From the Executive Chair
 Museum Ambassadors Wanted
Webster's dictionary defines an Ambassador as "an official envoy, especially a diplomatic agent of the highest rank." Did you know we have Ambassadors right here in the museum? We do, and their skills are as varied as can be. This group of 10 or so volunteers, some of whom are former docents, includes volunteers who have decided they would like to help for short- or long-term museum projects when they are available. These volunteer have a keen interest in the museum and how they can help.
Surveys of our visitors consistently rate our museum as friendly and welcoming. We have received high accolades for the helpful attitude of staff and volunteers. Ambassadors are often the first people museum visitors see when they enter. Whether it is in giving directions to the restrooms or the Winter Garden, a friendly smile, or information that makes a first-time visitor feel comfortable, our ambassadors do it all. You will also have seen them helping out with Pam Parrot's projects or at special events checking in registered guests.
Our goal is to make the Ambassadors feel comfortable in the museum, with the layout and the collection, as well as in getting to know other volunteers. We have started a "Lunch and Learn" program where Ambassadors will meet for lunch and then go on a tour of the museum. This may be an already scheduled public or focus tour, or a special tour with the topic to be chosen by the Ambassadors. So, if you see Ambassadors on your tour, please make them welcome. If you have a suggestion as to a project they might enjoy, please contact me, or Pam Parrott. These volunteers have a wealth of experience and we want to ensure we offer them, and all of our volunteers, a satisfying and meaningful experience each time they come to the museum.
There are many opportunities for learning at the Currier. The Currier Book Group has been facilitated by Ann Richardson, with the assistance of Carol Tingleff for 11 years. All books read are art-related and include a discussion of the book. The meetings are held at the museum and take place about four to six weeks apart. The group has a limited number of participants. Surveys of book groups have found a small number of participants is better for discussion and learning.
Are you interested in forming another book group? It is a great way to get to know other volunteers better and expand your knowledge of the art world and our collection. The list of books read for the last 10 years will be made available to any guild member who may want to start another book group. If you are interested, talk to Ann Richardson and she will do anything she can to help you form a new book group.
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Columbus Avenue
through Childe's Eyes
Dark grey day, rainy dark night,
Reflections in puddles, light smeared with oils,
Shimmering images, colors bleed.
The Wind is painting.
Cold sweeps in,
telling Wind its masterpiece is final,
frozen, petrified til dawn.
I hurry along. My travel has only begun.
Debating.
Umbrella up? Umbrella down?
Droplets? Wind?
From which do I need protection?
Puddles morph to black ice and I slip!
Catch my step...slide.
How have I come to be risking Nature's cold cleansing?
Lonely leaves swirl into puddles still fluid,
take on water, and
drown beneath my boot.
Alas, I waited,
believing again that divine inspiration would find me.
Though year in and year out,
My albatross, my waiting,
floods out as a weary rush.
Last minute.
Nature clears the night air
and I dance to her wintry tune.
- Kimberlee A. Tyndall |
New Vision by the Numbers
148 photographic images in A New Vision: Modernist Photography with 72 photo artists featured ... 10 female exhibiting photographers ... Currier collection has 300 photographs and 40 photographer 
artists ... 3 months time limit photographs can be displayed every 5 years ... estimated 3.5 trillion snapshots ever taken and 200 million photos uploaded daily on Facebook ... 1st photo taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 ... 1901 Kodak Brownie first consumer camera debuts ..."Photography helps people to see," said exhibiting photographer Berenice Abbott. |
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Special Projects: What are they? Who does them?
Special Projects offer volunteers an opportunity to serve the Currier in numerous ways. For instance, a staff member will send Michelle Pennington a request for help. Or curatorial may need help organizing files, and the library might need help forming a new donation of books and articles. On "First Thursday" and family weeks, Michelle often needs extra people to greet those coming into the Currier. There may be a need to help with events, or preparing favors for a party. Then there is basic office work - making copies of papers and collating them - still an important task.
To be a part of Special Projects you need to be a Currier member and sign up through the Guild of Volunteers' membership chairman, Kim Tyndall. You also need to attend a Currier orientation describing the various volunteer opportunities.
The Ambassadors have been reorganized (see separate article) and these volunteers will be called upon for Special Projects. Thanks to Mary Carroll, Marilyn Davison and Diane McEntee and others who have recently been involved with Special Projects.
Pam Parrot,
Special Projects
580-2188
pamparrot@comcast.net |
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The Book Shelf
What Jane Seney is reading...
The other day while listening to National Public Radio, I heard a story about how Harvard physics professors were re-evaluating the way they teach their discipline. They realized their students did not understand fundamental concepts after the first year of class.
Always fascinated by research on how people learn, I went to look up the segment online to listen to it again. I discovered a whole series produced by American Public Media called "Tomorrow's College," with various articles under the heading: Don't Lecture Me: Rethinking the Way College Students Learn.
Essentially, new research has shown college students don't assimilate the information they get through lectures. Many college professors are considering new ways to deliver content in the classroom. I thought this series was a wonderful complement to what many of us have learned through Visual Thinking Strategies.
I was intrigued by the fact these changes are taking place even in higher education. I encourage you to explore the articles in the series to consider how it might impact the way you lead tours for college students.
Jane Seney, Educator for Tour and Docent Programs
669-6144, x149
jseney@currier.org |
Museum Shop News
The shop has new volunteers to complement its roster. Please stop by and welcome them to the Currier. They are Deborah Duranceau, who has also been volunteering at the Currier Art Center with Cheryl Holbert, and Cynthia Rouvalis. Both are very enthusiastic and really looking forward to volunteering at the Currier.
New in the shop are scarfs and shawls in styles suitable for spring. There are also new books and jewelry to accompany the current photography exhibit, A New Vision: Modernist Photography. The shop also carries jelly lenses for your camera or phone camera.
We always welcome and value your input.
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Membership Report
Six New Guild Volunteers
I am pleased to welcome new Guild members Gay Zimmerman, a new volunteer in the library, and Cynthia Rouvalis, a new volunteer in the shop. In addition, June Garny, Starr Manus, Yvonne Salas, and Mary Frances Schoenley have all recently completed orientation and are exploring opportunities in the shop and with Special Projects. When you meet them, be sure to extend a friendly welcome. Our membership is currently quite strong with 126 volunteers, all of whom have logged hours in the last half of 2011.
Membership has been quite busy for the past few months working with museum staff on Volunteer Service Agreements, catching up on the computer, and holding two new volunteer orientations.
In January, Melanie Larson and I spent a day posting individual hours accumulated from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2011. Each volunteer received a report of hours via email. Many of you added missed hours or confirmed the computer's count. Thank you all for checking your records.
Guild members contributed over 4,100 hours, including 1,397 tour hours, in the last six months of 2011. Thank you everyone for your hard work and dedication to the museum. I would also like to single out Melanie Larson for her willingness to help, her quick learning on the computer, her attention to detail, and her cheerfulness, even when the computer is frustrating or confusing us. She has stepped up to assist me with membership tasks big and small, and always with a smile. I couldn't have handled the load without her assistance since the computer was returned. Thanks, Melanie.
And lastly, Dennie Dyer, Nancy and Bob Johnson, and I met with the museum's Information Technology (IT) staff to discuss the possibility of posting our newsletters, minutes, and documents to a private website where guild members can access these documents and photos from home. We were pleased with a quick "yes" from the IT staff offering their assistance, and will begin posting later this spring.
Kim Tyndall,
Membership Chair
895-8627
kim.tyndall@comcast.net
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Or, use the Guild Room computer the next time you stop in. Click here for Guidelines for Logging Volunteer Hours |
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2011-2012
Executive Committee
Officers
Executive Chair:
Pat Howard
Executive Vice Chair:
Barbara Shepler
Treasurer:
Ted Parrot
Secretary:
Yvonne Dunham
Committee Chairs
Guild Communications:
Judy McKenna
Pauline Bogaert
Guild Meetings & Programs:
Nancy Johnson
Guild Membership:
Kim Tyndall
Museum Docents:
Carolyn Hollman
Zimmerman House Docents:
Dennie Dyer
Museum Shop:
Richard Russell
Special Projects:
Pam Parrot |
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Guild Executive Committee
L to R, back row: Richard Russell, Pauline Bogaert, Frances Gray, Judy McKenna; middle row: Carolyn Hollman, Dennie Dyer, Pam Parrot, Kim Tyndall; front row: Yvonne Dunham, Barbara Shepler, Pat Howard and Ted Parrot. Not shown: Nancy Johnson. |
The Currier Guild in action enewsletter Staff:
Editors: Judy McKenna and Pauline Bogaert
Photo Editor: Anna Zhurbey
Production Assistance: Neva Cole, Michelle Pennington
Special thanks to Carolyn Hollman for many of the photos in this issue. |
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Tips for Viewing and Printing the Guild enewsletter
The Guild enewsletter displays and prints differently depending on the email program and/or internet browser you are using. It is best viewed in the Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari browsers. To do so, download one of these programs by clicking on the link, install and make it your default browser, then click on the link at the top of the enews page "Having trouble viewing this email? Click here." The enewsletter will then open in the browser you have chosen. |
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Photo editor: Anna Zhurbey |
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Guild of Volunteers
Annual Report
2010-2011
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 and Luncheon
Tuesday, June 5: Registration and Coffee - 9:45 a.m.
Manchester Country Club
Invitations to Come |
Spotlight
Kim Tyndall is a Go-Getter
She is the Guild's membership chair; on the National Docent Symposium Council; a board member of World Affairs Council of New Hampshire; and co-founder of the "Inspired Words" program. Besides all that, she runs a business, sews and is a web whiz.
 | | Jean McGiffin and Kim Tyndall with A Knock at the Door, subject of a recent Inspired Words program. |
Kim's roots in New England are deep, although that wasn't always the plan. "I grew up in a little town in Connecticut, always wanting to move to a warmer climate," she says. No warm locales yet for Kim. She went from her home state to an all-female college, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass.
Her social and political activism began there. She organized a one-day food fast on campus for students to reflect and learn about food and its role in their lives. Kim met with a reluctant dean daily for several weeks, finally convincing the dean the college should donate the money saved during the fast.
Kim remembers the moment clearly even today: "The dean went quiet for a couple seconds, then said, 'You got me. You got it. We will donate'." Nearly 75 percent of Mount Holyoke students participated resulting in a donation of more than $2,000 for food-related charities. She also organized the first Food Day program in 1976 for students and the local community.
At the end of her freshman year, Kim had a paid internship at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. In her senior year she worked at the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization in New York City. Graduating college in 1977, she got a job in Boston. While there she frequently visited the Museum of Fine Arts imagining volunteering there some day.
Later, she entered the computer world after a friend mentioned an opening at a start-up company. "I started as a gal Friday," Kim says, of her entry into the high-tech world. Kim, who calls herself a "hugely curious person" managed the installation of the company's main frame. "I was there five years, and learned an immense amount doing that."
Kim, 56, moved to New Hampshire in 1998. Settling in Raymond, she opened a business, Working With Words Collaborative, preparing online help systems, documents, manuals and websites. When she received an email recruiting Currier docents, she jumped at the chance. "My main goal for being a docent," she says, "was to get over my fear of public speaking, and it worked."
Jean McGiffin and Kim graduated from docent training in 2008. "We felt a bit insecure [about giving tours]," says Kim. "We decided to do a pre-concert tour together." Both felt "pretty good about the tour," and decided to pair up for a holiday poetry tour. "We clicked," says Jean. "Then Kim suggested a poetry tour, and my response was, 'I have to learn poetry too'?" For the first tour, the two picked a number of art and artists, and Kim chose the poetry for each.
At one selection, Fannie Hillsmith's Christmas Tree, "People began going over to the tree, picking out objects they saw," says Kim, "because the poem had sparked their curiosity." Kim and Jean realized combining poetry and pictures was fun to do and it called attention to the art. The pair later led "Heavy Metal," a tour featuring metal sculpture, and "Thank Heavens for Little Girls," about girls pictured in the collection, including Kim's favorite work Mary Anne with her Basket by Robert Henri. She also likes Childe Hassam's Columbus Avenue, Boston, a street scene when tilted becomes a woman's face. "I like to think she was someone he knew that lived on that street." (Read Kim's poem, Columbus Avenue through Childe's Eyes, by clicking here).
Next, Kim and Jean proposed Inspired Words. As a member of the Raymond Writers Group, Kim had previously suggested a writing project where an object was selected and members penned prose. Thinking the same scheme would work with Currier art as the object, Kim and Jean encouraged writers in the community to submit written work, which they then presented at a speical museum event.
Inspired Words was "totally Kim's inspiration, implementation, and, thanks to her persistence, it has been well received," says Jean. Harriet Whitney Frishmuth's Crest of the Wave was the subject of the first Inspired Words program in August 2009. Another writers' program held at the Currier - without art selected - was in observance of the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. It drew 35 written pieces from around New Hampshire. "We've done seven programs so far," Kim says, "Each has been quite different." For a Valentine's Day program last month, Kim and Jean picked A Knock at the Door by Laura Alma-Tadema.
Kim and Jean - who was honored Kim asked her along - traveled to the National Docent Symposium in St. Louis to present "Inspired Words: Art & Poetry at the Currier Museum of Art" in late 2011. After an arduous selection process, Kim was chosen to serve on the NDS council as New England regional director.
Not only are Jean and Kim good collaborators, they are also good friends. "Kim is charming, extremely talented," says Jean, "and a kind and caring human being."
- Pauline Bogaert |
Guild Members Exhibit at Petals 2 Paint
Show opens April 19
 | | Muriel McMillan's arrangement won the Petals 2 Paint 2011 People's Choice Award and graces this year's post card. |
Three members of the Currier's Guild of Volunteers will exhibit floral arrangements at the ninth annual Petals 2 Paint exhibition. The event, which pairs artwork with floral designers' creations, will be held April 19 to 21 at East Colony Fine Art, 55 S. Commercial St., Manchester.
Guild members involved are: Muriel McMillian, museum docent and member of the Bedford Garden Club; Peeps Bogaert, museum docent and member of the Manchester Garden Club; and Jo Russavage, Z-house docent. Museum docent and artist, Sally Shea, is organizing the exhibit for East Colony Fine Art.
Opening is Thursday, April 19, 5 to 8 p.m. (also the city's first Open Doors Manchester/Trolley Night of the 2012 season). The show continues Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. For more information, contact Sally Shea, 624-6661, sallygordonshea@yahoo.com.
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Nominating Committee Wants You
Each year the Nominating Committee meets to select committee chairs and officers for vacant positions on the Guild of Volunteers Board. Chairs and officers serving on the board have not only a "seat on the plane," but serve as pilots, navigators and flight attendants by adopting policies on behalf of the entire Guild.
We are looking to fill two officer positions: Secretary and Executive Vice Chair. We also need volunteers to chair the Museum Shop and Library.
The committee has been reviewing candidates, and will propose a slate at the Annual Meeting. If there is an open chair you are interested in, please submit your name to the committee. If you have been asked to serve, please say "yes."
Contact me, Nominating Committee Chair, or Carolyn Hollman, Dennie Dyer, Richard Russell, and Nancy Johnson.
Barbara Shepler,
Executive Vice Chair, Guild of Volunteers
472-2577
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Museum Docent Report
What is VTS, Anyway?
For three months, Jane Seney, Educator for Tour and Docent Programs, held workshops for museum docents interested in learning Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS.
According to its homepage, Visual Thinking Strategies is "a research-based teaching method that improves critical thinking and language skills through discussions of visual images." This teaching method uses art and is based on psychologist Abigail Housen's more than 10 years of study of aesthetic thought.
 | | Sandra Townsend, Elaine McCartney and Fran Hall at a recent VTS training |
Housen's research found her carefully prescribed pedagogical method not only increases art viewing skills, but positively impacts brain development, improves reading and writing abilities, and teaches important social skills. It also develops "other cognitive operations, specifically observing, speculating, and reasoning on the basis of evidence" in a relatively short time.
Jane first introduced the VTS method at three small workshops of 20 to 25 participants where docents learned and practiced the technique. She emphasized the necessity to adhere to Housen's six-step script, including the specific language employed in each step. Smaller groups of five or six docents then practiced leading others through discussions using VTS with a variety of art slides - asking the scripted questions: "What's going on in this picture?" "What do you see that makes you say that?" "What more can we find?"
 | | Ann Richardson and Pam Harvey at VTS training |
Docents were then asked to respond by paraphrasing, pointing, and linking one comment to previous comments. The leader of a VTS discussion had to accept each comment neutrally, listen carefully, and avoid "giving" information or implying there were "right and wrong answers." Finally, each workshop leader had a moment to "debrief" and react to the experience.
According to Jane, VTS is just "another tool in your tool box" to use for Currier tours. The method works best with paintings and photographs with narrative content, although a sculpture such as Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii certainly tells a narrative story. In addition, while the research largely targets school children and supports impressive success with students, including English Language Learners, docents who have mastered the VTS method can use it with other audiences as well.
 | | Muriel McMillan and Yvonne Dunham at a recent meeting |
According to Currier Director and CEO Susan Strickler, members of the Currier's Advisory Council loved the VTS tours Jane conducted for them, and some of the docents have reported positive responses to VTS from adult visitors.
For those who attended these workshops and wish more practice, Jane has scheduled additional VTS sessions. Called "The Long Look," these meetings - March 13, April 10, and May 8 - will give participants an opportunity to practice VTS on works displayed in the galleries.
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Zimmerman House Docent Report
The Wright Vacation
As the cold, snowy winter days seem to stretch on endlessly, is it time for a Wright vacation? Some of my favorite Wright places are in chilly areas like Buffalo, Chicago and Wisconsin. At this time of year I'd rather imagine going to another of my favorite Frank Lloyd Wright spots in Arizona.
This year Taliesin West is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Frank  Lloyd Wright building his winter home in Scottsdale. In 1956, an Architectural Record survey named Taliesin one of the 50 most significant works of architecture designed over the past 100 years. In another survey in 1991 Taliesin was 25th on the list of the 100 most noteworthy works of architecture in the world.
Taliesin is one of about 20 Wright buildings under consideration for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre's World Heritage List, the most prestigious recognition a cultural property can achieve. Taliesin is a campus of many buildings including Wright's home, studio, and seven other entertainment, living or working areas.
In addition to daily tours from one to three hours, many specialty tours and events are scheduled, including "Night Lights on the Desert," which provides an opportunity to see Taliesin in the evening with the structures lighted from within. There are also tours led by students of their self-designed "desert shelters," and Taliesin offers multiple workshops ranging from half-day to multi-week courses in ceramics, figurative sculpture, jewelry techniques, design and photography.
While you are in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area, don't miss other Wright buildings such as the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, First Christian Church, and The Spire, a 125-foot marker in the Scottsdale's Promenade Shopping Center.
For more information about Taliesin West tours, special events, exhibitions and classes go to www.franklloydwright.org.
 Dennie Dyer,
Zimmerman House Docent Chair
434-8794
dennie.dyer@comcast.net
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Exploring the Zimmerman House: Storage
A Pattern for Gracious Living
With no attic or basement, a Usonian house is trimmed of the superfluous down to the last inch. Yet, Frank Lloyd Wright managed to incorporate the necessities of life in the Zimmermans' 1667-square-foot dwelling without sacrificing either beauty or spaciousness.
While his clients held the line on practical matters, Wright put poetry into the performance. Because he designed not only the house but also its appointments, he was able to create what he called "a pattern for more simplified and, at the same time, more gracious living" with no wasted space. The Zimmermans called it "utility...married to beauty."
 Art and music are astutely integrated into the structure. A music cabinet, as it is named on the plans, spans the entrance gallery, discreetly housing audio equipment while providing a display surface for exhibiting objects to introduce the homeowners' taste. Behind its simple cypress doors is a bounty of flexible space for miscellany to be stashed out of sight. An adjoining table extending into the garden room easily accommodates oversized art books on its lower deck. A bank of cabinets in the piano alcove holds more than 200 pieces of sheet music (and was perhaps where Dr. Zimmerman kept his prized violin).
In the dining loggia, three robust cypress shelves add depth to the brick wall, and originally served as a hutch for dinnerware. A deconstructed buffet unit conceals a silverware tray and deep drawers beneath more shelves for displaying glassware and dishes.
The workspace*, a concentration of conveniences, was fitted with special care. There are tall slots on either side of the stove for baking sheets; a unique, hanging pot rack with companion lid rail; and a commodious food cupboard. The enclosed area to the left of the sink was used to stow a rolling teacart. It was not designed by Wright, so kept out of sight!
The private rooms offer some unexpected and luxurious storage facilities. The Zimmermans requested at least 30 feet of clothes closets, and they are all fully lined with aromatic cedar. In the master bedroom, a wardrobe occupies the entire east wall, low cabinets fitted with drawers extend the width of the room on the south, and a shallow necktie cabinet hangs on the brick wall between them. Bookshelves installed above the bed maximize the storage potential of the walls.
The master bath is also a dressing room. A tall, maple chest of drawers and two-tiered, hanging rods are hidden behind cypress doors, and a full-length mirror conceals another large closet. Wardrobe facilities continue in the guest room, with more maple drawers and generous provision for off-season clothing. A question that often arises in this room is: Did the Zimmermans use the overhead space for storage. The answer is yes, and it was indeed stuffed.
This is one of the challenges of living in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright: He considered it imperative to provide as much convenience as good sense and fine proportions would allow. But the numerous decks, ledges, shelves and table tops he furnished seem to inspire an irresistible urge to collect, so no matter how much storage is built into the fabric of the house, it is often not enough.
The good news? With no basement to throw things into, everything is right at hand.
-Victory Duffy
*Ed. note: Workspace is the name Frank Lloyd Wright gave to his combination kitchen and laundry space. |
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Museum Seen
I have never been much of a fan of Salvador Dalí or the later works of Pablo Picasso, but all that changed recently thanks to three different museums.
In December, I spent nearly three weeks in southern France and northern Spain. Beginning in Pézenas, France, I drove 104 miles southwest to Figueres, Spain, where Dalí created the Dali Theatre-Museum (Teatro-Museo Dalí) on the ruins of a 19th century theater.
 | | Face of Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment |
The museum has 4,000 Dalí artworks, which the artist placed exactly where he wanted each piece. There is Gala Nude Watching the Sea, a huge portrait of Abraham Lincoln that turns into a nude woman when viewed from a different distance. A room with a fireplace, paintings, chairs, and curtain astonishingly becomes Mae West when viewed through a lens.
Dalí not only designed sculptures to be placed in niches and courtyards, but also created holograms and mobiles. In doing so, he transformed my view of him as only a surrealist painter, an artist more concerned with startling a viewer than anything else. The Dalí painting collection includes art reminiscent of Cezanne, Seurat, Picasso and Braque, which reveals Dalí's search for his own style within the framework of contemporary European artwork. Like Picasso, the museum shows much of Dali's more traditional, early work (portraits of his sister Ana; beach and race-track scenes; and girls standing at windows) which shows a talent often overshadowed by Dali's comic nature. It is a museum not to be missed.
Two hours from Figueres is Picasso Museum in Barcelona (Museu Picasso de Barcelona). This museum began with a nucleus of 600 items donated by Jaume Sabartés, Picasso's friend and secretary. The museum's collection now has 3,800 pieces of Picasso's early works. The First Communion, 1896, shows Picasso's incredible talent when only 15. It is housed in five adjoining palaces in the city's Gothic quarter. Portraits, sketches, and blue-period artworks alone make a visit worthwhile. The rooms devoted to Picasso's 45 pieces of Las Meninas are so eye-opening they changed my idea of Picasso as an artist. Surrounding the finished artwork are walls and rooms full of sketches. These sketches are arranged by date, often by time, showing how Picasso's conception of the Meninas changed with the time of day, or the day itself. Like most artists, Picasso did strive for perfection.
Going the additional six hours to Madrid, I saw this same striving for perfection at the Queen Sofia Museum (Museo Reina Sofía). It has a staggering collection of modern art - Gris, Braque, Kandinsky, Calder, Dalí, and Picasso - and now has Picasso's Guernica, displayed in the center of a long gallery. On the nearby walls hang hundreds of sketches of often tiny aspects of the main piece. This again reveals Picasso's devotion to creating exactly the perfect image he conceived.
The Dalí costs 12 euros and photography is allowed; Picasso admission is 10 euros and photography is not allowed. Sofia's admission is 6 euros, and photography is allowed except in the Guernica rooms.
- Alan Slotkin
If you have visited a museum recently and would like to share your experience, please contact either Judy McKenna or Peeps Bogaert. |
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Applause, Applause!
Currier Staff Members Receive Awards
Every year, the New Hampshire Business Review celebrates "the success and achievements of women in our state's business community" with the Outstanding Women in Business Awards. Six women are chosen "from all walks of life and professions." This year, one of the recipients of this prestigious award is Currier Director and CEO Susan Strickler.
Susan was nominated by Currier Board of Trustees President David Jensen, and Trustee Kimon Zachos. They nominated Susan because of her impressive work in guiding the museum through the most recent capital campaign and 2006-08 expansion. Regarding the nomination Jensen said, "I have been through this process in both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses and have never seen a project come through on budget, on time, and with an award-winning building that pleases both architects and the public. Susan led this whole process."
The award was presented at the Bedford Village Inn the evening of February 15.
In December, Art Center Program Manager Linn Krikorian received the Women of the Arts Recognition Award from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. This award recognizes "worthy women at the community level for outstanding achievements in the non-performance arts." DAR Manchester Chapter Appointed Trustee and Currier Volunteer Marilyn Davison approached Art Center Director Bruce McColl to inquire whether he'd like to nominate someone on his staff. He immediately identified Linn as the candidate. In his letter of support, Bruce wrote "Linn's contributions extend, furthermore, beyond the broad to the specific: she teaches a core group of adult painters, many of whom have been attending her Wednesday morning class for over 15 years! This group of painters calls the Art Center home, and Linn is the matriarch they look to for guidance, friendship and inspiration."
The letter goes on to cite several more Art Center audiences with whom Linn's impact is similarly felt. Currier Director of Human Resources Karen Graham also wrote a letter of endorsement for Linn as both an employer and a parent of a student. Her letter ends with "she has touched the lives of many, and among her students, there are many more passionate and talented artists so much the better for having known and studied with her."
Congratulations to both Susan and Linn for their most-deserved honors.
Michelle Pennington,
Associate Educator
669-6144, ext. 151
mpennington@currier.org |
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The Screening Room
Films on Frank Lloyd Wright
Since the Zimmerman House is currently closed it might be a good time to refresh our memories of all things Wright. The Volunteer Video Library's large number of programs related to Wright, his various projects, and his family life will be listed in two parts. Part 1 appears below. Part 2 will appear in the next issue of the enewsletter.
As a reminder, all the titles in the Volunteer Video Library have been assigned a random identification number. The information below gives only the ID#, title and a brief summary taken from the entries in the three-ring-binder (in the closet), edited for brevity.
 DVD#002 -- THE ARCHITECTURE OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT. A tribute to the life and work of FLW narrated by Wright's granddaughter, actress Anne Baxter. It is a "...comprehensive survey of Wright's life and career, from his apprenticeship with Louis Sullivan in Chicago to his final days at Taliesin in Wisconsin. Among the buildings included here are Robie House, the Wright home and Studio, Ennis House, Millard House, Unity Temple, the Larkin Building, Hollyhock House, the Guggenheim Museum and many others." --From the cover.
DVD#003 -- FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: THE ZIMMERMAN HOUSE. An interview with John Geiger, the apprentice who executed Wright's design, followed his instructions and who ultimately became the contractor for the project. As was the custom, Mr. Geiger lived with the Zimmermans for the year it took to complete the project. Note: The quality of the first section is sometimes erratic but the interview is quite wonderful. The second section (Interior Views) is awful.
DVD#008 -- A VERY PROUD HOUSE: THE CREATION OF HOLLYHOCK HOUSE. The first of Wright's famed California RomAnza designs, Hollyhock House has been named one of the most significant structures of the 20th century by the American Institute of Architects.
DVD#009 -- FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AND THE MARIN COUNTY CIVIC CENTER: AN ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC STUDY. The Marin County Civic Center, located in San Rafael California, was Frank Lloyd Wright's last commission. Groundbreaking took place in 1960, after Wright's death and under the watch of Wright's protégé, Aaron Green. It was completed in 1962 and now is a State and National Historic Landmark.
# 17 -- FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: WISCONSIN TOUR. This video features the work of famed Wright photographer Pedro E. Guerrero, whose work gives the viewer a view of Wright's background.
# 32 -- FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: PROPHET WITHOUT HONOR. "The controversial life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright... is examined." Interviews with his wife, Olgivanna, his close friend and architect William Wesley Peters, and Milwaukee Journal architecture critic Ello Brink are included.
# 33 -- PARTNER TO GENIUS: A BIOGRAPHY OF OLGIVANNA LLOYD WRIGHT. Includes interviews with Olgivanna, their daughter Iovanna and granddaughter Eve, and members of the Taliesin Fellowship. Family films and archival footage of both Taliesin and Taliesin West enhance the presentation.
# 48 -- SAVING TALIESIN: PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT. This national historic landmark suffers from serious deterioration caused by water, settling, and decay. This is "...the story of how private, state, and national interests, in the form of the Taliesin Preservation Commission, are working to preserve the building while still allowing the life within those buildings to continue." -- From the cover.
# 49 -- PRAIRIE SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE. Reviews the goals of Wright's designs, his early and late projects, and the work by colleagues and students of Wright.
# 66 -- THE RENEWING OF A VISION: THE RESTORATIONS OF THE MEYER MAY HOUSE DESIGNED BY FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT. In 1985 the Steelcase Company conducted extensive research to determine the original design of this house. Bit by bit the evidence accumulated until Wright's 1909 vision was revealed and restoration could be done.
# 96 - FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: THE OFFICE FOR EDGAR J. KAUFMANN. Examines the historical and social context for the office which Wright designed for Edgar J. Kaufmann, the owner of Fallingwater.
Theia Fischer,
Film writer
883-2102
maydr@localnet.com |
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