Think back to your last visit to the Museum. Were you here to see a certain exhibition or attend a particular program, or did you allow yourself time to wander and get lost in the galleries?
Many of us—myself included—have favorite artworks in the collection that we must see. They’re familiar friends. They bring us joy and solace, and we seek them out because they have significance to us. A few months ago, I found myself in the Impressionism galleries and realized it had been too long since I was last there. The collection is home to artworks by many of the genre’s greats—Camille Pissarro, Auguste Rodin, and Pierre Auguste Renoir, to name a few. Intending to re-engage with these works in a new way, I returned with headphones in tow. The Museum staff recently put together a playlist inspired by their strolls through the galleries. Listening to these songs, I experienced this gallery in a way I hadn’t before. You too can access this playlist at mam.org/spotify. The next time you’re here, I invite you to press play and stop in galleries to visit old and new friends. Who knows what you’ll notice or rediscover?
In the summer issue of this magazine, we introduced a new design and more behind-the-scenes stories. In each Member magazine to come, we plan to bring you one-of-a-kind content that connects you to the Museum in new ways. In this issue, we feature curators Margaret Andera and Ariel Pate in conversation about upcoming exhibitions, curator Nikki Otten describing her first experience seeing a scene from LaToya M. Hobbs’s Carving Out Time, and—of course—a collection of songs for you to tune into when you visit next. Whether you’re getting lost in the collection galleries, taking in the monumental prints by LaToya M. Hobbs or drawings by Robert Longo, or reflecting on the events featured in True Story, may your explorations lead you to works of art that broaden your perspective, pull at your heartstrings, and make you curious.
Warmly,
Marcelle Polednik, PhD
Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director
