As you’re reading this, the Woodson Art Museum is in the first of two consecutive “installation” weeks. Reclaimed: The Art of Recology and Heidi Parkes: Reuse, Reflection, and Storytelling in Cloth are now de-installed, and we are preparing the galleries for Birds in Art and an exhibition drawn from the Museum’s collection, The Real Decoy. Of our four major temporary exhibition periods of the year, three feature one-week installation periods. The fourth, before Birds in Art, is a two-weeker.
With the planning and care Museum staff put into Birds in Art throughout the year, it makes sense to make double sure everything is squared away. With artists, friends, and members traveling to the Museum from around the world, it’s only natural to want to show off the finest version of the Museum to our guests. However, one of the great misconceptions of installation week(s) is that “there’s nothing to see” during these times.
On the contrary, there is much to take in. This is the best time to focus on some magnificent artworks on display including works in New to the Collection and See/Sea: Beyond the Horizon that reenforce the breadth, depth, and historical significance of the Museum’s permanent collection, including works by John Sloan, Joseph Stella, Gifford Beal, and William Trost Richards.
Gifford Beal, Gulls, Stormy Sea, 1923, watercolor on paper
Besides those gems, Art Park, the Museum’s Interactive Family Gallery is refreshed and teaming with hands-on art making opportunities. Additionally, the Museum’s grounds are in outstanding shape, providing a great opportunity for a leisurely walk or lunch date before the weather starts turning cold in the fall.
As we approach the Saturday, September 9 public opening of Birds in Art, the galleries and grounds transform a little more each day to prepare for the event. There might be some freshly painted walls, new flowers planted along the walkways, and tents erected on the grounds. While it may seem like we are “gearing up” for something bigger and better than what is on view during the next two weeks, don’t be fooled. There is always plenty to see at the Woodson Art Museum.
