9.26.2012

Racine: A Day of Magic



I had a fabulous day with my mom and dad today. Hoping that Mom would be up for a day out, I took a chance on planning a trip to Racine today to see the Wisconsin Photography 2012, at the Racine Art Museum's Wustum Museum, where I have three images on display. My hope paid off as evidently Mom was up and ready to go this morning long before it was time to leave!

We had a great time slowly going through the exhibit at the Wustum. If you have not been there, there are many rooms opening into other rooms both upstairs and downstairs. Mine were in an upstairs room and we came upon them at the end of our tour. Dad had gone to find a bathroom, so it was just my mom and I when we came around the corner and saw the three large pieces on the far wall. I was so surprised by Mom's reaction. 

The minute she saw them she gasped and brought her hands to her face. She slowly went to each one, keeping her hands cupped by her mouth.  She lingered over Columbine, which was an image I had made of a flower plucked from their garden. She told me it took her breathe away.   :-)


Columbine


She had been too sick to attend the opening several weeks ago and I was sad that she was not there for the award ceremony when I received a purchase award for Ginkgo Skirt.  I had dreamed of the day that my work might be included in the permanent collection so this purchase award was quite thrilling. However, this experience today was much more wonderful than being there with large noisy crowds. It was a magical experience just for us. At the award ceremony I looked forward to meeting the director of the Racine Art Museum, Bruce Pepich, who was to give out the awards. I was disappointed to learn that he was away for the weekend but Tricia Blasko with her effervescent personality made the award ceremony fun. I hoped to meet Mr. Pepich sometime soon at one of the upcoming events that the museum had planned so I could thank him personally for purchasing my work.

After the Wustum we had lunch at The Spinnaker Restaurant on the water by the marina. I chose the restaurant hoping it would stir memories of our Maine roots. Dad had lobster and shrimp quesadillas and Mom and I had crab cakes- all yummy.


Mom said being there reminded her of trips they had taken to the coast in Maine when she and dad were younger. She reminisced about sharing a vacation home on the coast with my Uncle Fred and Aunt Jean. She and my cousin, Sandy bought large containers of crab for $9.99 and while everyone else ate lobster they had partaken of spoonfuls of crab, savoring every bite. We talked about all the work that went into picking those crabs and I wondered aloud why the woman would be motivated to do that every morning. "This is the difference between my kids having new clothes for school or not.", the crab lady had told my mom. 

We all pretended we were somewhere on the coast of Maine as we watched a sailboat pass by beyond the breakwater. It was really windy out there and it was moving quickly, soon appearing as a dot on the horizon. We had fun looking at the all of the large boats in the marina, trying to imagine what they looked like inside and pondering having enough money to pay for the gas to run them. What a treat to have such a lovely lunch with my folks and have them so healthy and happy, too! 

We then headed to the Racine Art Museum (RAM) so they could see where my photograph will hopefully go on display sometime in the future as part of the permanent collection. When we walked in, the image of my Ginkgo Skirt was on the monitor above the front desk, advertising the photo show at the Wustum. There were oversize postcards on the counter with the same image and also a catalog from the event, displaying the image. When the ladies at the front desk saw Dad pick up a postcard they said,"You might consider going to the Wustum to see the photo exhibit." Of course Dad could not stay silent, pointing out that the image on the card was 'our daughter's.'


Ginkgo Skirt


We went through the exhibit rooms on the main floor as they were busy installing a new exhibit in the upstairs exhibit rooms and that section of the museum was closed. The Animal Magnetism Show was on display, presenting 75 works of clay, glass, polymer, and metal from 57 artists, primarily three-dimensional works that reference or incorporate animals. It was so much fun to see how each artist had interpreted their relationship with animals through their craft. One metal piece, 'Dog Walker',  had a figure in the center with various dogs branching out, tethered by thin metal leashes. It was a relatively small piece as metal work goes but it was a large piece as a broach. My mom smiled at me as the same thought occurred to us. "You'd need a pretty large chest to wear THAT broach!", she said and we both laughed. It was delightful to listen to my parents comments as they studied each piece and I admonished myself silently for not taking them here and to other museums in the area more often.

When we were going through the far room on the main floor I heard a man calling, "Vicki Reed.... Vicki...". I answered and around the corner came Bruce Pepich, the museum director. The women at the front desk had called him away from the installation project upstairs to tell him I was there at the museum. He was gracious, congratulating me on the purchase award, telling me my work was 'exquisite' and how thrilled he was to have it in the permanent collection. Of course that was very nice to hear but I was most happy that Mom and Dad could be there to share the moment. I think I was so stunned by his sudden appearance that I forgot to thank him for purchasing my piece but I know I told him how much it meant to me to have the piece in the permanent collection of this fine museum. 

I WAS aware enough to remember to congratulate Mr. Pepich on his recent honor- being awarded an honorary fellowship by the American Craft Council- in his world, the equivalent of an Academy Award, as this award is granted by his peers. I asked him to please talk about it a bit for us and he was happy to oblige, glowing when talking about how he hoped this might inspire others to work for museums in small cities-  that their hard work in a small venue could be valued as much as at a large metropolitan museum. Indeed, he had planned to be in Racine for only a short time and then move on to a larger community but ended up staying for 38 years. Beginning at the Wustum when he was fresh out of Northern Illinois University, he stayed on to fulfill his vision of building a fabulous craft museum in the form of the RAM. Aren't we all lucky he stayed and found supportive patrons like Karen Johnson Boyd to help make his dream happen.

In the gift store we bought a copy of the current American Craft Magazine, featuring an article on Mr.Pepich as well as the other fellowship award winners, including Tom Loeser, UM Madison, who I have had the pleasure of meeting.  (We were lucky enough to attend a reception in his home several years ago after the opening of  "Breaking Barriers: Recent Work in American Craft", featuring the work of Wendell Castle and Wendy Maruyama, among others.) Two people from Wisconsin included in this year's American Craft Council's honorees! What a Midwest Coup!

So it was a most magical day filled with many surprises and delights. I hope to get many more days like this shared with my wonderful mom and dad. But even if there were not to be any more, this was wonderful enough for a lifetime. What a gift. I feel really blessed.

Thank you Mr Pepich and RAM staff for making such a special day possible.


Love Under An Umbrella ~ My Mom and Dad




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