To fund or not to fund, that is the question in this installment of "Perspectives", where two writers go head-to-head discussing whether or not government funding for art museums is favorable or not.
Perspectives: Government Funding for Art Museums
Reality Check: Public Trust and the Essential Encounter
As businesses were forced to close nationwide in response to the coronavirus pandemic, many, including museums, were deemed nonessential. In this essay, Amanda Shepard describes the essential contribution of art museums to society: the life-changing encounter with wonderful things.
In the News: International Museum Day
The global pandemic has forced museums to close their physical doors and open their digital ones, begging the question: do we still need a physical museum space? As we celebrate International Museum day, we reflect on this question, asserting that the digital, while now an integral expansion of the museum experience, will not replace the physical, instead enhancing it.
National Poetry Month: The Next Generation of Great American Poets
April is National Poetry Month! Enjoy this sampling of works written by our 2020 Scholastic Writing Award recipients in the category of, you guessed it, Poetry!
National Poetry Month: Celebrating our Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Medalists in Poetry
Happy National Poetry Month! To celebrate, we're highlighting our regional Gold Key poets who were awarded National Medals in the 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
National Poetry Month: American Voices Nominees
April is National Poetry Month! Celebrate with FWMoA as we start things off with our poetry American Voices nominees: Annabeth Bretz and Elizabeth Newsom.
Slow Art Day: Combating Museum Fatigue
On this Slow Art Day, let's take a moment to discuss "museum fatigue" and how to combat it; so, when we are able to enjoy our museums again we are ready!
Happy April Fools’ Day from FWMoA!
Happy April Fools' Day! To celebrate, examine this Norman Rockwell lithograph. Does anything seem odd? See how many curiosities you can find! Hint: there are 56.
Perspectives: Paid versus Unpaid Museum Internships
To understand the arguments for and against providing paid internships, Alyssa Dumire, FWMoA Director of Children’s Education and Katy Thompson, FWMoA Children’s Education Associate have each taken a side (whether or not it represents their personal views or those of our institution) to help unpack the arguments at present.
Reality Check: Speaking up for Silence
Many of us today expect museums to be bustling hubs of activity, offering a range of sensory experiences. But what if this is all just a distraction from the very essence of museums? In this essay, Amanda Shepard explores the age-old argument that seemingly pits the people against the soulful experience of objects themselves.