Last summer the Woodson Art Museum added a regular dose of art history to our events lineup. These noon-hour programs are designed to feature a different artist whose work complements the exhibition on view. That style then is woven into the hands-on projects planned for children in monthly Little Masters and Young Artists classes.

In December, we added an evening art history component to the mix. Adults gather for Art History 101, 5:30 – 6:30 pm, and all ages drop in for Hands-on Art, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Again, the topic ties both programs together. For example, last Thursday I presented a PowerPoint program about Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Across the hall, curator of education Jayna Hintz helped 35 participants make string lamps inspired by Noguchi’s Akari lamps.

During Art History 101: Isamu Noguchi, I played an Archives of American Art audio interview of Noguchi discussing his experiences in Paris in the 1920s. With YouTube at my disposal, I could show short video clips of curators discussing the artist’s work, video footage of one of the artist’s sculpture parks in Japan, and a video tour of the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York. I concluded my program with a short video of a man demonstrating the old-world way of making an Akari paper lantern.

If you’re interested in expanding your art history knowledge and understanding, join us the first Thursday evening of every month or attend a midday repeat of the same program at 12:15 – 1 pm on the third Wednesday of every month. Check our Calendar of Events at https://www.lywam.org/, for details about Museum programs for all ages.

Here’s to your Cultural health! Make a date to bolster your knowledge of art history with a noon-time or evening monthly dose of Art History 101.

Art History 101 – A Monthly Dose to Boost Cultural Health

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