EDITOR'S NOTE

Since our galleries close for a good chunk of the Summer, most people think we have a lot of downtime. It's actually quite the opposite-for both our Summer and Winter closures we are busy preparing for the next round of new exhibitions! It's hard to imagine what goes on behind the scenes so I enjoy capturing the activities of exhibition works coming down and being put away or returned, floors being waxed, walls being painted, works being framed, graphics being created, artworks being installed and about a hundred other tasks that go into the whole process. You should subscribe to updates from our Moments at the Art Museum blog and our eNews to read all about the “Behind the Scenes at RCCAM” this Summer and to get a feel for what it looks like during this transition. You also will be notified when new posts arrive!

I did make time for a Summer family vacation to Utah and Arizona where we visited the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion, and another dozen spectacular sights. When we travel we usually visit museums but there were few where we were. We did enjoy some fantastic and informative history, geology and natural history displays at visitor centers and enjoyed two lovely history tours in Kanab, UT where we stayed. There was a lot of Native American and early settler history specifically, as well as Western movie history. Taking in all of the beauty of the area I was reminded of the Georgia O'Keefe photography exhibition that I recently saw at the Cincinnati Art Museum and could understand why she was so inspired by the desert landscape photography as one of her creative outlets. We took thousands of pictures!

I returned from the trip to see that all three galleries were filled with new works for three new exhibitions now on view. Three very different and unique exhibitions with truly something for everyone to enjoy. New works by students in response to our world and the environment, local women artists from the turn of the century, and a deep dive into heritage with representations of so many cultures and history from our collection and on loan. We ALL look forward to seeing you at the museum this Fall!