Muscarelle's New Exhibtion: Architect's Unfinished Experiments with Building "Skins"

The Muscarelle has a new exhibition this month that displays some truly innovative and beautiful creations built around what seems like a simple enough thing: the outsides of buildings. While introducing some aesthetically impressive new models, like the Climate Design dsiplay featuring glowing plastic boulder-like ground nodes, the exhibtion is focused on describing functionality and possible applications of the "skins" (creating climate-controlled outdoor areas in the case of the glowing nodes). I would especially recommend this show to students (or anyone) interested in engineering, environmental studies, and architecture; it is a truly fascinating look into the future of possibilities in sustainable architecture. Remember all Muscarelle exhibtions are free to students, and "Skins" will be open until October 24th. Museum hours are Tuesday-Friday 10-5, Saturday and Sunday 12-4.

-Cierra

Welcome Back!

Whether you're new to the Tribe or returning for your final year at the College, September is the perfect time to visit the Muscarelle. My name is Justine, and, though I'm new to the DEN blog, I'm actually a returning student volunteer here at the Museum. In addition to volunteering in the DEN last Spring, I also interned this summer as one of three student curators on the current exhibition Impact: Expression in Abstraction - as a business major, it was an amazing opportunity to be a part of the behind-the-scenes aspect of museum exhibition design. The exhibition was actually featured in the latest edition of The Flat Hat (you can read the full article at http://flathatnews.com/files/pdf/flat-hat_08_27_10_0.pdf.) Feel free to comment with any questions on what it's like to be a student curator, or with your feedback on the article (the author Grace did a great job!) - and of course, please stop by see the exhibition in person. Entry is always free for students, and everyone here in the DEN would love to hear your feedback!

- Justine

Preperations for Michelangelo

We have worked through the winter, but the preparations for Michelangelo have been fantastic along the way, the exhibition is coming together, in a more amazing way than we imagined. It was well worth it to work through the holidays, on an exhibition of works by Michelangelo. After all, how often do people get to organize an exhibition by the Master. The works borrowed from Casa Buonarroti (ancestral home of Michelangelo) are some gems that are rarely seen, and almost never loaned. Starting February 6th you will be able to see the true treasures and unique drawings and preparatory sketches for some of his most amazing works. We look forward to seeing you all over the next few months.

Whats that smell?

Ahhh. There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh paint in the air. And this smell has made its way across the entire museum.

Today was one of those days where there was plenty of little tasks for volunteers to do, with the Andy Warhol exhibit coming our way. I helped to paint, or cut in, the edges of the walls and around the exit signs, using a really tall ladder to reach what I could. I did this knowing I have a fear of falling and landing, I just decided it would be one of those things I could do to help gradually face this fear. But the pink walls are going to be quite fitting!

After that I worked on my on-going advertising and promotion project for a little bit. I'm making templates for the print advertising, so that people may switch around the images and text for future publications.

Now I am in the process of peeling labels and sticking them on postcards for the VIP and the Members' Opening receptions and lectures. Joy! (Its okay, although its one of those menial tasks, I kind of enjoy repetitious activities)

-Catherine

Hello!

Hello,

My name is Catherine and I’m new to the Den Blog! I am currently a junior and I am a studio art major and marketing minor. I started volunteering at the Muscarelle during the Spring ’09 semester because I’ve had a strong fascination with art history, and I figured that it would be an educational experience to volunteer here and see what it would be like to work at a museum, a potential career path for me. I found that it gives me a break from the regular school work I do, and that I do get general sense of what goes on towards running and organizing a small museum, but I still haven’t decided if museum work is for me. I love prints and printmaking (I taking History of Prints, Silkscreen printmaking, and Advanced Relief Printmaking this semester), so I wanted to be around in the background this semester when the Andy Warhol exhibit comes around.

Because of my interest in marketing, this semester I (and a couple other volunteers) has been given the task of helping find the Muscarelle think of a new marketing strategy towards students. I was told that the goal of the museum is to find a way to bring every single student through the doors of the Muscarelle at least once a semester. This may or may not be possible, but I’ll give it a shot! As far as I can tell, most of the emphasis will be on getting people in for the Warhol exhibit.

One of the great things about volunteering at the Muscarelle is that I’m typically in the know about the events, lectures, or special guests who come to visit the museum or college. Just before my volunteer shift today, I went to a special discussion and Q&A session open to 20 students (only 15 came) with David Allan Brown, the curator of Italian and Spanish paintings at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. , who is receiving one of the two Leslie Cheek medals today or tomorrow. I felt a little bit out of place as an art major who hasn’t narrowed down what to do for a career, but it was nice to hear about his background and how fell into his career. Several of the other students there had questions regarding what type of college degree to get in order to get into curation or exhibit design (Masters vs. PHD, Art History vs. Museum Studies).
I have several other fun stories regarding museum events, but I will wait to share them some other time.

Also, as a side note, phones have always scared me a little bit. Not necessarily my own phone, but answering phones that aren’t my own. This semester I’ve had to answer the DEN phone and attempt to take messages while people on the other side typically talk really fast about important sounding things. It has been awkward occasionally, I must admit, but I am getting over this fear pretty quickly.

Hello, friendly Internet dwellers and fellow DEN enthusiasts! This is Elayne, and I thought I’d introduce myself, since you’ll likely be hearing a lot more from me in the next two years (unless, somehow, I get myself fired).

I’m the new Graduate Assistant here in the DEN, and I’m currently working on my Master’s Degree in School Counseling. I also went to good old WM for my undergraduate degree and graduated in 2007. Unfortunately, as an undergrad, I wasn’t aware of all the great resources that the Muscarelle has to offer, and my educational experience was weaker because of it. Lucky for you, however, it is now MY job now to make sure that you don’t make that same tragic mistake!

I'll be working on different student outreach programs while I'm here (when I'm not hauling heavy boxes of musty books, of course), so if you have any ideas about how to make the Muscarelle YOUR Muscarelle, let me know!

With sore arms and high hopes,
Elayne

WM Faculty Exhibition Opening

The Muscarelle Museum of Art is pleased to announce the latest exhibition, The College of William and Mary Faculty Show Eleven, opens tonight at 5:30 PM. All are welcome for wine and snacks. This unique offering of the very talented Studio Arts Faculty will be on display until October 24th.

Back to School 2009

Gearing up for another year already! Today is freshman move in day and the campus is buzzing with parents and students arriving with car loads of goods to pack in their dorm rooms. The museum is also a buzz in preparation for the students to return and the upcoming exhibition, the 11th Faculty Exhibition, opening September 5th.

The campus is filled with opportunities for students, and the Museum is one that offers many facets of experience. The Museum works with two student groups MUSE, and WaMAC, both will be at the club fair August 25. Stop by their tables for a free poster and more information about the clubs, as well as what they do for the Museum. The Museum will also be at the Volunteer Fair September 9th, from 4-6. Volunteering at the Museum gives you a great opportunity to get real life experience to compliment your academic studies. Talk to current volunteers about their experience, and look forward to a bonus gift from the Museum. Interviews for student volunteer positions will be held, the 10- 14. Be sure to fill out an application and set up an appointment if you are interested.

And what seems to becoming an annual event, the DEN, is getting ready for the welcome back ice cream social. Join us Thursday, August 27th, 5:30 – 7:30 for a museum open house, a cool treat, and surprise give away.

Stay tuned, as the volunteers come back into town we will be sharing experiences about the behind the scenes activities at the Museum.

What are you doing here?

Hello!
For my second-ever entry here on this blog, I thought I'd write about something I get asked frequently by a variety of people, when they learn both my field of study and what my graduate assistantship is.

First, I am in the school psychology program here at William and Mary. School psychology isn't school counseling, but that's kind of close. It is a student service, but more instructional/academic/I won't be using a couch and Freudian techniques (not that school counselors do that, of course). Real quick, school psychologists pretty much tackle everything in schools, primarily educational and cognitive testing, behavior plans, classroom placement, academic interventions, special education interventions etc. The profession itself can vary from county to county, school to school.

So, the question I get asked a lot is "What is a (future) school psychologist doing working in an art museum?"
The quick answer: pretty much anything and everything.

While art, art history and museum were brand new to me when I came to graduate school, I was ready for a challenge, for something new. Here at the museum, I lend my knowledge of education to exhibition openings, school outreach, developmentally appropriate materials, student art classes etc. I get to work with students of all ages and abilities, while stretching my own creative legs. I get to jump on research topics and projects, and will hopefully be learning grant writing. For a graduate assistantship, that's not half-bad. (Sure beats PDFing whole books and data entry all day!)

Within the past year, and I can imagine within this coming year, I have been given the opportunity to jump on so many projects and experiences... I'm going to have one interesting and packed curriculum vitae when I interview for internship positions next Spring!
So, it seems the real question should be "Why aren't there more future school psychologists working in art museums?"

~Kathryn

Education, Ice Cream, and Frisbees

Unfortunately readers, None of us DEN-dwellers has been able to post a blog in quite some time. But rest assured, the DEN is functioning smoothly.
We've been gearing up for the return of students and Faculty, and encouraging them to utilize the Muscarelle for all their education needs. Ideally, we want the Muscarelle to serve as sortof a lab for art and art history students in particular, and actually all students. Art can be correlated to all sorts of topics and fields of study, so hopefully we will have each and every major stopping by.

And, speaking of stopping by, don't forget that August 28th we're going to have free Ice Cream (so generously provided by Baskin Robbins) and Frisbees, featuring our fabulous new logo from 5:00 to 7:00 pm right outside the Muscarelle.

Mixin' it up

The beginning of classes here at The College is fast approaching, but even before that is Freshmen Orientation. Here at W&M, we don't just do a quick weekend introduction. Instead orientation is an intense (but fun and exciting) week-long affair. As someone who has experienced orientation first hand, I can say that mixers with other freshmen halls was a fun break from all the scary, official parts filled with paperwork.

Here in the DEN we want to introduce freshmen to the Muscarelle early, and educate them all about the museum. That's why we've designed several mixers for OA's (thats Orientation Aides) to choose from. Hopefully, starting the 22nd, we'll have freshmen in here doing arts and crafts and completing scavenger hunts, all the while socializing and mixing with their fellow students. Maybe they will love the museum so much after the mixers that we'll have dozens new interns! That's a stretch, but maybe we can get them to come to future Muscarelle events and exhibitions?

Here's hoping
Caitlin

Back From DC

Well,   

We are all back from our trip to Washington, DC. Well, we actually got back last Saturday but it has been so hectic around here I have just now been able to post. We had quite the fun filled weekend in our nation's capitol. We visited the National Portrait Gallery (and talked to their Director of Education), the International Spy Museum, the Newseum, as well as other cultural institutions. Those museum visits we did as a group and then we broke off and explored on our own. Personally, I went to the Holocaust Museum, the Hirshhorn, and spent much time enjoying the weather. 

Native American Museum

The Capitol

Section of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum

Amy, Ansley, Megan, and myself also took a trip to Peake DeLancey Printers in Dayton, MD to watch them print our new letterhead and business cards. We met up with Jeff Walters from CDG Interactive (our design agency for the re-branding) and Steve Johnson from Peake DeLancey. We were able to tour their HUGE facility and watch as our new materials came off the presses. Below are some interesting photos.

Here is the plate for our new letterhead being prepped for press

Our Business cards fresh off the press

Steve (middle) and Jeff (right) looking at the business cards

So here's an interesting article I read the other day about a Van Gogh piece: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25934213/?GT1=43001

and if you go ahead and read that, you'll discover that researchers utilized some uber fancy technolgy to help out some art historian discover what exactly did Van Gogh hide underneath one of his paintings. Turns out underneath some grass lurked a portrait of a mystery woman!

What I find the most intriguing is how science helped art: according to the article, "The reconstruction enables art historians to understand the evolution of Van Gogh’s work better, the researchers said in a statement. And the new technique is expected to pave the way for research into many other concealed paintings"

But less publicized is how art helps science, which serves as one of the main themes of Beyond the Edge of the Sea. Scientists can better understand what exists in the depths of the ocean by looking at Karen Jacobsen's fantastic watercolor illustrations, and how cool is that?

I'm constantly on the lookout for more information on how the arts and sciences collaborate. One good example: the amazing bottle-cap magnets we made with some of our art camp kids. OK, so the science wasn' t that comclicated, and neither was the creative process. But with a small magnet, a bottle cap, magazine cut outs, and a lot of glue, I now have a beautiful and functional way to hold up both documents and watercolors on my refridgerator.

-Caitlin

From the Desk of Dr. Gorman

Of course I need no introductions, but just for those not yet in the know, this is Amy, Curator of Education and New Media at the Muscarelle, and current warden of the DENmates. This summer has been a whirlwind of projects on exhibitions, education, research, marketing and development, all gearing up for our Extreme Exploration exhibitions including Beyond the Edge of the Sea: Diversity of Life, Celestial Images, and Underwater Photography by Dennis Libberson.
As we come to a close of the summer, I have to say thank you for the incredible work everyone has contributed to the DEN this season; Kathryn, Rusty, Paula, Megan, Sara G, Sarah W, Caitlin, Ansley, Jen, Christina, and Dave.

Amy

A Brief introduction...

Hello world.
Master of the Blog has commanded I introduce myself, so as a newbie to this whole blogging 'thing', I will give it a shot.....
My name is Kathryn and I am the School Programs and Artreach coordinator here at the Museum.... aka, the graduate assistant. I am a grad student here at William and Mary, studying school psychology. Having received my masters in May, I am now working on my Education Specialist degree.... oh yes, I'll be a master and a specialist. Now, how did a school psychology student end up in a museum?? I think its a grand ol' thing called fate. I have enjoyed tackling this new challenge and field, and learning about art, art history, and the ins-and-outs of a museum, which a year ago seemed like a whole other world to me.
As the school programs coordinator, I help to connect schools to the museum and exhibitions housed here via lesson plans and such. Artreach is a new program we are piloting and testing out, which involves bringing museum resources to the classrooms and schools, eliminating the red-tape and logistics nightmares, on the part of the teachers, of getting field trips here.
This summer, I have been working with the other fabulous ladies, Miss Caitlin and Miss Ansley, during a two-week gifted and talented art camp, as a part of William and Mary's Summer Enrichment Program for gifted students, grades K-10. With a week of The Artistic Word and a week of Looking to Listen, we connected art to the written word and to music with a cross-disciplinary approach to expression. Then, following the two weeks of GT classes, we have been hosting our own youth arts camp for kids with Miss Jen and have just been having fun.
I will admit now that I am neither sly nor witty, but will attempt to be somewhat entertaining, if not informative.
So stop on by, come see what we have here. Trust me, you will learn something new.

A Note on Bananas....

"I love bananas so much that I work at one!"





I was mocked mercilessly (but lovingly) by my fellow interns for this statement. I feel we have a pretty good comraderie here in the DEN, which hopefully shows in the work we do. There is no "I" in "DEN" of course. Kathryn and I have been double-teaming on a Beyond the Edge of the Sea education packet, and I might even have to ask someone's thoughts and opinions on this blog before I post it. We look out for each other, and thats just one of the many benefits of working at the Muscarelle.

p.s. I really do actually work at a Banana... Republic that is.
-Caitlin

Greetings DEN!

Greetings, fellow Den-dwellers!
I am Sarah and have only recently started working in the
Muscarelle
(this summer!)
But of course I will continue throughout the coming year!
I am a Junior--art major
which is why I work mainly on creative projects here at the museum:
illustrations!!!! (fun!) for various things like
Beyond the Edge and coloring books and pamphlets and of course anythingelsethatneedstobedone...
I am excited about this Blog, though, and Hope it will
be a great place to exchange ideas
and keep in touch
and up to date on everything going on at the museum!

On The Road (both literally and metaphorically)

Today is the last day of summer internships for many of us here at the Muscarelle. Three interns and Amy (the Curator of Education and New Media) are getting ready to head to Washington, DC for the weekend. We hope to be culturally enlightened and socially stimulated while taking in the nation's capitol. So far we will be exploring the back-stage functions of The American Portrait Gallery, the Newseum, and CDG Interactive (you will meet them soon). Oh, and we will be stopping by Urban Outfitters to get some new stuff for the DEN.

Now, on to CDG! CDG is a design firm based in Washington D.C. that was commissioned to rebrand the Muscarelle around the time of its 25th anniversary. They are an extremely talented group of designers with tons of experience both in and beyond the cultural field that we occupy. So far we have an amazing new logo, beautiful business cards, letterhead, and envelopes, and many other toys to make sure that all is well for our new identity. We will be officially launching the new brand at the opening of the Dulwich show in November. There are many amazing plans being worked on to make sure everyone is aware of the new logo and I am sure you will see forms, flyers, and products roll out of the museum before November that have the new identity applied to them. In the mean time here is a sneak peak at the logo on our new shirts.

 

Art speaks. Join the conversation.

Hello There!

Hello,

My name is Rusty and I am the "assistant to Development, Education, and New Media." I am a sophomore here at WM and have been in the museum for a year now. As far as what I do here, it changes just about everyday. Somedays it's laying out invitations, postcards, and newsletters, and others I'm just helping those in need of assistance. 

Currently, as Caitlin noted, we are all gearing up for Beyond the Edge of the Sea in the fall which is sure to be a smash hit. Briefly, the show is a wonderful collection of underwater illustrations of species found miles under the surface of the ocean. The watercolors were painted by Karen Jacobsen while on deep-ocean adventures with the legendary scientist Dr. Cindy Van Dover in the Alvin submersible. We have produced all kinds of amazing products such as a natural history guide, full exhibition catalog, and COLORING BOOK (my personal favorite). As a preview here is a sample coloring book. Who doesn't like connect the dots?