Talking art with Brigid Globensky, Director of Education at MAM
Listen: Growing up in Milwaukee, I was lucky enough to attend Milwaukee Public Schools, where I was treated with so many field trips to the Milwaukee Art Museum, the halls of the museum felt like home. Our class would file in, break into small groups, and a docent would lead us around the galleries, giving us a guided and expert tour of the collection. To this very day, when I look at nearly any painting in the old wing, an imagine of folded legs and wide eyes sparks up in my memory.
Seeing as we're in the middle of a campaign celebrating art in Milwaukee, I thought to myself, "Let's see if the docents still have that art-loving magic." So, on a regular Thursday afternoon, I dropped into the Milwaukee Art Museum and asked a handful of MAMers to show me their mettle. And they did -- listen to the results below.
Chalk Board? Painting? Art? All? (Cy Twombly's "Untitled")
-Brigid Globensky, Director of Education at the Milwaukee Art Museum, was kind enough to wrangle the docents for me and facilitate the tour. And at the very end, I convinced her to take a turn as docent. She brought me to Cy Twobly's "Untitled" (see above):
You know, I bet every member of the Milwaukee Museum staff (especially the security guards who spend so much time in the galleries) has a favorite painting. Someday, I have to get back there and mine those minds.
Joe! (And you can see a bit of the Vlamick over my shoulder.)
-Our first docent! Joe Miller introduces us to the painting of a wild beast (well, actually, a fauve). Listen as Joe paints his picture of Maurice Vlaminck's "The Wheat Field:"
I wish you could have been standing next to me while Joe Miller spoke -- you can certaily hear the excitement in his voice, but you could also see it in his body language.
Jonas lays it down for me.
-In this piece, Jonas Karvelis talks about a new favorite of his -- Jim Nutt's "Excuse Me (A Touch Surprised)." His interest in this painting may have developed recently, but you can hear his passion as he speaks:
Jim Nutt's "Excuse Me (A Touch Surprised)
-For our last piece, Diane Richards introduces us to Marc Chagall's "The Horseman." I can almost hear the first time I listened to a docent speak about this piece as a child:
Whether they're old friends or new acquaintances, the halls of the Milwaukee Art Museum are packed with artworks worth loving -- especially the wonderful artworks so wonderfully discussed above. Now, go find them yourself! No special occasion required -- get down to MAM and take your time. (By the way, there are more docents to come! Listen for them in the coming weeks!)
Music: Dreamy and whimsical music from Detektivbyrån's Wermland.