Museum Is Honored to Honor Veterans' Spouses

A friend calls tears “liquid love.”

I certainly found myself welling up several times Monday during the second Honor Flight luncheon the Woodson Art Museum has hosted for the spouses of veterans traveling and touring war memorials in Washington DC.

What an emotion-saturated day it must be for these couples. A packed itinerary bracketed by a 6:30 am departure and 9:30 pm return flight would be a full day for anyone. Imagine what it must’ve been like for Arline Baughman, 93, whose husband is 94. She said the day brought back many memories of parting with her husband when their son was two-weeks old and their time apart early in their 72-year marriage.

Yet the three hours visiting with one another during lunch, touring the NASA | ART exhibition on view, and creating lunar landscape artwork were marked mainly by laughter.

And that’s the goal – for them to set aside any cares for a few hours and enjoy a relaxing gallery experience.

Several spouses created lasting memories in the company of their daughters or other family members. Others got acquainted with the Never Forgotten Honor Flight and Museum volunteers who joined each table and led clusters of women on informal tours to see space-related artworks.

I wonder if some pondered the parallels between spouses seeing astronauts off into space and husbands off to war. If they did, they chose not to dwell on those thoughts in casual conversation. Perhaps they preferred to wait until spouses were home, safe and sound.

What a privilege it is to honor these spouses who sacrificed much while their partners were away, yet who reflect on that time and exhibit humor, grace, and amazingly dry eyes.

Accessibility at the Woodson Art Museum

Individuals who are blind or visually impaired want the same things from art museum visits as other visitors. They want places to interact socially, learn about art history, and meet artists and learn about processes. They also want to enjoy their surroundings. This was the message gleaned from five guests, who are visually impaired, invited to a discussion session on Monday.


The Woodson Art Museum wants to exceed the expectations of all of its visitors and continually reassess how to improve, grow, and share our passion for the arts and for making art accessible for everyone.


For those who are blind or visually impaired, visual arts experiences are enhanced through Art Beyond Sight programs at the Woodson Art Museum. Art Beyond Sight is a collaborative effort coordinated by Art Education for the Blind, Inc., which provides resources and support materials. As an institutional partner, the Woodson supports the Art Beyond Sight mission to create greater accessibility and diversity in art museum programs.

Discussion participants who convened on Monday helped us understand what elements of a museum experience are important, what encourages repeat visits, and what might discourage future visits.


The assembled group informed us that the Woodson Art Museum is on the right track; the main hurdle for visitors who are visually impaired is transportation. Limited public transportation makes it hard for many to visit, despite free admission and program opportunities at the Woodson. The closest bus stop is several blocks away and buses run only twice a day. The group remained positive, though, saying they’d find ways to attend programs they know about far enough in advance.


What can visitors expect from an Art Beyond Sight program?

On March 17, the program focused on the Dinotopia exhibition. I read aloud from a Dinotopia book, and we listened to sounds of waterfalls, ocean waves, and parade music in the gallery. We passed around an aged book to feel its tender binding and soft, worn pages, and we shared stories of traveling to the ocean and discussed parades and feeling the vibrations from approaching drums.


Participants then moved to the classroom to explore fossils. Dave Daniels, of Colossal Fossils, passed around twenty fossils and shared information about each one. I led a casting project using clay and plaster. Dave gave everyone a shark tooth fossil to take home along with the fossil cast each had made. The feedback was extremely positive.


Improving and growing – that’s what education and learning are all about. We’re grateful for the information shared by participants on Monday and determined to implement their suggestions to enhance Art Beyond Sight programs at the Woodson Art Museum.

Shop on Line; Help the Museum's Bottom Line

By Mary Borowski
Business Manager, Mary Borowski here, offering my first guest-blog post. As you might expect, I have a finance-related tip.

With Mother’s Day, graduation, and Father’s Day gift giving on the horizon, I can suggest a great way to shop and help the Woodson Art Museum, too.

Online shopping has become a way of life today. In 2012, an estimated 42% of Americans will shop online.

Here’s how you can make a difference for the Woodson Art Museum, while shopping online for gifts, travel, art supplies, clothing, and more.

Visit the Shop for Museums website first when shopping online. Using it as a portal to participating vendors’ websites ensures the Museum receives a percentage of each purchase.

Follow these easy steps:
1. Go to www.ShopforMuseums.com, and shop as a registered or guest user.
2. Select Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum from the Museum Partner list, found via the tab or search box.
3. Select a vendor or category to begin shopping. The rest is automatic! After you make a purchase, depending on the retailer, the Museum receives between .5 and 8 percent of each purchase.

For a quick overview of ShopforMuseums.com, watch this video:
http://www.shopformuseums.com/PatronTutorial.aspx

Using the Shop for Museums website is an easy way to benefit the Woodson Art Museum.

Please spread the word and the website link to friends and family and happy shopping online!

Crystal Clear at Crystal Bridges

For many months, I have looked forward to my visit to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, along with a group of Woodson Art Museum members.

This eagerly awaited visit occurred last Thursday, March 29, and in a word, it was awesome!

Without exception, my Crystal Bridges experiences exceeded my expectations . . . and I had set the bar high.

The Setting: it’s indescribably beautiful, as though the landscape existed to embrace the structures. The dogwoods, azaleas, and other flowering trees and shrubs were in full bloom, lending a magical vividness to the scenery.

The Welcome: Crystal Bridges Director Don Bacigalupi took time from his busy schedule to welcome our group. How special is that?! His introduction was gracious and heartfelt and greatly appreciated by all.

The Tour: Curator of American Art Kevin Murphy was our guide. His insights into the collection as well as installation nuances were eye openers that made this introductory tour exceptional.

The Collection: where to begin? From the Levy-Franks Colonial portraits and the Martin Johnson Heade “Gems of Brazil” – twelve of them! – to Asher B. Durand's Kindred Spirits and from a remarkable array of Marsden Hartley’s work to Claes Oldenburg’s Alphabet/Good Humor and Tom Uttech's Enassamishhinjijweian, every gallery provided an exceptional treat.

 
The Architecture: Moshe Safdie embraced the site and created a series of brilliant, connected structures that are intimate and serene as well as light-filled and exuberant. The materials are lush and sumptuous, providing a glorious, inviting environment in which to experience art.

The Grounds: beckoning trails encourage wandering that appeals to most all the senses. The sights, sounds, and smells create lasting impressions of native landscaping and thoughtfully sited sculpture.

In short, run – don’t walk and don’t wait – to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art!