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From: Jeanne Nelson
Winona
The results are in. Between 2011 an 2012, school participation at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum nearly tripled. Yellow school buses dropped off approximately 2,200 students last year, up from about 800 the previous year.
A generous donation from the Winona Foundation provided vital funding for bus transportation for these school trips. In the age of budget cutbacks, school field trips are often the first items eliminated. Education, however, should be fun, meaningful and relevant: enrichments which the MMAM adds to any school curriculum. Therefore, donations to the museum’s bus fund are of vital importance to hundreds of students. Currently the museum’s bus funds are depleted but we’re hopeful that new resources can be found.
As a volunteer docent I’ve witnessed a certain kind of magic happen as children and adults alike make a connection between a piece of art and their own experiences. Curiosity and creativity can be nurtured and developed while experiencing firsthand the deft work of a master painter or photographer. When children learn of Monet’s struggle and even endurance of ridicule to establish impressionism as true art, they look at his use of color and brush strokes with new appreciation. “How did he do that? Why does it look so different when I stand fifteen feet away?”
All innovation in our lives has been engineered by a curious mind. We use what others have developed as a springboard for our own thoughts and creations: a catalyst enabling vision and design for all things new in life.
Our MMAM, a true community treasure, is a year-round gift to everyone in our region. At least one of the three galleries changes every couple of months, guaranteeing something new for our frequent visitors. So, when friends ask where I spend my free time, I say “I’m at the MMAM, and I’m glad I am!”
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