“The artist should call forth all his energy, his sincerity, and his greatest possible modesty in order to push aside during his work the old clichés that come so ready to his hand and can suffocate the small flower that itself never turns out as one expected.”
— Henri Matisse1
Isn’t it wonderful how things sometimes “line up”? I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the mission and activities of The Earl Wentz and William Watkins Foundation, how to explain succinctly our educational approaches, and what our next steps will be. Right now, of course, our Summer Musical Theatre Workshop looms large on the horizon. But then there are the other initiatives on the schedule, too, including performances of some of Earl Wentz’s musical works.
How to do it all? How to gain additional support beyond what the foundation can contribute from its own resources? How to keep growing and not just repeating what we already know and have done? How to keep moving towards fulfilling our goals?
I get restless as I ponder and so I roam.
And it works. For me.
In the last week, I’ve visited the fabulous new Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Arkansas, seen architect Fay Jones’s stirring masterpiece Thorncrown Chapel, hiked over rushing river waters via marvels of engineering, and just today attended an exhibition of the art books of Henri Matisse at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.