backstory takeover: Drop-in Tours
For the next few weeks, different staff voices will bring you closer to the stories that make the Neuberger Museum of Art such a special place. Today’s post comes from Diana Puglisi, who leads our education initiatives.
It’s the serendipitous encounters in the galleries that inspire me most: those moments you stumble upon during a program. They stay with you, and you can’t wait to share the story with someone else. I felt that way earlier this month. During a drop-in tour of Translucid: Art Within and Throughout, we were joined by Alex Lamis, the son of artist Leroy Lamis, whose two works from the collection are included in the exhibition.
Standing in front of his father’s work Construction #126, Alex spoke about how Roy R. Neuberger was one of the earliest supporters of his father’s career and how grateful their family remains for that support. He described how his father meticulously and seamlessly applied glue to the edge of Plexiglas with a syringe and built the works from the inside out in their family’s home.
The drop-in tours are designed to be intimate, giving visitors the chance to engage directly with curators and educators to better understand an exhibition’s stories and histories. This particular tour was special because we heard about the artist from another viewpoint.
As Alex reflected on his father’s work and process, I was reminded of other families who have helped steward the legacies of artists in our collection—like Stephen Antonakos’s wife, Naomi, or Cleve Gray’s children, Luke and Thaddeus, among others. These connections remind us that an artist’s story is ever unfolding, continuing to grow through those who carry it forward.
Thank you, Diana.
Be well, everyone.
Tracy Fitzpatrick
Director, Neuberger Museum of Art
