Author: Lisa Hoffman, curator of education
Puppy Tales & Advertising Adventures
Posted on March 18, 2020
Earlier this month, as Woodson Art Museum staff readied two new exhibitions featuring French graphic arts and children’s book illustrations, I was touched by how the stories of three beloved animals came together for me. One is about a co-worker’s new puppy who scampered away for one harrowing day, and the other two creatures are referenced in the exhibitions. All three animal tales share aspects of successful networking, advertising, and happy endings.
Celebrating Papermaking
Posted on February 12, 2020
Paper looms large at the Woodson Art Museum. Both the Museum and the community have their roots in the lumber industry. Current exhibitions celebrate origami artists – magicians who work their wonders with paper.
Acuity
Posted on January 01, 2020
Today the world ushers in the year 2020, in the Gregorian calendar. It’s the beginning of the ‘20s, end of the teens, and a Leap Year . . . and for like minds who enjoy wordplay, it’s 20/20.
Eye of the Beholder
Posted on November 20, 2019
I like art; most often, it’s a visceral connection. I enjoy being with art and experiencing it. I relish casual and informal “conversations” with artworks. I then imagine why a particular work “speaks” to me. Being curious by nature, though, I often also research works – learning to better appreciate the art. Research may include internet searches, tapping the collective wisdom of fellow curators, asking others in a gallery why they like the artwork, or asking an artist friend’s opinion. What results is a breezy, personal comment on art, reflecting the “eye of the beholder.”
Birds & Words: A Fun Family Quest
Posted on October 09, 2019
Literature and art are natural companions; children’s illustrated literature is an early introduction to both.
Kevin Henkes’ Birds is a favorite book to share – with babies through second-grade students – while leading Woodson Art Museum programs during Birds in Art 2019, on view through December 1.
Seeking Green
Posted on August 07, 2019
I smelled green – clean, crisp, refreshing. I heard green – snap, crunch. Then, I uttered my perennial regret, “I wish I’d planted a vegetable garden.” My co-worker, Becca, was feasting on the fruits of her labor . . . a fresh, succulent, cucumber.
Stretching to New Heights
Posted on July 17, 2019
Much folding, bending, and shaping occurs at the Woodson Art Museum, I realized during a recent origami project.
Rising Cranes – the newest addition to the sculpture garden – celebrates the paper-folding art of origami.
Inspired by Rising Cranes, many Museum members folded paper cranes during the summer’s exhibition preview reception. It was a lively time for those who participated.
Installations & Transitions
Posted on June 05, 2019
Most professions have unique vocabularies. In the art museum world, “installation” refers to the displaying of artworks – whether hung on a gallery wall or incorporated into a space. It also is the transition between exhibitions.
Art Friends
Posted on April 24, 2019
Last week across the globe, devices pinged, news alerts broke, and satellite transmissions bounced around the atmosphere drawing most to digital images; images of 850-year-old craftsmanship, handwork, and artistry succumbing to one of earth’s elements – fire. Interpretations are numerous and various attempting to explain why individuals worldwide stopped to share – at a minimum a view and for most, mourning of – the partial destruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Reflected Light
Posted on February 27, 2019
It’s winter in Wisconsin. It snows. It’s cold. It’s windy. Winter 2019 is record-shattering. Records set throughout more than ninety years for numerous permutations of weather data – one-day, one-month, and annual snowfall totals and low temperatures – are crumbling.
