More Summer Art Camp Enrichment Opportunities

Looking for something to fill your child’s days this summer? It’s not too late if your child is interested in the visual arts. The Woodson Art Museum is the answer . . . check out our Summer Art Camps for students ages 5-18.

Summer Art Camps filled up early, which resulted in added sessions for children ages 5-7 and 8-10. Take Art to the Wild Side is designed especially for these age groups. Children will create animal masks, pattern printpaper, rain sticks, and camouflage paintings.

The added session for ages 5-7 meets on Tuesday and Thursday, July 14 and 16, from 1 – 3:30 pm. Tuition (includes supplies and deposit) is $30 for Museum members and $35 for non-members. The added session for ages 8-10 meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, July 13, 15, 17, from 1 – 3:30pm. Tuition is $45 for Museum members and $50 for non-members

Do you have a child age 11-18 who is serious about art? If so, Art: Naturally will be an invigorating week for these art enthusiasts. Teens will make animal masks, block prints, portraits, and sculpture, and spend a day with live bird and animal models from the Northwoods Wildlife Center in Minocqua. Only three spots remain for students ages 11-13 the session to be held Monday – Friday, July 20 – 24, from 1 – 4:30 pm. Students ages 14-18 will meet Monday – Friday, July 27 – 31, from 12:30 – 4:30 pm. Tuition is $110 for Museum members and $130 for non-members. At the end of each week, Art: Naturally participants create an exhibition of their artworks to be viewed by family and friends. Students artwork from the July 27 – 31 remain on view at the Museum through August 30.

To register for these camp sessions call 845-7010. A $20.00 non-refundable deposit is required; full payment due by July 1.

Update: Dancing in the Jungle

We invited the community to celebrate the opening of our summer exhibitions, Frans Lanting: Jungles and American Ruins, at a dance party on Friday evening, June 19.

And dance they did!

300+ joined in the fun as Latin dance champions Julia Barrington and Todd Teeples taught merengue and demonstrated their mesmerizing, quick-footed moves. Click here to watch a video clip.

Frans Lanting: Jungles and American Ruins remain on view through Sunday, August 30. You can participate in a variety of programs for all ages offered throughout the summer. Check the Woodson Art Museum’s web site for details.

It's a Jungle Here!

Anyone working for an arts organization in today’s precarious economic environment knows that it’s a jungle out there when it comes to raising funds.

When I say “It’s a jungle HERE,” I mean at the Woodson Art Museum and that’s a good thing because on Friday evening, June 19, we celebrate the opening of two exciting summer exhibitions with a community dance party. One of those exhibitions is Frans Lanting: Jungles!

The other, American Ruins, features the infrared photographs of Arthur Drooker, who will be our special guest at Friday’s preview and also present a gallery walk on Saturday, June 20, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

We’ve really gotten into the jungle theme, which is no surprise given the vivacious, rich, and brilliant colors of Lanting’s fifty images. Toddlers can take a jungle safari on Tuesday, June 23 (10:30 – Noon). Adults can learn to salsa “among the treetops” with dance champions Julia Barrington and Todd Teeples on Tuesday, July 28 (7:30 – 8:30 p.m.). And all ages can participate in the “Fiesta Final” on Sunday, August 30, Noon – 4:00 p.m. It’s a family festival in the Sculpture Garden with Latin dance instruction and hands-on art-making including tissue-paper flowers, masquerade masks, and maracas. There’ll be piñatas to swing at, too. A veritable jungle of activities!

Head to the Woodson Art Museum between June 20 and August 30 for picture-perfect summer fun. Check the Museum’s web site for an array of programs, including the popular Concerts in the Garden, which kick off on Tuesday, July 7, with Janet Planet.

The jungles we explore this summer via Frans Lanting’s photographs are intriguing, captivating, and remarkable. Those aren’t adjectives I’d use to describe the challenges that museums and arts organizations are facing in today’s real-world jungle. Nevertheless, you can escape reality through a visit to Lanting’s jungles and Drooker’s ruins, both guaranteed to offer enlightening experiences.

I Love Deadlines . . .

So begins my favorite quote printed on bright pink paper and posted on the bulletin board above my computer.

The whole quote, from Douglas Adam’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, reads: “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”

The mental picture tickles my funny bone. But the really funny thing is that I hate deadlines.

Every day I face a slew of deadlines related to grant-writing, preparing press materials, getting ads designed and to publications, payroll, government reporting, paying invoices, writing copy for events calendars, newsletters, invitations, and blogs, etc., etc., etc. My electronic calendar brims with “tickle notes” to remind me of upcoming deadlines lest I forget.

The upside to deadlines, however, is that they keep me on my toes and (sort of) organized. But sometimes I want to rebel just so I can hear the wonderful whooshing sound of one or two missed deadlines flying by!

Life is Good!

That may sound like a strange comment in these troubling times, yet I feel I have struggled through, and overcome, a huge obstacle. At just five months since hip replacement surgery, I can say I am feeling great – almost 100%.

To prove it, during a recent trip with Kathy Foley to Philadelphia to attend the American Association of Museums annual meeting, I ascended the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. OK, I did not run up them repeatedly like Sylvester Stallone while training for his boxing bout in the 1976 Rocky movie. Nonetheless, I walked up them unaided. I would not even have considered such a feat six months ago. The photo does not truly show the vast number and steepness of these famous stairs. Well, maybe it does, but I remember them being a more daunting challenge.

So how have I accomplished this remarkable recovery? Foremost with encouragement from family and friends. Second, following doctor’s orders and faithfully exercising using the physical therapy procedures I learned.

Lastly, my faithful pet Parker gets the bulk of the credit. He greets me at the door when I arrive at home and does not take any excuses like “I am tired” or “It’s too cold.” He stands firm until I hook him to his leash and then, sometimes not so gently, pulls me to the local walking path.

While Parker eagerly sniffs every scent left by canines and other friends since our previous visit, I listen for birdsongs, observe the blooming flowers, and talk with other walkers. We both relish the fresh air and enjoy stretching our legs.

Now that spring has arrived and the weather is nice more days than not, you can find Parker and me emulating a Rocky-like training routine along the walking path and declaring – Life is good!