling. With Birds in Art having just ended on Sunday, this is a great time to review some visitor feedback.
Naturally, compliments are my favorite. B & J from Rockford, Illinois, wrote, “First visit—and we are just overwhelmed with the beauty. Thank you.” Annie from Minneapolis noted, “Some of the written commentary was simply poetic.” Shelley described master artist Jim Morgan’s work as “an eye feast.” Talk about poetic! Another visitor said, “The show is enjoyable each and every year we come…20 in a row so far.”
We received left-handed compliments like “Way better than I expected,” the tongue-in-cheek suggestion to “Get more birds,” and the right-to-the-point observation “Nice tire recycling” (referencing Karen Bondarchuk’s sculpture Corvus Deflatus).
A number of visitors revealed how they got hooked on Birds in Art originally, which I found especially appealing. Two of my favorites are Mark and Nancy who came here when they were first dating 25 years ago and have been back each year since, and an anonymous visitor who wrote “My high school environmental science teacher brought us here in 1977. I haven’t missed a year since, though I had to come from Milwaukee or Madison. Love this show.” And we love your teacher for introducing you to the exhibition!
Sometimes comments are curious and leave me wanting to know the rest of the story. “First visit, first kiss, both awe inspiring.” Sounds like the first line of the great American romance novel. Tell me more!
Visitors who responded to specific artworks or their overall Birds in Art experience revealed compelling insights that deepen my own response to the exhibition. One person commented that “I am enlightened by the artists’ use of light in so many of the pieces,” while another referenced how reading Ross Matteson’s statement made his sculpture Peace on the Border so much more meaningful. Frank from Oshkosh noted he’s been coming for 20+ years “of exceedingly great enjoyment and every visit continues to challenge the mind in a feeble effort to appreciate the creativity on exhibit.”
Now that my secret vice isn’t a secret anymore, I’ll share my two all-time favorite comments—both posted above my desk and called to mind on dark winter mornings when I want to roll over and go back to sleep: “Why did it take us so long to visit this wonderful place?” and “Thanks for all the art over all the years. You’ve enriched our community greatly.”
Up and at 'em, Marcia!
Naturally, compliments are my favorite. B & J from Rockford, Illinois, wrote, “First visit—and we are just overwhelmed with the beauty. Thank you.” Annie from Minneapolis noted, “Some of the written commentary was simply poetic.” Shelley described master artist Jim Morgan’s work as “an eye feast.” Talk about poetic! Another visitor said, “The show is enjoyable each and every year we come…20 in a row so far.”
We received left-handed compliments like “Way better than I expected,” the tongue-in-cheek suggestion to “Get more birds,” and the right-to-the-point observation “Nice tire recycling” (referencing Karen Bondarchuk’s sculpture Corvus Deflatus).
A number of visitors revealed how they got hooked on Birds in Art originally, which I found especially appealing. Two of my favorites are Mark and Nancy who came here when they were first dating 25 years ago and have been back each year since, and an anonymous visitor who wrote “My high school environmental science teacher brought us here in 1977. I haven’t missed a year since, though I had to come from Milwaukee or Madison. Love this show.” And we love your teacher for introducing you to the exhibition!
Sometimes comments are curious and leave me wanting to know the rest of the story. “First visit, first kiss, both awe inspiring.” Sounds like the first line of the great American romance novel. Tell me more!
Visitors who responded to specific artworks or their overall Birds in Art experience revealed compelling insights that deepen my own response to the exhibition. One person commented that “I am enlightened by the artists’ use of light in so many of the pieces,” while another referenced how reading Ross Matteson’s statement made his sculpture Peace on the Border so much more meaningful. Frank from Oshkosh noted he’s been coming for 20+ years “of exceedingly great enjoyment and every visit continues to challenge the mind in a feeble effort to appreciate the creativity on exhibit.”
Now that my secret vice isn’t a secret anymore, I’ll share my two all-time favorite comments—both posted above my desk and called to mind on dark winter mornings when I want to roll over and go back to sleep: “Why did it take us so long to visit this wonderful place?” and “Thanks for all the art over all the years. You’ve enriched our community greatly.”
Up and at 'em, Marcia!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Visual Velcro
I love this phrase. I wish I came up with it myself. It describes that “gravitational pull” some artworks have. You know it when you see it. Even when preparing for an exhibition’s opening and subsequent docent training, I know the feeling.
Some artworks just pull, like Walt Matia’s piece, Molly is a Working Girl featured in the 2007 Birds in Art exhibition. Over the course of the exhibition, we received dozens of thank you notes from students and many of them had images of Molly. Molly had Visual Velcro. She stuck with those students longer than they were here, perhaps even for days after they returned to their classrooms, and what surprised me the most, was how well they remembered Molly and drew her.
I wonder what Birds in Art artworks will have Visual Velcro this year? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Which artworks connect to you with Visual Velcro?
*Remember, Visual Velcro is what we’re after, not Visual Teflon!
Some artworks just pull, like Walt Matia’s piece, Molly is a Working Girl featured in the 2007 Birds in Art exhibition. Over the course of the exhibition, we received dozens of thank you notes from students and many of them had images of Molly. Molly had Visual Velcro. She stuck with those students longer than they were here, perhaps even for days after they returned to their classrooms, and what surprised me the most, was how well they remembered Molly and drew her.
I wonder what Birds in Art artworks will have Visual Velcro this year? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Which artworks connect to you with Visual Velcro?
*Remember, Visual Velcro is what we’re after, not Visual Teflon!
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