When I accepted my position at the Woodson Art Museum, I knew my career path had taken an exciting turn down a very fulfilling road. I was happy to have found a place where I could use my experience to help share the feeling I get when observing a great piece of art with others. As I started working on the 2023 Birds in Art catalogue – my largest project at the Museum so far – I quickly realized that I couldn’t have dreamt of getting a better chance to highlight 2023 Master Wildlife Artist Paul Rhymer’s point of view than this. While having the opportunity to try and capture such a unique sculptor’s work on just a few two-dimensional pages was exciting, I could see that there were big challenges ahead.
Paul Rhymer, Death of Athena, 2019, bronze and stone
After meeting Paul earlier this summer while he was installing Corvid 19: Murder Suspects on the Museum’s grounds, any fear or anxiety I had about being able to achieve the task of doing justice for his work was extinguished. Paul only had one or two suggestions and seemed to have trust in the Museum – and me, someone he didn’t even know – to capture his work as best as we could. His warm and supportive personality put me at ease, and the ideas started flowing. I certainly hadn’t earned that trust, but I could see that he knew the Woodson Art Museum wouldn’t let him down.
As is usually the case in my creative process, I had too many ideas. Luckily there were plenty of supportive yet critical eyes on the Museum staff with much more experience than me at producing an exhibition catalogue to help along the way. I couldn’t be more pleased by what we accomplished with the 2023 edition of the Birds in Art catalogue, and I can’t wait for Museum members and patrons to get a closer look at the beauty and unique perspective of Rhymer’s work and the entire 2023 exhibition. I hope Paul’s trust has been rewarded…
Paul Rhymer, Corvid 19: Murder Suspects (detail), 2023, bronze and wood
