Interview with Guard/Docent Meryl Skolnick

The Fitchburg Art Museum’s staff has been graced with the opportunity to relive the Land Ho! experience every time they set foot in their fine place of employment. The newest exhibition at FAM is Land Ho! a comparison of classical and contemporary landscape art. Meryl Skolnick is second in the chain of command on the security staff under head guard Jim Landry.

“People have been totally positive in their reaction, saying things like 'amazing' and 'wow'…I’ve not heard a negative expression about the show at all!” Skolnick says that she is completely enamored of the show and believes that the audience that has seen the exhibition feels the same. She loves to get people involved in the show. As a docent, she provides the public with tours of the show. On the tours she asks,"questions as well as give them (the guests) information… we engage them by having them explain to us what they see in the pieces.” She said that it has been well received not only by adult members of the community but also by classes of elementary students that have visited the museum. The students absolutely love the art they saw. “It’s been great for the school children that come in, the fourth graders, they've been extremely enthusiastic and very engaged when the docents have been giving them tours.” She also finds a lot of amusement in the reactions of the small children and how they perceive the art. She said that the kids see things that other people can’t see and that, “it’s all in the eye of the beholder and you acknowledge that you can see whatever you want to see.” The children give a different perspective on some of the artworks,their young minds racing with imagination.

She thought it was fascinating to see how Curator Mary Tinti and Koch Curatorial Fellow Emily Mazzola were able to creatively and insightfully pick each pairing and precisely place each artistic creation in the exact spot for maximum viewing pleasure. She also respects the importance of the background and supporting color chosen to be painted on the walls of the exhibition. These colors can set the tone for the entire show and provide an excellent accent to the paintings and other artworks. Skolnick says that the show is “absolutely successful” and she's quite happy that she was able to see such an amazing show created and displayed for all to see.