Author: Catie Anderson, curator of education
The Helping Hands Behind Origami Success
Posted on March 04, 2020
Throughout three origami exhibitions that concluded March 1, the Woodson Art Museum welcomed more than 1,100 students during class visits. Before closing – or folding – the book on origami and turning to upcoming exhibitions being installed this week., I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of the Museum’s volunteer docents who guided students during the past twelve weeks.
Wu-Lang Clan
Posted on January 22, 2020
I can’t resist a good opportunity for a pun. Iconic and revolutionary hip-hop artists, the Wu-Tang Clan shaped their genre and used the written word to write and re-shape the legacy of East-Coast rap. I’m a fan of artists Jiangmei Wu and Robert J. Lang (hence “Wu-Lang Clan”), both featured in Above the Fold and both visiting the Woodson Art Museum and kicking off 2020 in innovative and grand style.
Where Once There Was a Square, Now There Is a Story
Posted on December 11, 2019
Three new exhibitions opened Saturday at the Woodson Art Museum – Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami, FaunaFold, and Alchemy Unfolding – transforming the freshly de-installed galleries from blank boxes into immersive spaces, a metamorphosis not unlike those generated by origami artists who create captivating, multidimensional designs from squares of paper.
Birds and “Big Ideas”
Posted on October 02, 2019
Each year, as Birds in Art inevitably sneaks up on me, I consider ways to share and interpret the avian-themed artwork with Museum docents, visiting students, and program participants. The annual process of looking for serendipitous themes or popular subjects in Birds in Art begins in May, when fellow curator of education Lisa Hoffman and I view small, printed images of exhibition artworks spread out on the library table by administrative manager Shari Schroeder.
The British Are Coming
Posted on August 28, 2019
The British are coming to galleries near you, and I for one can’t wait to see and hear them. Who doesn’t love a good accent? Like most Americans, I can’t help but succumb to an endearing English accent; just ask my BritBox, Acorn TV, and BBC America queues.
My work editing Birds in Art audio tour app videos affords me the opportunity of listening to exhibition artists tell the stories behind their artwork.
I endeavor to make sure the audio is clear, the content accessible, and the imagery complementary to the artists’ words. The app videos are made all the more memorable by the range of voices creating them and, this year, visitors can look forward to English accents courtesy of Alan Woollett and Kerry Miller.
Weaving Willow Encourages Growth
Posted on June 26, 2019
Last week, artist Bonnie Gale returned to the Woodson Art Museum for an artist residency and to pay a visit to Living Willow Dreams, one year after she and assistant Jonna Evans installed the living willow structure in the Museum’s sculpture garden. Living Willow Dreams offers a lush, green garden-retreat where visitors can take a moment to sit and observe the busy, although often overlooked, activities of summertime garden inhabitants.
Showing and Sharing: Reconnecting at the Art Museum
Posted on May 15, 2019
This past weekend I visited family in Cincinnati; the trip was part Mother’s Day celebration, part long-overdue reunion.
My family visit to the Cincinnati Art Museum reinforced my belief that museum visits are moving and memorable social outings worth celebrating and sharing with others. It’s fitting that I reflect on the power of museum visits this week, as May 11-18 marks Museum Week and Arts Wisconsin’s Creative Economy Week.
Showing Bests Telling
Posted on April 03, 2019
Finding ways to excite and intrigue students means getting creative. In my experience, the popular writing adage “it’s better to show than tell” applies when developing content for guided gallery experiences.
From the Artist’s Hand to Yours
Posted on February 20, 2019
I became convinced of the Museum’s need for a dedicated tactile art installation in May 2017, when former curator of exhibitions Andy McGivern and I attended a National Federation for the Blind Tactile Art and Tactile Graphics Symposium in Boulder, Colorado. I’m excited and proud to say that less than two years later, the Woodson Art Museum’s inaugural tactile art exhibition, In Touch with Art: Tactile Sculpture, opens to the public on Saturday, March 2.
Art Cluster Students Explore Op Art
Posted on January 09, 2019
The Wausau School District’s Art Cluster Program provides a multi-day art enrichment experience for fourth and fifth-grade students with a keen interest in the visual arts. The students begin the program with a visit to the Woodson Art Museum where volunteer docents offer a guided visit through the galleries and educators introduce students to a hands-on art project inspired by artwork on view. This year’s 160 Art Cluster students experienced Victor Vasarely: Op Art Master.
