As I stare out my office window and watch the first snowfall of the season land softly on Museum grounds, I am reminded how much I have to be thankful for. In 2024, I had the honor of leading a wide array of monthly programs for community members of all ages, countless tours, and my very first foray into Art Cluster. I participated in four incredible artist residencies, soon to be three docent and greeter trainings, and too many outreach programs to count. To say I am blessed with opportunities here would be an understatement.
The first snowfall at the Woodson Art Museum from the window of my office.
As we look toward the holiday season, one of my favorite ways to celebrate and share my gratitude for the people around me is by having a Thanksgiving feast. I am lucky enough to now have three Thanksgivings to attend, and one Friendsgiving in the wings. While bopping from one celebration to the next, there are two traditions that can make or break the season of gratitude, a rowdy game of rummy and apple bars.
From a young age, my grandma taught us how to be absolute terrors during a rummy game. So much so that when I was teaching my husband how to play, I couldn’t help but school him in the process of showing him the rules. What can I say, grandma raised me right! When we aren’t playing cards, we are wolfing down freshly made apple bars from the tray in the kitchen. It always makes for the best holiday celebrations when you can walk into grandma’s house, greeted by the smell of apple bars, hearty laughter of family, and the possibility that this could be the year you beat grandma at her own game.
A rousing game of rummy played during a family celebration with me, my husband Jason, and my grandma.
Although we don’t have a rousing game of rummy or fresh apple bars here at the Museum, ‘tis the season to enjoy the final days of the 49th year of Birds in Art. If you are in between feasts or need to escape after losing a card game or two to your family, come explore the galleries on Friday from 9am – 4pm or Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 5pm. I hope that among the beautiful representations of avian life, you can feel the gratitude that fills these spaces from staff and community members alike.
Thank you for continuing to support the Museum and uplifting programs that we are lucky enough to create. It gives us a long list of things to be grateful for this holiday season.
