We’ve asked FWMoA staff the hardest question you can ask art museum people: so, what is your favorite artwork currently on display? As “art museum people”, we often get asked about our favorite artists, artworks, and the art we choose to hang on our own walls. Since not all of our staff are front-end, and not all of them write for the blog, this series gives everyone a chance to get to know them, too. Taking advantage of our rotating exhibitions of artworks, from painted portraits to sculpted bronzes, FWMoA staff from all departments are choosing artworks that enthrall and enchant them; or, in other words, playing favorites.
Meet Colleen Huddleson, FWMoA Vice President & Chief Programming Officer. Though her career at the Museum started as an exhibit preparator after college, she returned to us in October 2022 from her stint at St. Francis as the Dean of the School of Creative Arts. We initially asked her to complete a staff pick when she first started…in October 2022…and she finally did it! (In her defense, the FWMoA has a number of great works on display that constantly rotate, so we know the request is a tough one). Read on to see which piece caught her eye after all this time!
Her favorite? A Film & Animation submission to the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards which received a Gold Key, the highest Award at the regional (Northeast IN & Northwest OH) level. David Goldfuss’ work will go on to National Judging in New York City as a contender for a National Medal, announced on June 12.
Q: What is the first thing you noticed about this artwork? What drew you to this particular piece?
A: Vincent van Gogh. Vincent van Gogh was the first artist I fell in love with when I was young, and his Undergrowth with Two Figures was the first painting I craved to see in person. I spent many hours staring at the painting in my hometown art museum (Cincinnati Museum of Art), and I haven’t left the world of visual art since. So, when I saw Vincent van Gogh slowly became a three dimensional clay version of himself and step out of his frame, I was mesmerized all over again. In the animation, he is followed by Paul Klee’s Senecio and Edward Munch’s Scream. The simplicity of the stop motion animation in clay is so satisfying to watch, and the two minute film is all together delightful, sweet, and completely nostalgic for me.
Q: Would you hang this artwork in your home? Why or why not?
A: As an animation, I can’t strictly hang it in my house, but I’d love to have the movie to watch or possibly a still frame. I also wouldn’t mind having the little Vincent van Gogh clay figure to hang on my Christmas tree. I did show the film to my young kids who instantly tried to start making the same type of film at home.
Stop motion animation is a filmmaking/animation process where physical objects (in this case, clay figures) are physically moved in small increments and captured one frame at a time. When the frames are replayed in succession (like a flip book) they give the illusion of motion. Not realizing the time commitment, my kids created a 3-second video and moved on. This kind of animation takes a long time to execute – 12 pictures average about one second of video – which makes The Scream animation so impressive at over two minutes long.
Q: What does this artwork mean to you?
A: In addition to the major nostalgia I mentioned above, I also love this story. Three subjects of very prominent pieces of art leave their canvases and save the museum from a masked thief. I WISH this would’ve happened when two thieves stole 13 paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum over 30 years ago. [Editor’s Note: Check out the Netflix documentary This is a Robbery for the full scoop]. Those paintings have still not been found, but if only Isabella herself could have broken free from one of her many portraits in the collection to bop the robbers on the head to save the priceless paintings. I appreciate the super hero role these characters play. Its nostalgic, witty, sweet, and completely gratifying to watch. And who doesn’t love a happy ending!
There is nothing else like this film in the entire exhibit, and it’s my favorite piece entered this year.
Q: Why did you choose to work in an art museum?
A: It has always been my dream, since my early days in the Cincinnati Art Museum and studies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), to work in an art museum. I am absolutely over the moon. I am surrounded by beauty and wonderful people every day. Everyone here loves art – like me! We celebrate and share its wonder with thousands of people. I love to watch people relax and lose themselves in a piece of art.
Q: What kind of art (if any) do you have in your home?
A: The creations of my husband, my kids, my friends, and masters that I admire; and, of course, I have a framed print of Van Gogh’s Undergrowth with Two Figures.
Be sure to catch Colleen’s favorite work in the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards before it closes in two weeks, on April 7th.
Colleen!!! Living the dream, so happy for you.
J.Nix