Meet the Dixon Staff-Bryony

Name: Bryony Petch

Position: Art to Grow Outreach Instructor

College/University:

Newcastle University, UK

Northumbria University, UK

How long have you worked at the Dixon? 5 months

The best thing about living in Memphis is……It’s the birthplace of Rock and Roll and Ugly Mug coffee. 

What famous artist (deceased or living) would you want to be for one day and why?

Henry Moore, I think it would be really satisfying to work on such a large scale with industrial materials to create such beautiful figures.   
How old were you on your first visit to a museum (art, science history)? How did it shape your interest in museums?

I remember been taken to museums from a very young age, my favorite were the National Museum of Film and Photography Bradford  and National Railway Museum York. I loved seeing the Royal trains, every detail down to place settings in the buffet car were perfect! I enjoy now what I have always loved about museums which is seeing something extraordinary and beautiful whether it been art, science or trains.     

Do you have any pets? If so, what are they and what are their names?

Horatio the Hamster, named after CSI Miami Horatio Kane (he has red hair). Unfortunately he couldn’t come on the plane when we moved to Memphis so he lives with my brother back in England.  

What is your favorite piece in Jean-Louis Forain: La Comédie parisienne?

Young Woman on a Yacht 1883.  

What do you like most about working at the Dixon?

Beautiful surroundings and lovely people.

Their names say it all!

Sommersault, Pacifico, Lazy Magnolia, Blue Moon, West Coast Amber, Watermelon Wheat, Black Magic, Isle of Skye, Indian Summer….and more…

Escape to the Dixon tonight to wander through the glorious world of beer, stroll through the gardens, and explore the shows. Or just enjoy the perfect temperature, full moon, and lively sounds from Almost Famous with a full glass in hand.

Santé! 

And see you tomorrow, when we’re all back from our mini-vacation.

Art on Tap 2011 event and ticket information

Meet the Dixon Staff - Julie

Name: Julie Novarese Pierotti

Position: Associate Curator

College/University: Ole Miss (BA); Vanderbilt (MA)

How long have you worked at the Dixon? 3 ½ years

The best thing about living in Memphis is ….the emphasis on all of the arts—fine art, music, dance, theater, culinary arts.  Memphis is, in my opinion, the cultural center of the South!

What famous artist (deceased or living) would you want to be for one day and why?  Tamara de Lempicka—she lived a fabulous life!

How old were you on your first visit to a museum (art, science history)? How did it shape your interest in museums?  I was probably too young to remember my first museum experience, but I do have vague memories of going to the Catherine the Great Wonders exhibition and its fabulousness.  I also remember being terrified by the dentist mannequin exhibit at the Pink Palace.

Do you have any pets? If so, what are they and what are their names?  I think everyone knows by now that I have a 2 ½ year old Papillon named Lizzie and that I’m completely obsessed with her!

What is your favorite piece in Jean-Louis Forain: La Comédie parisienne?  The Tight-Rope Walker from around 1880 (Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago).  It is so dramatic, so spectacular, so FORAIN!

What do you like most about working at the Dixon?  I absolutely love helping people experience and appreciate art.

Meet the Dixon staff - Margarita

Name: Margarita Maria Sandino Garcés

Position: Curator of education

College/University: Los Andes University- Bogotá, Colombia

How long have you worked at the Dixon? Three years and nine months

The best thing about living in Memphis is: No traffic! Compared to Bogotá, a city of  7.3 million people, the streets of Memphis seem empty at times.

What famous artist (deceased or living) would you want to be for one day and why? It would definitely be a woman, and my favorite of all times is Berthe Morisot. Imagine being an artist, impressionist non the less, changing the art world and hanging out with talented and interesting people like Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas.

How old were you on your first visit to a museum (art, science history)? How did it shape your interest in museums?

I was five years old and went to the National Museum of Colombia. A place that holds archaeology, ethnography, history and art collections. My mother took me to see the pre-columbian mummies. She thought it would be a good idea to reveal that they were that way because they didn’t eat their lunches and dinners (I wasn’t a good eater back then). I was scared, but mostly fascinated! I will never forget that feeling of amazement. It may not be a coincidence that years later I became and anthropologist and worked at the National Museum alongside my lifetime friends, the mummies.

Do you have any pets? If so, what are they and what are their names?

We have a female cat, maybe 12 years old. Her name is Frankenstein.

What is your favorite piece in Jean-Louis Forain: La Comédie parisienne?

I have a favorite in each gallery, but if I have to choose one it would be Forain’s design of The Secrets at the Ball. I really like the colors, the woman’s dress and I love secrets!

What do you like most about working at the Dixon?

The place is absolutely gorgeous! And I get to work with very unique people.

 

 

Meet the Dixon staff-Jenny

Name:  Jenny M. Duggan

Position:  Visitor Services

College/University: Crichton College (BA, English) and University of Memphis (MA Literature and MFA Creative Writing)

How long have you worked at the Dixon? 11 years

The best thing about living in Memphis is……

The Dixon! And living in Midtown

What famous artist (deceased or living) would you want to be for one day and why?

I would want to be Monet because he lived in 19^th century France, and I would like to know how he created his astounding and beautiful visual effects.  If I were a writer in that time period, I would want to be Jane Austen or E.M. Forrester.

How old were you on your first visit to a museum (art, science history)? How did it shape your interest in museums?

I was about 5 or 6. I remember going with my father to the Pink Palace and seeing the mechanical dinosaur and the planetarium. I kept the metal ring with the purple stone in it as a memento for years afterward.  As a child, I loved learning about historical topics and seeing the wax works that depicted them. Because I have always loved art it was just a natural progression for me.

Do you have any pets? If so, what are they and what are their names?

I have a cat named Oya. It means “no” in Swahili. My boyfriend who was learning the language from a coworker named her when she was a kitten, because I would say no to her so often.

What is your favorite piece in Jean-Louis Forain: La Comédie parisienne?

My favorite piece in the show is The Buffet. I love the way Forain shows people in their typical element with the intrigues and storylines taking place behind the scenes.

What do you like most about working at the Dixon?

I love that Margaret and Hugo Dixon decided to give Memphis this beautiful gift.  I also love talking to people and witnessing their lives being enriched by wonderful exhibitions and the beauty of the gardens.

 

Meet the Dixon Staff - Nora

Name:  Nora Tucker

Position: Librarian

College/University:  University of Tennessee, Knoxville for Library Science. University of Memphis for Museum Studies.

How long have you worked at the Dixon?Fall of 2010

The best thing about living in Memphis is……Friendly people and so many arts.

What famous artist (deceased or living) would you want to be for one day and why?

Annie Leibovitz because she photographs musicians who invite her into their world.

How old were you on your first visit to a museum (art, science history)? How did it shape your interest in museums?

I grew up in a Chicago suburb and took frequent outings to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum.  I’m sure I had visited both by the time I was in third grade.  The mummies at the Field Museum were mystical beyond belief.  The art in the Art Museum took on different meanings as I grew older.  I’ll never forget turning the corner in the modern art area and seeing Joan Miro’s fanciful shapes dancing on a huge canvas!

Do you have any pets? If so, what are they and what are their names?

Four dogs: Lucy and Hugo are Jack Russell Terriers.  Daisy is a yellow lab mix that looks just like Daisy in the Blondie comic strip.  Ziggy is the cutest dog that ever lived:  a Border Collie Jack Russell or a “Border Jack.”

What is your favorite piece in Jean-Louis Forain: La Comédie parisienne?

The two mosaic pieces.  I’ve never seen mosaics appear so soft and flowing!

What do you like most about working at the Dixon?

I love the time from driving into the “wonderland” atmosphere to the genuinely friendly staff to the visitors that enjoy their experience so much.  I am so pleased to be associated with The Dixon.

Meet the Dixon Staff - Nancy

Name: Nancy Parish Trenthem

Position: Executive Assistant

How long have you worked at the Dixon?    4 years

The best thing about living in Memphis is……  

the funky, cool vibe – THE MEMPHIS MOJO!  Big enough to 

have culture and small enough not to take 2 hrs. to get 

across the city.

What famous artist (deceased or living) would you want to be for one day and why? 

Edward Manet.  How great it would be to live in Paris and be a great artist, yet not be destitute as most of the Impressionist painters were.

How old were you on your first visit to a museum (art, science history)? How did it shape your interest in museums?

My interest in art heightened greatly when I worked for Avron Fogelman and two original line drawings by Picasso were on the wall behind my desk and a large Chagall circus painting on another wall.

Do you have any pets? If so, what are they and what are their names?

I have three cats but my favorite babylove is my young male cat, Martini.

What is your favorite piece in Jean-Louis Forain: La Comédie parisienne?

The Buffet

What do you like most about working at the Dixon?

A very pleasant, easy going boss and fabulous art and tall trees for my eyes to feast on.