FALL 2024

Summerlike days aside, the change of seasons is undoubtedly upon us: The leaves are falling, the school buses are full, and tours at Mia are in full swing. New installations and exhibitions mean there’s never a dull moment, with trainings and assignments around the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, At the Moulin Rouge, and so much more. Speaking of trainings, it’s exciting to welcome a new class of soon-to-be Mia Guides.
We look forward to seeing you in the Guide Office and the galleries in the coming weeks. Happy fall!

Old Sycamore (closeup) , 1941-42 • Norma Bassett Hall
Color Woodcut • Gift of Marla J. Kinney • 2017.72.2
Credit: Minneapolis Institute of Art

Greetings from the
Mia Guides Council

As I suspect is the case for many of you, I thought I was
coming into our Mia program to learn more about art,
which of course I have. But what I didn't realize was that
I would meet some of the most wonderful people ever.
That has been a true gift, and my husband believes it, too,
because we've been able to get to know some couples,
and we've had one group from my Docent class where
we've had group dinners for 22 or 23 years. And it’s been
great get to know new people from other classes, too—
especially through buddy groups. I always joke that the gift of the pandemic was that we were suddenly doing buddy groups. Buddies have connected us with a variety of people from so many different classes that bring different points of view. It’s been just fabulous.

Guides are able to really bring the art off the walls for people who come into the museum. I know that my parents brought my sisters and me to museums a lot when we were young, and we kids would kind of trudge around and look at the art and sit on the benches. If we had had a children's program in some of those museums at the time, it would've been great to have a whole new way of looking at the art. Our parents tried, but I laugh, who really wants to listen to their parents, right? So it is wonderful for us to be a part of helping adults and children see something new in their connections with the art and the museum—and having people say, “Wow, this is free all the time? I have to bring my friends back here. My visiting relatives are going to love this.”

Now that the days are getting colder, it reminds me that I often say to people who have babies, “On a winter’s day, where can you get out your stroller and just walk and walk and walk?” Even I would do that as a mom. I would bring my son to Mia, when he was about five or six, before I was a guide. And he fell in love with the mummy. Then, one day, he asked, “Will you take my friends down to see the mummy?” Mia Guides make more of a difference than we likely realize.

That’s why it’s such a pleasure for me to join the Mia Guides Council as co-chair. I’ve
been able to get to know Joyce Yoshimura-Rank, our other co-chair, who has helped me understand how everything works. I’ve enjoyed getting to know other people on the council, too. It’s great to have a voice at the museum, and I want to be that voice for you. Never hesitate to call, text, or email me.

Until then, see you at Mia, and best wishes for a wonderful fall!

Lisa Mayotte

Co-chair, Mia Guides Council