By Ann Wagner, curator of decorative arts
As a lifelong museum visitor, one of the things I really appreciate about Winterthur is that during a visit, it’s very easy to move from inside to outside, to enter and reenter, to have time outdoors and time inside with all the extraordinary art from the past. At some museums, you have to commit to being inside their vast buildings without a chance to refresh your senses in nature. Winterthur has a great fluidity to it in that way.
My perfect day here would begin with the exhibitions because I enjoy being in the galleries during the quiet time of day–even though as a curator, I am pleased to see them crowded. I especially love Outside In: Nature-inspired Design at Winterthur. This exhibition is a collaboration with the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science. It is stimulating to see how these different collections can be integrated and appreciated with fresh eyes by two institutions that are across the street from each other.
The first sight that gets me is the little western meadowlark. I’ve never seen one alive, so I can’t help but imagine how incredibly bright and yellow its feathers were then. It’s a yellow that Henry Francis du Pont clearly loved. That color will stay in my imagination when I go back into the garden to listen for birds and think about the creature habitats on the grounds around the museum. Artistic imaginations are so inspired by our environment, and I am proud that Winterthur is working to protect the corner of Delaware that we are in.
After saturating myself with all the thoughts and lush visions encountered in the museum galleries, I would next take the tram or the shuttle back to the parking lot, pick up my picnic lunch from my car, then take a good stroll through the garden and landscape.
One of my favorite spots is Oak Hill. I love it not just for the views, but because it reminds me of a colleague who really treasured his time there, Bruno Pouliot. Bruno was one of our conservators, and I like to remember him using his lunch hour, in his wheelchair, to wheel strongly up that hill to just enjoy the vistas.
My afternoon adventure would first include a quick peek at my favorite objects in the Campbells Collection of Soup Tureens on my way back to the museum. These are such over-the-top dining vessels. I always have to say hello to the silver tureen with the boar handles (object 1996.0004.237 A). It’s not everyone’s taste, but I love the line and movement on the surface and the way the whole tureen undulates and reflects light. It’s such a dynamic design, it’s hard to believe it was hammered from silver.
I know the historic house pretty well but even I discover something new each time I am inside. So my next stop would be a house tour to explore that visual time capsule of America’s creative past. Finally, if I still had energy at end of the day, I would take a near-dusk stroll. The other day I saw the full moon rise over the train station. It was picture perfect.