FWMoA President & CEO Charles Shepard expounds on the differences between collecting and accumulating art: the former directed by intent while the latter is not.
Off the Cuff: Collecting vs. Accumulating Art
Off the Cuff: A Style is Born
What do The Beatles, Suprematism, and Abstract Expressionism have in common? Find out in this "Off the Cuff", where President & CEO Charles Shepard discusses how movements, whether musical or artistic, are born.
Off the Cuff: Let’s Get Real
Let's get real about Realism! In this "Off the Cuff", FWMoA President and CEO Charles Shepard talks about the fate and future of Realism as abstract art joined the scene.
Off the Cuff: Building Our Collection on a Budget
In this "Off the Cuff", President & CEO Charles Shepard discusses the collecting strategy for FWMoA and how it adheres to our mission as a museum.
Off the Cuff: The Origins of Abstraction
In this "Off the Cuff", President and CEO Charles Shepard addresses the movement from realist to abstract art, and the collective purpose of abstract artists to bringing truth into the world.
Off the Cuff: The Virtual Art Market
President & CEO Charles Shepard discusses the virtual art market during this time at home and how he continues to add to the FWMoA collection for everyone to enjoy once we reopen to the public.
Off the Cuff: Michael Estes Taylor’s Contribution to Contemporary Glass
Every generation of artists has wrestled with two major demons – how to create art that is distinct from the notable art that preceded them and how to create art that is relevant to the particular time in which they find themselves. Read on to see how contemporary glass artist Michael Estes Taylor found his place in the art world.
Off the Cuff: Barbara Stanczak, Visions of Intuition
Chief Curator, President, and CEO of FWMoA Charles Shepard writes on Barbara Stanczak's place in art history in this new installment of "Off the Cuff".
Off the Cuff: We Love Art More than We Know
What artworks do you love? What artworks make you feel happy in your space? President and CEO Charles Shepard discusses our love of stuff, in particular, our visual stuff: from our kids fridge art to prints by well-known artists to what we find in a gallery or museum.
Off the Cuff: Folk Artist Howard Finster
Throughout my career I’ve been blessed with friendships with some of the most interesting people in the art world. One of the most fascinating was the self-taught folk artist Howard Finster. I was a myopic art historian in training when I first saw Howard’s work in an art magazine in the library of the Clark Art Institute. I had no experience with “outsider art” and thought the idea that someone self-taught could actually make art was ridiculous. Several years later, however, while spending a long weekend in Chicago browsing through the galleries of River North, I called on art dealer Carl Hammer and discovered that his entire gallery was devoted primarily to these “outsiders.” My education about folk- or outsider- art began that afternoon as Carl walked me through his back room pulling painting after painting from the racks and telling me stories about each of his artists, including Howard Finster.