Conley Publishing - Special Sections
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The Museum of Wisconsin Art Cultivating the state's artistic future he Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend will celebrate the Grand Opening of its new building with a ribbon cutting ceremony and public open house on Saturday, April 6 and a special Family Day on Sunday, April 7. It is an exciting time, not just for the museum, but for the city of West Bend and the art community around the state. Just as the blueprints of the wedge-shape new MOWA are "outside-of-the-box," so too is the new vision for MOWA. As we set our path defining what the new MOWA is, four concepts have guided our thinking: innovation, technology, social connectivity and keeping the focus on the art. Without getting into the details too much, I will briefly define what I mean by these four notions. Innovation means being open minded and thoughtful about making changes that improve how the Museum functions. We must not think in terms of change, only for the sake of change, but think open mindedly and thoughtfully about everything we do and not hesitate to change — when change makes things better. Thoughtfully adopting technology can greatly enhance the museum experience. Thoughtlessly adopting technology wastes resources and cheapens the museum experience. We all feel the pull of technology but we must use it in a way that serves the museum's mission, not in a way that tries simply to replicate how technology T 2 • Museum of Wisconsin Art • News Graphic & Daily News • March 2013 is being used by other institutions in society. Certainly we experience art as individuals, but the experience can be more rewarding when we share it with other people. Museums have an important role to play in facilitating the social connectivity side of the art experience. We must find new ways of connecting in the galleries and through the Internet without forgetting what we are and why we are unique. Keeping the focus on the art — museums exist to help people experience art. All the other thoughts that I have mentioned feed into this idea. Everything a museum does should contribute to this objective. To put these four concepts into action, we have defined a new membership structure that is all about engagement. In contrast to other museums, we'll be offering memberships at a lower cost with unlimited entrance. The idea is simple. Pay a $12 entrance fee and visit the museum as much as you want, whenever you want, for a full year. Additional levels of membership will allow you further benefits. The new MOWA is a place that you will want to visit often, with changing exhibitions and even new works on loan that will be changing in the collection galleries. One thing is for certain, you can expect high caliber exhibitions that have national acclaim. As a Wisconsin artist you can be assured that we'll do our best to cultivate the state's artistic future, nurturing the next generation of Wisconsin artists. We will represent a wide range of art and artists. With a main gallery that will rotate exhibitions of only the best Wisconsin art, we'll also be dedicating a gallery to one up-and-coming artist in our ONE Gallery. The State Gallery will feature predominantly the works of one Wisconsin art organization, giving many artists the opportunity to have their work on display at Wisconsin's regional art museum. The new MOWA will be a destination for many, not just the West Bend community, but regionally, statewide and even through- out the Midwest. We are confident in its appeal and know that the visitors to MOWA will not only bring a positive effect to the museum, but to the city of West Bend. Guests to the museum will eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, fuel up in our gas stations and hopefully extend their visit by staying in our city's hotels. This groundswell of economic impact in the community gives us a lot to be excited about. With the opening of the museum just days away, it is time to acknowledge all of the people who have worked so hard to make this museum possible. A huge thank you goes to the Museum Board of Directors for your unrelenting dedication throughout this multiyear project; to the MOWA staff, for your hard work and perseverance from the planning phases and construction, to the opening preparations. Thank you to our donors and to the City of West Bend for your generosity and commitment throughout the project. To our volunteers, for all you have done to assist us throughout the years. A special thanks to the West Bend Daily News for producing this commemorative insert. And thank you, the West Bend community for your ongoing support of the Museum of Wisconsin Art. We hope that you will join us and take advantage of our opening weekend activities — on Saturday, April 6, a one day only free admission open house; and on Sunday, April 7, Family Day, featuring activities and entertainment for families with children. I and the entire MOWA staff look forward to welcoming you on our opening weekend. Here's to a new era of Wisconsin art! Laurie Winters, Executive Director-CEO