Hello from ALSC Institute!
I have a confession to make – I’m not really attending ALSC Institute. I made the trip to Denver for the Bill Morris Seminar, a one day book evaluation training that takes place on Thursday, September 19 before the conference begins. There’s a 7:00 AM start time to the seminar so it was essential to arrive on Wednesday.
I was thrilled to budget for extra time in Denver. I’m a huge art lover and make art museums a focal point of any travel. I will even admit to one single instance of crossing the border into a different country for the sole purpose of seeing one painting. I’ve been to almost 100 different art museums and I’m always looking to add another to the roster.
Imagine my delight when I looked into Denver’s museum offerings and saw that there was a small museum campus within walking distance of the conference hotel.
My first stop was the Denver Art Museum, or DAM. Admission was $22 with discounts for students, Colorado residents, teachers, students, and active military and veterans.
I’m so disappointed to relay what we’re all missing by just a few weeks:
As someone who lived outside of Washington, D.C. for a decade, the current exhibition was like bumping into an old friend. Local treasure Alma Thomas’s paintings from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art were on view. While I’ve been spoiled by Alma Thomas, this is worth the trip alone if you haven’t had the opportunity to see her work in person. Her patterned, vibrant mosaics of color are visually arresting.
I think this is a great exhibit to visit for some art programming inspiration. I love hosting Alma Thomas art programs for children in the library because her work can be recreated with so many mediums, no matter what budget your system has. An Alma Thomas inspired “painting” can be made from crayons, markers, paint, or torn construction paper. They also offer so many opportunities to talk about line, shape, color, and pattern with children.
Even though her work from the Smithsonian’s collection feels very familiar to me, I still popped into the exhibit. I’m so happy I did because I saw one of the most unique things I’d ever seen at an art museum.
There were two seating areas with the exhibit book and a children’s picture book about Alma Thomas. I love the idea of taking a child to the museum and having the ability to sit and read about the artist’s life together while surrounded by their work. What an amazing way to provide context about the art and artist!
It felt great to leave an exhibit that I thought would feel familiar with new inspiration. Do you plan to visit the Denver Art Museum while you’re at ALSC24?
(All images courtesy of Guest Contributor.)
Guest Contributor Vanessa Salo (she/her/hers) is the administrative assistant for the Virginia Library Association and a MSLS student at the University of Kentucky. She is attending the Bill Morris Seminar at the ALSC Institute where she looks forward to learning more about evaluating books for children. Vanessa lives in New York and loves art history, basketball, and pierogi.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.