Lists, Notes, and Post-Its . . .

As I write this, the lists, notes, and Post-Its that litter my desk, monitor, and calendar overwhelm me.

The way they lay jumbled in a pile or surrounding my computer screen can make me feel claustrophobic about all the “stuff” going on. But, a part of me also feels better if I write things down – as if the act itself is productive and then I’m for sure not going to forget them. Yeah, right!

It’s not only tasks that I write. Sometimes I write catchy phrases I could use later or affirmations to stay positive (totally from an Oprah episode I tivoed). What really gets me going is when a note includes someone’s name, a date, or a time that I have no recollection of. Sometimes I rewrite completed tasks from a list just so I can put “done checks” next to them – who am I kidding?

If this sounds like a scene from A Beautiful Mind, no need to worry about my mental health! I live with this chaos for a few weeks, until I do a Susan Powter “Stop the Insanity!” I consolidate the lists into one, double check the calendar, figure out what is done, isn’t relevant, or isn’t yet completed. Then I start the fresh list with a completed task, give it a “done check,” and the cycle continues . . . .

A Springtime Tradition

Over the past few days, Wausau has experienced a spate of beautiful weather that gives me hope spring is on the way. Even though winter was relatively mild, I am ready for warmer, sunnier, and longer days.

Another sure sign of spring is the opening of the annual Student Art Exhibition. For thirty-three years, the Woodson Art Museum has celebrated Youth Art Month by featuring an exhibition of artwork created in classrooms from schools in a ninety-mile radius of Wausau. This large geographic area necessitates biennially alternating the grade levels of the participating students. This year the gallery is filled with the artworks of students in grades 9-12.

I estimate nearly 5,000 students from central Wisconsin have exhibited their paintings, sculptures, photographs, weavings, jewelry, and more at the Art Museum. I can’t count the number of times when, in conversation, the mention of where I work prompts this response: “I had an artwork displayed there once.” I know several of those then-budding artists went on to careers in the arts, and I hope the exhibition played some role in encouraging their talents.

Last week, at two receptions honoring the students and their families, I overheard comments ranging from “I am so proud of you. Your painting should be in a museum” to “I only wish I could draw like you.” Without exception, everyone delighted in the variety of works and was amazed by the tremendous talent of the young artists.

Art specialists deserve a resounding round of applause as well. First, they guide students through the challenging process of learning each medium, and then advise them in mounting, matting, and framing their work – the important finishing steps before artworks go public. I can only imagine the daily joys and frustrations they must experience. The Student Art Exhibition honors their dedication as well.

Rather than highlight any specific works, I’m sharing gallery photographs to encourage a visit to the Museum. The exhibition closes March 28th so you have only eleven days remaining to enjoy the Student Art Exhibition, a springtime favorite. I look forward to hearing your impressions.

Snow Sculpture: Six Minutes Flat!

The Dog that Stole My Heart

Meet Rayven, our Irish Terrier.

I thought my dog-owner days were over. I grew up with a Miniature Schnauzer, and we continued with this breed as newlyweds and again when our children were young. When the second Miniature Schnauzer died and our daughters went off to college, the idea of again having a dog seemed impractical.

But over time my husband thought otherwise and so began our quest for the perfect Irish Terrier. If I harbored any uncertainties about dog ownership after children, Rayven caused such concerns to vanish. In fact, she stole my heart.

I’ve become a dog lover all over again: eager to go for pre-dawn walks; keen to talk about her antics; and even an Animal Planet devotee.

As a dog lover, I’m not alone at the Woodson Art Museum. Almost all my co-workers have – or had – four-legged friends. Photos of Parker, Angel, Iggie, Max, and Dexter fill office bulletin boards and tales of pet exploits are shared over lunch.

It should come as no surprise then that we leapt at the opportunity to schedule a dog-focused exhibition for the Museum this spring. And, one project led to another and another. Elliott Erwitt: Dog Dogs will be joined by Canine Beauties: Sleeping or Otherwise and a four-day residency with dog-portrait photographer Butch McCartney in mid-May.

All dog lovers can get in on the action, too, by submitting snapshots of your favorite dog dressed as a storybook character for Once Upon a Paw, a photo contest. Look for details in the newspaper and on the Museum’s website soon.

Let others see the dog that stole your heart in Once Upon a Paw on view at the Woodson from April 17 through June 20.

Update to February 25 Blog -- 2010 Snow Sculpture: Six Minutes Flat!

The Woodson Art Museum’s twenty-year snow sculpture tradition continued in 2010 with Team USA’s rendition of the 2,000 year-old Colima Seated Ball Player featured in “Las Artes de Mexico.”

Sculptors Tom Queoff, Mike Martino, and Mike Sponholtz spent close to twenty hours transforming a ten-foot by eight-foot compacted block of snow into the oversized Ball Player.

While Team USA thrives in sub-freezing temperatures, most spectators prefer to drive by until the sculpture is completed.

Thanks to Charter Communications and the editing skills of their production team, who worked with more than fourteen hours of video taken by Woodson intern Matt Foss, you can now watch the creation of the snow sculpture from start to finish in only six minutes.

That’s right, just six minutes. Think Charlie Chaplin and Busby Berkeley work in snow!

To view the film, Charter customers simply turn to Channel 1 (Charter On Demand), choose “I Want More” and “Education,” and select Snow Sculpture.

You won’t be disappointed.


PS. Let us hear from you, too, with your reactions to the film and to the 2010 Snow Sculpture. You may post a comment here, post one on our Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wausau-WI/Leigh-Yawkey-Woodson-Art-Museum-of-Wausau/28107788747, or send a message using the “Contact Us” button on the Museum’s website at www.lywam.org/.

The Common Thread

Recently a student from UWMC, a museum volunteer, met with Woodson Art Museum staff to find out if a museum career was something she wanted to pursue. Over the years I’ve met with many students interested in museum careers. A FAQ is “What strengths are needed to pursue a career as a museum educator?” I can’t offer a canned answer because so many variables influence why or how each individual pursues a career. What I can give is an example of one great strength required: the ability to find and make connections between objects and viewers. This may sound simple, but if someone placed Shrek and a dog in front of you and asked you to create programs that relate and strengthen your understanding of each, what programs would you formulate?

I’ve been making connections between viewers and objects for ten years now. The Woodson Art Museum changes exhibitions five times each year. You can do the math. The most challenging situation is when three exhibitions take up residence in the galleries concurrently versus other times when only one exhibition is featured. Rather than create connections for objects having a common theme, I need to develop ways to connect all three exhibitions and then present them as a whole. Finding a common thread is the key to making connections.

Program planning for each new exhibition is an invigorating part of my job. Why? Maybe it’s the way museum educators’ brains are hardwired. Yesterday I was reminded that my son, as a freshman, would be reading The Odyssey. Today I saw a single gray hair sticking up from my part and a thought passed through my mind . . . “If I pull this gray hair out, will two grow back like Hydra?” Do you see the connection? These connections are everywhere; it’s a matter of building upon the known and bridging it to the unknown. The stronger the bridges I can create, the greater the success we’ll achieve in public perception and understanding of the exhibitions on view.

If you’re interested in finding out how Shrek and a dog relate, visit the Woodson Art Museum between April 17 and June 20 to see three exhibitions: William Steig: The Man Who Never Grew Up, Elliott Erwitt: Dog Dogs, and Canine Beauties: Sleeping or Otherwise. Visit www.lywam.org to learn about public programs that complement every exhibition.