Rachel Hausmann-Schall, artist residency and adult program manager
I loved coloring when I was a kid. I’m sure that’s true for many artists. Coloring is something I still enjoy as an adult. I’m lucky, however, because sometimes my job at the Museum requires it. My partner in crime, youth and family programs manager Emily Wesenick, and I spent last week getting Art Park ready for the next exhibition cycle.
Both of our skills in coloring were put to the test with creating our shared vision– a color blocked space. We wanted big shapes of different colors to adorn our interactive family space, where we encourage tactile experiences, creativity, and play. Additionally, we developed hands-on art making opportunities inspired by the Surrealist drawing game Exquisite Corpse, in combination with some of our favorite artworks from this year’s Birds in Art exhibition.
Excitement is building around the Museum campus as we gear up for our biggest weekend of the year, the Birds in Art preview experience. It’s interesting to see how color blocking plays a role in some of our artists’ artworks, like Krista Allenstein, Mark Eberhard, and Paula Waterman. Paula’s painting After Mark’s ‘Nocturne’ took inspiration from an artist well known for his use of large blocks of color, Mark Rothko.
If you are a Museum member, you can join us for the Members preview experiences this week on Thursday, September 10 and Friday, September 11 from 4 – 7 pm, or during the public opening on Saturday, September 12, starting at 9 am with Artists in Action.
Stop by to see artists demonstrating their work live, ask questions, and engage with others while learning about different artistic processes, ranging from charcoal drawing and watercolor to beading and linocut printmaking. Stop by the Glass Box Studio on Saturday from 1 – 4 pm for free, hands-on making with Birds in Art artist and Wausau native Sean Russell, and screen print your own bandana while participating in other free art making activities!
If you can’t make it to the opening weekend, don’t worry. You can visit Art Park during the Museum’s regular open hours to try out your coloring skills, too. We think we “knocked it out of the Art Park” with this one.
