Task & You Shall Receive: Wisconsin’s Forces for 21st Century Arts Education
September 16th, 2008 at 11:13am John Abodeely
New, critical support for arts education is mounting from business, government, and education. Wisconsin leaders are capitalizing on these opportunities in unparalleled ways.
By Karin Wolf, Arts Program Administrator, Madison Arts Commission, City of Madison, Wisconsin
On a cool Wisconsin evening in early September, dozens upon dozens of people gathered at the Promega Corporation’s world headquarters in Fitchburg, WI, to honor a distinguished guest on the occasion of his 91st birthday. Promega Corporation has offices in 12 countries and is a worldwide leader in innovative biochemistry and molecular biology technology. Though their special visitor was someone who was carefully selected to be an inspiration to employees, he was not a famous scientist or leader in biotech sales. In fact, his success did rely on a finely tuned understanding of chemistry and a knack for business, but that is not why he was invited.
The 91-year-old photographer Pedro Guerrero was being honored for his ability to capture the boldness of the inventive spirit. Promega’s Director of Exhibitions, Daniel Swadener, curated an exhibition titled “Pedro Guerrero: Beyond Frank Lloyd Wright” and invited Guerrero to attend the art opening cum birthday bash. The exhibition showcased some of Guerrero’s most soul-capturing photographs of artists such as Louise Nevelson and Alexander Calder, as well as the work Guerrero is best known for—his iconographic images of Frank Lloyd Wright.
On the overview page of the company’s website, Promega claims to “provide its employees with an outstanding work environment designed to foster innovation and creativity.” The openings and exhibitions are undoubtedly part of their strategic plan to recruit, inspire, and retain the best employees. The added community benefit of the exhibitions Promega holds in their Wisconsin headquarters is the validation these events offer to those in attendance, people like George Tzougros, the executive director of the Wisconsin Arts Board, who believes strongly in the importance of putting some “steam” into the curriculum. STEAM is Tzougros’ witty twist on the acronym STEM, a collaboration that exists among science, technology, engineering, and math. “When you insert the arts,” Tzougros quips, “you get STEAM.”
Read the entire article. (pdf, 68KB)
With a background in arts project management, research, writing, and educational programs, Karin Wolf serves as the Arts Program Administrator for the Madison Arts Commission in the Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development for the City of Madison, Wisconsin. She manages the city’s arts grants, runs the gallery spaces, stewards the city’s permanent collection of art, and handles the administration of new public art projects. Prior to this position, she served as the Special Programs Coordinator in the Community Outreach Department at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where she created award-winning programs for educators and K–16 students in art, design, and technology. She has worked as an educational assistant at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, teaching, docenting, and assisting the Curator of Education.
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