From the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Looking at, Talking about, and Appreciating Art
As the light fades from summer, October is a time for people to reflect on the unsettling subject of life and death which artists are uniquely placed to explore. Amanda Shepard reflects on these ideas through Martina Lopez’s art on view at #fwmoa.
Originally given as the keynote speech at the Catholic Creatives Virtual Summit, #fwmoa VP & COO Amanda Shepard reflects on the idea of "good taste" and where it comes from. Is it intrinsic? Or developed over time and through exposure to "good art"?
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.
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.
Does it ever strike you that two words, similar as they are, can have strikingly different meanings? When it comes to art, words that are commonly used interchangeably to describe creative work can actually bring us to a fork in the road on the path to meaning. Read on to spend a little time in the geeky world of art words.
After learning what Amanda Shepard "does" at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art as our Vice President and COO, she now follows up with the answer to the question she hears the most: Where do you get the art that you display?
In my role at FWMoA, I’m lucky enough to be inextricably linked to all our social media accounts, so every little thing people say about us is conveniently delivered to my inbox. Most reviews are positive, accurate, and heartwarming. Some stretch the truth, and others inspire my blog posts. A common set of complaints seem to bubble to the surface of our negative reviews: “It’s not as big as I thought it would be;” “There’s not enough to see;” “There were no famous artists like Degas or Renoir;” “It’s not like Chicago or Los Angeles.” Read on to see how our museum compares to others and what makes our collection unique.
The news media loves to circulate stories of brazen museum visitors who get too close to the objects in their midst, causing some degree of harm to priceless art and antiquities. The more valuable the art, the more headlines, and the more dramatic the damage, the more shame we in the audience can heap on the hapless fools.
Sensational news stories are one thing; real life “please do not touch!” incidents at FWMoA are another.