Blog

Greetings fellow volunteers,

This month I’m writing about our fantastic VEV tour of the new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art titled, Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg. It was fun to see the exhibit and get to know other VEVs.

We were met by our fellow VEV, Patricia Doyle, then gathered on the educational lobby to get background on the architecture of the museum and hear about the renovations for their 50th anniversary. Our docent led us through the Murakami exhibit telling us some of the background about Murakami and his relationship with the MCA.

The exhibit spans work from when he was a student until the present and includes works that were made specifically for the MCA, covering more than three decades of his career. The Chicago Tribune called it a “total visual overload”. Murakami draws his inspiration from Japanese manga comics. He coined the phrase “superflat” to indicate that there is no difference between high and low art because he has “flattened out” the disparity. The exhibit runs through September 24.

Our successful VEV tour was possible because of Patricia Doyle. She is a great addition to the VEV corps and has a played a big role on our VEV Steering Committee. While she has been a volunteer for only a year, Patricia has jumped right into things. Most Sunday mornings you can her smiling face in the Box Office or the Atrium, and she is the Team leader for our new 360 Sky Guides at the Hancock Building. Originally from Wisconsin, Patricia graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a degree in Arts, Arts Management, and Museum Studies. She then went on to get an MBA from the University of Missouri Kansas City. While getting her MBA, Patricia was an intern at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. She has held a number of positions at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Currently, she is the Membership Coordinator.

If her day job and volunteering at CAF isn’t enough, Patricia she also contributes her time to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, where she is a member of the Young Professional Committee. Here is a link to an article she wrote about that experience: https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/a-museum-professional-turned-activist/.

Following is part of a letter Patricia wrote during Volunteer Appreciation Week about volunteering at CAF, “What I really enjoy about the CAF and its mission is that visitors and guests can

interpret it into very personal ways. As an Exhibit Host, I love listening to enthusiastic kids pointing out on the model where they visited that day, where their mom works, or even what building they’d like to live in and why! Visitors love to share stories with me about their family’s personal history in Chicago, too. At the Box Office, I meet people from all over the world. Our conversation often goes beyond the transaction tour preparation briefing and extends to why they chose Chicago and what type of design are they interested in. Post-tour, I love hearing about their experience (almost always positive) and what were their favorite take-aways. I learn something new every time!”

CAF is so fortunate to have Patricia volunteering her valuable time!

Next month’s VEV event will be a “Drinks & Design” experience in the Design Studio. It is scheduled for Thursday, July 13 at 5pm, and if you haven’t already, RSVP to Caroline! I look forward to seeing you there.

See you in the shop, the atrium, the Design Studio, and 360 Chicago!

Ellen Oberhart
Chairman of the Volunteer Steering Committee