WAUSAU – To celebrate the 2017 National Medal for Museum and Library Service – the nation’s highest museum honor for service to the community – received during a July 17 ceremony in Washington D.C., the Woodson Art Museum invites all to a community celebration from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 3.

The award’s significance provides ample reasons to rejoice. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is one of only two art museums among the five museums and five libraries named 2017 National Medal winners by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency supporting the nation’s approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums, all of which were eligible for the award.

“Being honored as a National Medal winner brings recognition to the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum from a federal agency on a national stage,” said Woodson Art Museum director Kathy Kelsey Foley. “We are grateful beyond words.”

The Community Celebration, Thursday, August 3, 4-7 pm, will be a drop-in party featuring refreshments, the John Greiner Jazz Trio, an interactive comment wall, hands-on art making, and photo opportunities for all to sport National Medal replicas and celebrate the community’s role on the Woodson Art Museum’s winning team.

The award recipients “play a critical role as community catalysts and provide vital resources that drive economic development and foster community well-being,” said Dr. Matthew.

Receiving “the highest recognition awarded by the federal government to museums and libraries for service to their communities,” an IMLS press release states, “selected institutions demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach.”

Foley credited the community’s and the region’s enthusiasm for embracing the full range of engagement opportunities and propelling staff continually to raise the bar. “It is a privilege to share observations and firsthand experiences of how a visit to the Woodson Art Museum can change someone’s point of view, expand their understanding of the world beyond the community, or brighten a day,” she said.

The 2017 National Medal video by HISTORY, published July 25, 2017 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services states “this year’s winners represent exemplary standards in service to America’s diverse communities” and features the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum at the 6:09-minute mark.

See this 2017 National Medal feature story on the IMLS website at https://www.imls.gov/news-events/project-profiles/outstanding-libraries-and-museums-honored-nations-highest-award

The National Medal recognition “is among the highest forms of validation, not only for those of us who work in the museum field, but also that can be appreciated by community members at large,” said Director Kathy Kelsey Foley. “Winning the National Medal is incredibly empowering; this makes us want to do more.”

Among the benefits of winning the national Medal, StoryCorps – a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans – will visit the Woodson Art Museum, October 19-21, to document stories from our community that will be preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

With the Woodson Art Museum’s mission “to enhance lives through art,” staff continually strive to provide visitors with barrier-free access to a vast array of visual arts – through the commitment to always-free admission, a fully accessible physical facility, and demystifying artistic processes. “Visitors often wonder ‘how do artists do that?’ Artist residencies and many Woodson Art Museum programs help demystify process, engage people in looking, and encourage them to try art themselves,” Foley said. “We want everyone to know there is something at the Woodson Art Museum that will pique curiosity and engage; just give us a try.”

From experiences via ever-changing artwork in the galleries, the sculpture garden, and Art Park – the Museum’s interactive family gallery – to visiting artists’ presentations and workshops, and other hands-on art-making opportunities, the Woodson Art Museum offers programs for all ages and life stages – from babies, children, and families to students during class visits and teens and adults. An array of programs offer varied, often multisensory, ways to experience the visual arts – from Art Babies, launched in 2009 for little ones and accompanying adults, to SPARK!, created in 2010 for individuals with early- to mid-stage memory loss and their loved ones or care partners, and Art Beyond Sight, implemented in 2006 for individuals with blindness or low vision.

The Woodson Art Museum’s contemporary and historic collection sets a world standard for avian- and nature-themed art. The Museum’s flagship, internationally renowned “Birds in Art” exhibition each fall attracts more than sixty participating artists from throughout the world to the opening weekend as well as visitors who flock to Wausau to see each exhibition’s all-new, avian-inspired artwork.

Prioritizing barrier-free access throughout the Woodson Art Museum’s physical facility benefits those with disabilities and all visitors. Hunter Kelch, a 24-year-old visitor with Cerebral Palsy who blogs about accessibility issues, gave the Museum his first-ever five-wheelchair-star rating in August 2016 for full accessibility and great service. He and his mother “were able to sit in a beautiful setting and take a break from our hectic lives,” he wrote. “For that moment, we were mother and son, not caregiver and client. When caregivers do not have to make adjustments due to obstacles, their experience changes from that of a caregiver to being a friend or family member. Only rarely am I able to give that gift to my mom, who traveled this ‘disabled journey’ with me, my entire life.”

As the only full-service art museum in northern Wisconsin, the Woodson Art Museum, which opened in 1976, offers a myriad of community engagement opportunities and maintains its more than four-decade commitment to always-free admission. Woodson Art Museum programs enliven and amplify themes from temporary changing exhibitions, ranging from Tiffany Studios leaded-glass lampshades and M.C. Escher lithographs to each new iteration of the Museum’s internationally renowned “Birds in Art” presented each fall.

For a complete list of 2017 recipients and to learn more about the National Medal winners, please visit www.imls.gov/2017-medals.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information about the Woodson Art Museum, check the events calendar at www.lywam.org, e-mail the Museum at [email protected], call 715-845-7010, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Photo: Kathy Kelsey Foley (second from right) and volunteer and award nominator Linda Haney (second from left) represented the Museum during the 2017 National Medal ceremony on July 17 at the National Archives in the nation’s capital. The award was presented by IMLS director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew (left) and also featured special guest, journalist, and author Cokie Roberts (right) and remarks by the Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero.