Friends of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art are sharing their cherished stories with us! These Museum Memories come from community members recalling experiences at the FWMoA that made a positive impact. From inspiring exhibits to meaningful events, these moments remind us of our own transformative museum experiences. Today we hear from Midge Wallace and her experiences with FWMoA.
Midge Wallace is one of our longtime supporters here at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Having moved to Fort Wayne in 1986, Midge began her FWMoA story in the beginning of a brand-new chapter for us, as the museum’s current building had just opened two years prior. She supported the museum with her time and talents as a docent for several years, which inspired her to create a Gallery Guest Program with her friend Barbara. After living all over the U.S., the work of Hoosier Salon artists in the museum’s collection showed her Fort Wayne’s Three Rivers, flora, and fauna, and gave her a love for the Indiana landscape. Her experiences with sharing art with children as a docent even inspired her to return to college to earn her teaching degree! According to Midge, the museum has been a place to make friends, study art, and enjoy a lifetime of learning. As the current historian of the Fort Wayne Art League, Midge continues to be one of our strongest supporters. One of Theodore Thieme’s concepts that inspired Midge when she first came to Fort Wayne was, “A city cannot grow without art.”
MW: When we moved to Fort Wayne in the spring of 1986, I noticed that there was an Art Museum in the downtown area. After getting the household in order and settling the children in school, I visited the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and was immediately charmed by the variety of art and sculpture. Throughout my childhood, art, theatre, and music had made a huge impact on me. My cousin had painted seascapes and landscapes, my uncle painted portraits, and my mother had designed any subject wanted for needlepoint. Family members often took me to plays, music, and museums and tried to encourage me to draw and paint.
During my school years the Mellon (National Gallery) 13-20th century art, Smithsonian’s Freer Collection of Asian Art, and Phillips Museum of European and American art reinforced our lessons in history, music and literature. Every year we toured different sections. Summertime introduced me to museums beyond our borders. It was great to see and hear cultures through local artists’ eyes. After college I returned to Washington D.C. and spent a year as a docent for the National Gallery.
Entering the Fort Wayne Museum of Art felt like coming home to familiar territory. I was enchanted with the sculptures that greeted me. The larger-than-life David Black’s Crossing and Mark di Suvero’s Helmholtz welcomed me. I asked if the museum needed a docent and was delighted when they accepted my offer. In the next decade I enjoyed sharing the works of Manship, Newman, and Rickey with school groups. Along the way I made lifelong friends, learned the history of Fort Wayne through the landscapes of George Winters and the portrait of the Hanna Family by Horace Rockwell, and was introduced to the Hoosier Impressionists. The works of William Forsyth, T.C. Steele, John Otis Adams, and Otto Stark displayed the beauty of Indiana.
By then it was time for me to go to work. I taught and worked in libraries for the next decade and visited the Art Museum from time to time. In the meantime, the Museum expanded and added more works of art, especially glass. I was asked to join the Fort Wayne Art League and gladly accepted in 2010. I was back with old friends, enjoying travels to nearby museums to see their exhibits, and listening to lectures on multiple subjects.
I feel that this museum has been at the forefront in collecting and preservation, while sharing everything enthusiastically with the general public. They are telling the story of Fort Wayne in a way that stimulates connection to each other and the whole world. This is why I continue to support FWMoA with time, support, and financial contributions. Theodore Thieme, a prominent Fort Wayne citizen, gave his house and ten paintings to the Fort Wayne Art School in 1921. He recognized the importance of art to the community.
Click here to learn more about our Volunteer Docent program and ways to be involved at FWMoA!