Green Mug
Initiative in Cafe 
In honor of Earth Day 2011, the café has proposed a Green Mug initiative moving forward, beginning April 21.
When ordering your daily coffee or tea, please consider using your own personal mug (or travel mug) and receive an additional 20 cents off your coffee or tea purchase. Volunteers can store their mugs in the cupboards in the Guild Room.
By providing your own mug at meetings and lunch we can cut back on paper cup waste and do our small part in reducing and reusing.
Thank you for your participation! |
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 From our
Executive Chair
Flexibility is the mantra Currier volunteers live by. If there is a sudden change of plans or a job to tackle, we are up for it. Whether it is five or 50 people on a tour or in a project, look no further, we do it. But, sometimes, our family situations call for a complete change of plans, which is exactly what Thelma Raine faced recently when family obligations out-of-town made it necessary for her to step down as chair of the Guild of Volunteers. Thelma's excellence and dedication to the Currier for so many years is an inspiration to us all. We wish Thelma the best and await the time when she is able to return to the museum.
It is my privilege and honor to step into the position as chair in Thelma's place. We have an excellent executive committee with much experience and many talents. Two volunteers will fill positions on the executive committee until the full 2011-2012 slate can be presented to the membership at the Annual Meeting June 7. Membership Chair Barbara Shepler will become acting vice chair, and Kim Tyndall will join the committee as acting membership chair.
We thank Barbara for her excellent work. Barbara is the person who, among other things, entered into the record every volunteer hour guild members contributed, and what's more, she has done it with good cheer. Kim, with her background and skills is just right for the job, too, and we welcome her.
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The Book Shelf
What Jane Seney is reading...
 The art world loves a good story and one storyline that keeps resurfacing in the news is the idea of a work of art being lost and rediscovered. Whether it is reexamining a Rossellino tucked away in the Currier's storage for decades, or a yard sale that yields a Jackson Pollock masterpiece, or a Norman Rockwell painting stashed behind a wall for safekeeping during a divorce, the re-emergence of a great work always causes some fanfare. I think we all love the fantasy of an invaluable object waiting to be discovered in our own attics.
I recently read the book The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr which outlines how a painting of the dramatic scene of Christ's arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, long believed to be painted by a minor Dutch artist, was in fact painted by the superstar Italian Baroque artist Caravaggio. The story is imbued with a tremendous sense of drama as graduate students hunt down the answers surrounding the lingering mysteries of the painting's attribution, visiting museums and archives throughout Europe.
Part of the appeal of this kind discovery and this kind of narrative is, no doubt, the procedural details of the authentication, the analysis, and the experts weighing in. The other, equally important, part of the appeal is the wonder of discovering something new in an already familiar object; that is, the thrill of seeing something in a new way. While tours don't allow visitors to plunge into the primary sources related to an object, I've found that a ten minute conversation about a work of art can help visitors and docents see an object in a new way and produce equally thrilling new insight.
Jane Seney, Educator for Tour and Docent Programs 669-6144, x149
jseney@currier.org
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Or, use the Guild Room computer the next time you stop in. |
Museum Shop News
The Museum Shop staff is in the process of training new volunteers. If you happen to see a new face behind the counter, stop in and introduce yourself. It would help make the new volunteers feel more at home while at the Currier.
The shop is once again offering its 30% off sale for Mother's and Father's Day. The dates for the special sale are May 1 - May 8, and June 12 - June 19. Come by and take advantage of this great opportunity.
Just a reminder the shop has a good selection of items that relate to the Jon Brooks exhibit.
 Museum Shop Manager Heidi Norton says the Currier library gives its duplicate and out-of-print books to the shop for sale. Fifty percent of proceeds go back to the library. These books are priced in the middle range, meaning they are neither the highest or lowest amount.
"We have probably 20 or so books available at a time," she says, of the 100 or more books they rotate on a regular basis. The books are constantly switched according to topic and the current museum exhibit on view. Among the many selections now on sale are American Visions, $25; Art Across America, $6; Bauhaus, $10; and Ancient Artistry, $25. Heidi says if volunteers don't see a book they are looking for they should ask if it's available.
Richard Russell, Museum Shop Chair
606-2777
rrr1944@motleythebear.com
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2010-2011
Executive Committee
Officers
Executive Chair:
Pat Howard
Acting Executive Vice Chair:
Barbara Shepler
Treasurer:
Ted Parrot
Secretary:
Yvonne Dunham
Committee Chairs
Guild Ambassadors:
Frances Gray
Fran Wiggin
Guild Communications:
Judy McKenna
Pauline Bogaert
Guild Meetings & Programs:
Peg Case
Acting Guild Membership:
Kim Tyndall
Museum Docents:
Carolyn Hollman
Museum Shop:
Richard Russell
Special Projects:
Pam Parrot
Zimmerman House Docents:
Dennie Dyer
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The Currier Guild in action eNewsletter Staff:
Editors: Judy McKenna and Pauline Bogaert
Photo Editor: Anna Zhurbey
Blog Administrator: Karin Whitford
Production Assistance: Neva Cole, Michelle Pennington |
 | | eNews photo editor Anna Zhurby |
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Guild of Volunteers Blog
 | | eNews blog administrator Karin Whitford |
Join the conversation on the Guild of Volunteers latest blog post: "Technology - Does it Add to the Art Museum Experience?"
Click here. |
Currier Guild eNewsletters Archive
To view a previous eNewsletter, click on the desired link: |
Guild of Volunteers Handbook Online
Ever wonder about the history of the Guild? How the Guild board is structured? What the committees do? The Guild of Volunteers handbook is online with all the answers. To view the Guild Handbook, click here. |
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Mark your Calendars:
Guild of Volunteers Annual Meeting - June 7, 2011
Guest Speaker: Wendy Rogers, Associate Registrar at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum of the Smithsonian Institution on "Up and Down: My Life in Exhibiitons." Manchester Country Club. Invitations to come. |
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Spotlight Artistic Arrangements
Click here for Petals 2 Paint slide show
"I get an enormous amount of joy" from Petals 2 Paint, said Currier docent Sally Gordon Shea, founder and chair of the April event at East Colony Fine Art in Manchester. Petals pairs floral designers with artworks done by East Colony artists in an event like Boston's Museum of Fine Arts' annual spring exhibit, Art in Bloom.She was "blown away" a decade ago when she first saw the MFA show. After a group of artists opened East Colony in 2002, Sally's bud of an idea for a similar show blossomed. Sally didn't know any floral designers, so she began calling area libraries to see if their towns had a garden club.
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Nancy Stewart's Ikebana |
After a number of calls, she connected with the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs and "it grew from there." The eighth Petals exhibition was held in April with 26 artists and 30 floral designers participating, among them Currier docents Muriel McMillan and Nancy Stewart. Nancy designed a richly colored Ikebana to highlight Roxanne Labbe's piece Spirals #1. It was Nancy's fourth year as a designer in the show. For her display she used dried plant materials in a rainbow of red, orange, blue and green. "I always think what speaks to me first," she said, about her arrangements. "I look for the work's basic elements and then think how I can interpret the piece with flowers and the principles of my Sogetsu Ikebana school." Nancy has been studying 10 years at Antoinette Drouart's shop in Nashua, which was recently featured on WMUR-TV's show Chronicle.  | |
Muriel McMillan's team Peoples Choice arrangement |
Muriel teamed with fellow Bedford Garden Club members Pauline Richard and Jeanne Popielarz, who as a member of another garden club had previously participated in the Boston show. The team dreamily transformed Doreen Boissonneault's Vue de Pluie - a rainy day garden view through a chateau window - into a petite, pastel-flowered design covered with a long, clear glass dome. On the day of opening night, Muriel's team arranged flowers and greens commonly found in France, including boxwood, rosemary, lavender and muscari. "You could say these are found in the wine region," she joked, about the muscari, otherwise known as grape hyacinth. Other picks in pink, blue, cream and yellow were lisianthus, miniature rose, ageratum, snapdragon and veronica. By opening night, condensation had formed within the dome creating a watery scene that matched the painting. Planning for Boissoneault's piece began months before. Jeanne saw the domed glass in an antique shop, and knew its lines were perfect to depict the arch-topped window in the painting. She chose a small, green vase etched fleur-de-lis to hold the flowers. "That's France's national flower," she said, referring to the floral etching. In the early days of the project the group discussed what flowers they might need, and asked Richard Mein of Royal Bouquet in Bedford to find those at the flower market. For their effort, the Bedford women received the People's Choice award. Petals is a non-juried show drawing between 300 and 400 people, who choose the arrangement they like best. "There are always about a half-dozen arrangements vying for the award," said Sally. What impresses Sally, who is an artist, is the amount of time and work these designers spend on their arrangements. "I do art that lasts forever. They use the same principles of design as I do, but their work lasts less than a week. This is such a short art form and they are generous to do it." Spotlight by Pauline Bogaert |
The Screening Room
Our newest eNews column reviews films from the Guild collection
Finally, thanks to the efforts of many, the contents of the "Guild's Video Closet" have been, and continue to be, reviewed. Many programs originally in the VHS format have been converted as DVDs. Paul Sarcione has the equipment and knowledge to make this happen and we are grateful for his willingness to take on this project.
A blue, three-ring binder in the closet contains summaries of many programs. An index of both the video cassettes and DVDs is in the front of the binder. This index includes titles, series titles, artists' names, kind of art, as well as the subject(s) of each program available. Suggestions are welcomed on how to make this more useful.
 | | The film Chihuly: Glass Master is available for loan from our film collection. The exhibit, Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass is at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston through August 7. |
Thanks to the recent presentation of "The Currier Glass Collection" by Ted Parrot, and in anticipation of a future excursion to the Corning Glass Museum, many of us are eager to either refresh our memories or learn something new about the art of making glass. To that end, listed below, are some of the programs we have in the closet that should help us meet our individual goals.
VHS#24 - Chihuly: Glass Master This is one of several programs we have featuring Dale Chihuly. He narrates this film, and others we have, showing Chihuly and his team creating various works for several exhibitions or installations. These will be available in the DVD format. Watch for these additions in the index under Chihuly for the identification numbers.
VHS #39 - A Touch of Glass Glass is a visual exploration of the contemporary studio glass movement in America. We are treated to watching the basic steps in studio glassmaking as we view faculty and students at the Center for Creative Studies creating their glass works.
 | | A Paul Joseph Stankard paperweight. |
VHS #41 - The World of Paperweight Masterpieces Director of the Corning Museum of Glass Dwight P. Lammon narrates this film. He recounts the history of paperweight masterpieces from ancient Egypt to modern times using the art in the Corning Museum.
VHS #92A - Paul Joseph Stankard: Inventing Illusions Inspired by the words of Walt Whitman, creating paperweights became Stankard's passion. In this program he manipulates colored glass rods over a hot flame to produce precise wildflowers and insects. Viewers of this film get to watch him work and listen to him describe his work.
Theia Fischer
Film writer
883-2102
maydr@localnet.com |
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Museum Docent Report
May Trips and Award Previews
One of the best perks of being a Currier docent is the opportunity to study art, its history and the museum's collection. The Currier offers an especially rich program of arts education to its volunteers.
 | | Diane Ellis spoke about furniture at a recent meeting. |
Thanks to Educator Jane Seney this has been a winter chock-full of the most wonderful workshops, walk-throughs, guest speakers, and special-exhibit training.
This year will be capped off with three exceptional opportunities. First, at our training on May 3 Joan Sinisi of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art will present an overview of Andrew Wyeth's career. Second, on May 17 docents will travel to western Massachusetts to visit the Francine and Sterling Clark Art Institute and Williams College Museum of Art. Finally, on May 31 docents will be debriefed about the field trip and treated to Jane's final presentation, Women in Art.
Those who have never been to the Clark and Williams College and those who are returning may want to check out their websites. You will find the Clark, which focuses on European and American painting and especially the French Impressionists, also has a special exhibit through September called Romantic Nature: British and French Landscapes. For our visit, Michael Cassin, Director of Education, will present an overview of the collection followed by docent-led tours through the museum.
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Docents (l to r): Arlene Amendolara, Joan Sheldon, Pam Harvey and Kim Tyndall at the April 19 meeting. |
Williams College has over 13,000 pieces in its collection, mostly by American artists. They have a large Maurice Prendergast collection, and artworks of Thomas Hart Benson, Jacob Lawrence, Milton Avery, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, among others. According to Jane, our docents will be treated to a curator-led tour.
Two more educational opportunities, not Currier-sponsored, are the Clark's annual Docent Summer School (see Clark's website above) and Winterthur Museum Garden and Library intensive two-week course of domestic furnishings in America.
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Fran Gordon and Jane Seney at a recent meeting. |
On another front, Currier Guild of Volunteers Executive Vice Chair Barbara Shepler will accept the Granite State Award (GSA) on behalf of Currier docents May 19 at the 26th annual commencement of the University of New Hampshire, Manchester. According to the UNH, Manchester, press release: "The Currier Museum's docents are highly trained and dedicated volunteers. They are committed to promoting a better understanding of the arts and their relevance in an ever-increasingly technical world. The Granite State Award is an honor reserved for those individuals and organizations that have made exceptional contributions to the State of New Hampshire and its citizens."
UNH Art History Professor Andy Stangel nominated the docents. It is the first time a group (rather than an individual) has been given the award since it was first presented in 2007 at UNH, Manchester. We docents are most grateful to Andy for his thoughtful nomination and we are honored to receive this important award.
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Z-House Docent Report
John Geiger: Leaving A Wright Legacy
Unfortunately we have lost another key individual who helped make the Zimmerman House the wonderful place it is. John Geiger died February 27, 2011, in Los Angeles.
 | | John Geiger |
Geiger was born on August 9, 1921, in Faribault, Minn. As a youngster he visited Owatonna where he saw what he later described as his "first real work of architecture," a bank designed by Louis Sullivan. Frank Lloyd Wright later worked for Sullivan and called him his mentor. Geiger entered the Architecture Program of the University of Minnesota in 1939 where slides of Fallingwater left him "thunderstruck." After being discharged from the Army Air Corps, Geiger joined the Taliesin Fellowship as an apprentice from 1947 to 1953.
In the early 1950s, Geiger supervised construction of the Zimmerman House and lived with the Zimmermans for a year. They paid him $50 a week and provided room and board. His task was to assure Wright's design was carried out to the standards the architect and the Zimmermans expected. Currier Director of Collections Andrew Spahr paid tribute to the man who made such an impact on the house we all love: "John was the onsite apprentice for Frank Lloyd Wright during the construction of the Zimmerman House. He was instrumental in translating Wright's design into the beautiful structure that has been so well preserved by the Zimmermans and the Currier. John oversaw design changes during the construction - communicating between the Zimmermans and Wright - and we have him to thank for the success of the house. John's attention to detail and insistence on top quality materials insured the house's well recognized place among Wright's best domestic buildings."
From 1953-54 Geiger helped supervise the Los Angeles and New York exhibitions of Wright works called "Sixty Years of Living Architecture." Although he did not work long as an architect after leaving the apprenticeship, he left behind a great legacy of work about Wright. He meticulously assembled his own database of Wright's work and of Wright's apprentices. He analyzed Wright's work developing a rating system for Wright's designs.
Since 2005 we have lost Edith Heath, Edwin and Mary Scheier, and now John Geiger - all individuals who contributed to the beauty of our beloved Zimmerman House.
In connection with the NH Preservation Alliance's 25th anniversary, the Z-house was chosen as one of its 25 Preservation Milestones in April. Milestones selection criteria included: historic significance, degree of threat/challenges overcome, and degree of support or model for others.
Announced April 8 at a Preservation Alliance conference, the Milestones awards will be presented May 10 in Concord. 
Dennie Dyer
Zimmerman House Docent Chair
434-8794
dennie.dyer@comcast.net |
View Museum and Z-House Training Calendars On-Line:
Docent Calendar Z-House Calendar |
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Kim Tyndall Takes Over Guild Membership
 Thank you to Kim Tyndall, the Guild's new acting Membership Chair. She will be available for your questions and computer help. Please continue to keep your hours log and museum membership current. She can be reached at docent@currier.org or kim.tyndall@comcast.net.
The Guild recently held two orientations for new volunteers. Please welcome Deborah Duranceau, Diane DiGirolamo, Patricia Reigstad, Sean McGovern, Nathan Twombly, Andrew LeBlanc, John-Paul Padfield, Hieu Nguyen, Nancy Rogers, Charlotte DeBell, and Morgan French.
All volunteers are invited to and are welcome at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 7, at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford. Volunteers who have maintained Active Status - over 50 hours in the past year - are invited for lunch as a guest of the Currier. All other volunteers are welcomed to attend at their own expense.
The event includes a short business meeting, including ratification of officers, presentation of awards, and a guest speaker. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Thank you for a great year - more than 8400 hours logged through the third quarter - at the museum.
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Welcome New Special Projects Volunteers
Special Projects welcomes new volunteers - Patricia Reigstad, Sean McGovern, Deborah Duranceau and Diane DiGirolamo. Special Project volunteers will be helping Michelle Pennington the last week of April during school vacation week.
My thanks go to Flo Fitzgerald and Jan Conover for welcoming visitors to the Jon Brooks opening.
Heading into summer, there will be more special programs needing volunteers. If you would like to help the Currier as a Special Projects volunteer, please contact me.
Pam Parrot
Special Projects
580-2188
pamparrot@comcast.net
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Museum Seen
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The world map at the Honolulu Academy of Arts (HAA) indicates "you are here" in the tiny Hawaiian Islands centered in the vast Pacific Ocean.
 | | Docent Dorothy Bicks |
The academy's 60,000-piece collection is appropriately divided into Western (European and American) and Eastern (Asian) art. Founded by Anna Rice Cooke and opened in 1927, the 143,000-square-foot complex has 30 galleries placed around five peaceful courtyards.
On a recent visit docent Dorothy Bicks guided us around HAA's Asian art, which included works from ancient Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean cultures, among others. She explained religious influences on Asian art, including distinguishing features of various deities. For instance, a distinguishing mark of most Buddha images is the top knot on the head. Asian pieces include statuary, jewelry, pottery, screens, and wall hangings. One gallery is devoted to Hawaiian artists, and artists who painted in the island state.
Famous European and American artists highlight the Western collection - Sargent, Whistler, Van Gogh, Gauguin, to name just a few. This HAA is worth a visit. So is a separately led tour to Shangri La, the seaside home of the late Doris Duke. The home features a large collection of Islamic art assembled over six decades.
Save time to eat at the Pavilion Café, which serves an excellent lunch on a pleasing patio.
Admission is $10, $5 students, seniors and military. I gained free entry with my Currier docent badge. Entry is also free on the first Wednesday and third Sunday of each month.Shangri La: Wednesday-Saturday, 8:30, 11 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. Reservation needed: (808) 532-3853, local, or toll-free (866) 385-3849
No photography in the galleries.
Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 So. Beretania St.
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 532-8700
www.honoluluacademy.org
Museum Seen is a new feature. Contact Judy McKenna or Peeps Bogaert and tell us about a museum you have visited that is worth the trip.
-By Pauline Bogaert
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