Paint is paint, right? Apparently, not so much. For years, Iโve read labels next to artwork citing the medium, or material, as โacrylic on canvasโ, โtempera on canvasโ, or โoil on canvasโ without truly distinguishing between them. In this Art Term Tuesday, we dive into the particulars of paint, and why it matters to the artist's message.
Art Term Tuesday: Optical Art
Coming soon to FWMoA: Optical Illusions! Soon, four of our seven galleries will be showcasing Optical art by Julian Stanczak, though he preferred to call it Perceptual art, or art that plays with the viewers perceptions. Learn how artists boggle our mind and our eyes in this Art Term Tuesday by Kaitlin Binkley!
Art Term Tuesday: I Madonnari
Kaitlin Binkley, Marketing Coordinator With Chalk Walk just around the corner, I decided to delve deeper into the art of street painting and its long history around the world, beginning in Italy with the I Madonnari! Street painters at work. Photo courtesy of Kevin R. Mullett Street painters at work. Photo courtesy of Kevin R. …
Art Term Tuesday: Commissioned Artwork
Have you seen the news!? Downtown Fort Wayne is getting is getting a splash of color! Multiple commissioned artists have descended on the city and created fun artworks throughout the city. FWMoA has a few too! Read on as Kaitlin Binkley explains what a commissioned artwork is and where they are in the art museum.
Art Term Tuesday: Artist Colony
The Ideal Sketching Ground: Prints by the Artists of Brown County exhibits the artworks of various artists drawn to one area in southern Indiana in the early 1900s. In the little town of Nashville, IN, an artist colony was born and continues to thrive. What is an art colony? Why do artists gather together in them? Can I join? Letโs find out in todayโs Art Term Tuesday!
Art Term Tuesday: (Ill)Legitimate Art-Kitsch
Contributing writer Michael Breuning was inspired by a trip to The Broad in LA for this weeks Art Term Tuesday. Read on as he discusses what characterizes Kitsch art and why it get a bad rap in the art world.
Art Term Tuesday: Permanent Collection
Seven distinct gallery spaces, over a dozen phenomenal sculptures spread throughout our grounds, and two giant doors we try extremely hard to hide in plain sight! Weโve featured several artworks in our โTreasures from the Vaultโ series, offering a peek behind our โbarn doorsโ, but we canโt possible feature everything in our collection! We have over 6,500 items in our permanent collection, so even if we featured a new piece every day it would take us 19 years to show them all. How did we get so many items in our collection? Where did they come from? Why canโt they all be on display at once? Find out in todayโs Art Term Tuesday!
Art Term Tuesday: Avant-garde
How do we classify avant-garde art? Not to be confused with an art movement, like Impressionism or Abstract Expressionism, the avant-garde are the innovative, experimental individuals who begin the movements we learn about in art history. Read on to find out when an artist can be called avant-garde and who decides!
Art Term Tuesday: Portrait
Kaitlin Binkley, Marketing Coordinator In the simplest of terms, a portrait is a representation of a person. A self-portrait is a representation of the artist themself, like todayโs #selfie. There are many generalities associated with portraits, for example, generally, portraits include the face and the personโs expression. Generally, a portrait is more staged than a …
Art Term Tuesday: What’s in a Label?
Feeling overwhelmed by all the art? Not sure what youโre looking at? Start by reading the label! Read on to discover how exhibition text, even in a visual space like a museum, can help enrich your visit!

