Temporary Walls; Worth the Wait

by Matt Foss, project coordinator
We at the Woodson Art Museum don’t like barriers. Let me clarify. Our director, Kathy Foley doesn’t like barriers. Me, I love a good barrier. I’m enthralled by partitions, have a slight crush on hedgerows, and I adore a good blockade. It’s a good thing that I don’t call the shots here. If I did, the results of our current construction project probably would have the Museum looking like the giant garden maze in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

Jack Nicholson surveying garden maze in "The Shining."

Luckily for everyone, the Museum director and curators make the decisions. They’ve carefully examined our existing building and finalized renovation plans to improve visitors’ experiences in the main entrance, at the Visitor Services desk, and in Art Park, the Museum’s interactive gallery in the lower level.

Temporary wall in Art Park hints at good things to come.

At the Woodson Art Museum, we’re always striving to improve, and this project targets opportunities to better serve visitor needs, regulate the climate in some areas, and enhance public engagement with artwork on view. All three outcomes are critical to maintaining a world-class art museum.

Once again, the Woodson is partnering with local design/build firm The Samuels Group. They continue to be a receptive partner, listening to our ideas, creating appropriate plans, and beginning renovation work with enthusiasm and a keen attention to detail.

During the next few months, visitors will encounter some detours en route to the galleries and a few barriers in front of familiar spaces. Rest assured that good work is happening behind those walls and that most of the barriers are only temporary. We’re confident the end result will improve your Woodson Art Museum experience “forever, and ever, and ever.”

Creepy twins from "The Shining."

Teens Join the Fold

by curator of education Jayna Hintz

Area teens involved in this third year of the Woodson Art Museum’s Teen Art Council (TAC) have been busy planning programs for teens by teens. This Friday, March 22, 6-8:30 pm, teens are invited to the Museum to learn origami-folding techniques.

Area origami enthusiasts, Roger Zimmermann, Michael Schneider, and Roman Baca will teach a variety of folded-paper forms. Teens also explore another paper artistry technique – papier-mâché.

TAC events bring together teens from area high schools who share a common interest in art – viewing art, creating art, discussing art – fun, hands-on events just for teens! Did I mention the music and food? TAC selects the music and menu, and those attending reap the benefits.

TAC is on a roll, hosting two more events at the Museum before the end of the school year. During Steamroller Printing, May 4, Noon-5 pm, artist Sherrie York will direct the oversized printing – via a steamroller in the Museum parking lot. More than 100 area high school students are creating 30” x 48” woodcuts. You can witness the creative process and show your support for the artists; the combination of food, music, art, artists, and a steamroller makes for a recipe for a perfect Saturday in May.

Don’t miss TAC’s second Teen Mystery Party, Friday, May 10, 7-9 pm. Teens are invited to bring friends to solve a mystery that unfolds during a mock art auction. TAC has planned a thrilling night of food, music, and sleuthing.

TAC members do more than attend monthly meetings and plan events; recently they created a collaborative artwork and attended the Color Me Beautiful silent auction held by two organizations raising funds to support research for cancer and chromosome disorders.

TAC members also have plans to once again design and build a river-worthy craft and race it in the United Way’s Big Green Derby, June 8, at Oak Island Park.

After a summer break, TAC resumes monthly meetings in September. Do you know someone interested in becoming a TAC member? Attend upcoming events, email me at jhintz@lywam.org, or call 715.845.7010 and ask for Jayna Hintz.

Paper Cuts with Calvin Nicholls

by Andy McGivern, curator of exhibitions

If you follow the Woodson Art Museum’s social media, you’ve seen Facebook and Twitter posts, photos, and links to news coverage of Canadian artist Calvin Nicholls’ weeklong residency that concluded Saturday.

Calivin is a sculptor who makes low-relief sculptures by cutting out shapes of paper, forming them, and gluing the pieces together to create visually stunning sculptures with wonderful textures presented in shadowbox frames.

During the week, he led many central Wisconsin school groups during their Woodson Art Museum visits, and on Thursday evening he gave an Art History 101 presentation followed by a hands-on project in which Calvin guided participants in making a paper owl.

About 90 visitors flocked to the program, so I filmed Nicholls’ demonstration and projected it on a screen behind him so the audience in the back could see. Here are three video segments of Calvin’s presentation and two clips of the artist demonstrating how he makes his sculptures. Enjoy!

Triple Score

by Kathy Kelsey Foley, director

I made a quick trip to the Land of Lincoln last week. Not Springfield, Illinois (a favorite destination of mine; the Illinois State Museum and Lincoln Presidential Museum are not to be missed!) . . . Washington, D.C., also a great destination that’s home to some of our nation’s superb and dynamic museums.

The reason for my visit was to participate in the American Alliance of Museums’ fifth annual Museums Advocacy Day program and Hill visits.

I’ve been a Museums Advocacy Day stalwart since its inception. I’m passionate about museums and their important roles in communities large and small throughout the country. I believe it is incumbent upon those of us who champion museums to share that message with clarity on Capitol Hill.

In the small and coincidental world of things, Abraham Lincoln was a recurring theme of my visit to Washington.

It began with Daniel Day Lewis’ Oscar for his extraordinary portrayal of the sixteenth president, included dinner at a delightful farm-to-table American tapas restaurant called “Lincoln,” and was capped off by a visit from “President Lincoln” at a breakfast to ignite the spirits of the 300+ museum advocates before our day filled with meetings and impassioned pleas.

Our three-person Wisconsin delegation – Madison Children’s Museum director Ruth Shelly, Milwaukee County Historical Society director Scott Stroh, and I – visited Wisconsin’s eight congressional offices and both senate offices.

I was especially proud to have a few minutes with seventh congressional district representative Sean Duffy. Congressman Duffy has been a willing listener on the subject of museums. I look forward to welcoming his family to the Woodson Art Museum soon.

Ruth, Scott, and I maintained a rapid-fire pace through the morning and early afternoon. In a cab headed for Reagan National Airport – I had to be back in Wausau for an early-morning Wednesday meeting – as we crossed the Potomac River into Virginia, I caught a glimpse of the Lincoln Memorial . . . an inspiring end to a productive day.

With the memory of the massive seated Lincoln serving as a wrap-up to my visit, my triple-score experience feels much more like a Grand Slam.