Tag Archives: Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
A Few of My Favorite Things
Posted on July 28, 2021
I’ve been asked hundreds of times what my favorite artwork is in the Woodson Art Museum collection. My answer always centered on a question: do you have a favorite child?
What I do have are memories, including my first impressions of a work and the stories I conceive in my mind while standing before a work; I’ve always had a great imagination. Many factors influence my opinion of each artwork.
Jane’s Journeys
Posted on July 21, 2021
Over a stellar forty-three-year Woodson Art Museum career, Jane Weinke has traveled far and wide, happily returning to Wausau, the community she has always called home. Jane will retire in October, leaving an extraordinary legacy. The growth and quality of the Museum’s collection is a tribute to Jane’s professionalism, diligence, and commitment to our vision to set the standard for art of the avian world.
Cart Craft
Posted on July 14, 2021
The roll out (pun intended and regretted) of the Woodson Art Museum’s Art à la Carte offering has been enthusiastically embraced by visitors, however, staff envisioned more. For curator of exhibitions Shannon Pueschner, facilities manager Dave Jones, and me, the Art à la Carte cart needed some improvements – better yet, a custom build.
Rooftop “View”
Posted on June 30, 2021
For over a year now, the Woodson Art Museum has been teasing the opening of a rooftop sculpture garden atop the Museum’s 2011 addition.
Sarah’s Sea
Posted on June 23, 2021
Earlier this month, sculptor Sarah FitzSimons pulled her car into the Woodson Art Museum’s loading-dock parking lot, safely transporting the Pacific to the Midwest. The ocean, folded and wrapped in on itself, fit in the trunk, where it waited patiently to stretch and spill out across the gallery floor.
A Busman’s Holiday Getaway
Posted on May 12, 2021
A recent getaway with my husband, Ernie, took us east to Sheboygan, thanks to an invitation from colleague and friend Sam Gappmayer, director of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. It’s an understatement to say the past twelve-plus months were challenging and also kept us close to home. Now thankfully vaccinated, we were ready to tentatively dip our toes back into normal — or, more correctly, “new normal” — behaviors. Sam’s invitation to preview the Kohler Arts Center’s Art Preserve was just the incentive we needed.
Let’s Celebrate
Posted on April 28, 2021
Celebrating milestones has always been part of my culture. As a family, we celebrated religious achievements, sporting events, school programs, and birthdays – any reason to come together for food and fun.
The current Woodson Art Museum exhibition, Beyond Artworks: Artists & Their Stories, on view through June 6, is another reason to celebrate. The exhibition honors nearly forty-five years of thoughtful acquisitions enhancing the Museum’s collection. Not only are the artworks outstanding but the stories offer visitors ways to discover amazing facts about artworks and reasons to celebrate. Follow these links for a virtual tour via images and video and visit soon and often this spring.
Random Acts of Celebration
Posted on April 21, 2021
Although Earth Day is April 22 and Slow Art Day was April 10, carrying the spirit of these days throughout many more may be among the best ways to observe them. Earth Day 2021 includes activities spanning three days, and taking time to linger in a Woodson Art Museum gallery and appreciate art slowly is a good idea year round.
Heard on the Street
Posted on April 07, 2021
No surprise that as the Woodson Art Museum’s director, I hear a lot of stories, from first-hand experiences in our galleries to hearsay about a friend of a friend who enjoyed a Woodson traveling exhibition at a distant venue. I welcome them all. In fact, there’s nothing quite like an unexpected story from a far-flung locale.
Road Trip & Staycation Recommendations
Posted on June 16, 2021