We celebrated fifty years of bringing art and people together at the Johnson Museum with live music, sweet treats, art-making, and more—free and open to all!
Visitors enjoyed performances by Illuminations Chinese cultural dance troupe (watch here) and Cornell Lion Dance, and the Fall Creek Brass Band rocked the Mallin Sculpture Court.
Tours and activities complemented our exhibitions, including tours of Fifty Years: An Anniversary Celebration with the Collection with student educators Shahad Salman ’24 and May Yuasa ’24, and an art activity inspired by the work of Celia Vasquez Yui.
Cornell Dairy created a new flavor, “Cosmos Swirl,” in tribute to the Museum’s light installation inspired by Carl Sagan.
The Willard Straight Student Union Board led a scavenger hunt of our fifth-floor galleries for Asian art, aligning with their aim to celebrate Willard Straight Hall’s historical responsibility and Cornell’s student culture by hosting events that build social relationships within the Cornell community through fun and unique activities that support and acknowledge the cultural and social diversity of the student community throughout the school year.
Janie E. Bibbie, the Tompkins County Poet Laureate for 2023–24, read from her work, including poems inspired by the Museum:
A lot happens in 50 years
A brand-new item becomes well-worn
Favorite books become ones with pages torn
A little seed grows to be a great big tree
Beloved art becomes a seasoned piece
We look at our places
Everything changes dramatically
That’s how it is for you and me
What was a challenge is now routine
We forget the things that kept us awake
Because we learned new paths to take
A thing of beauty grows more precious each day
We keep it close
Don’t want to give it away
A strange looking building becomes a treasure
And a source of pride
We welcome everyone
Who comes inside
We gather to celebrate this beautiful place
High above Cayuga Lake
Fifty years of visits
Admission free
Exhibits are great
They are changed frequently
Views outside are something to see
If this is your first visit
We welcome you
If you come each year
That’s the best thing to do
A lot happens in 50 years
Ideas move from head to hand
Dreams grow from thoughts to plans
Opening days stretch to anniversary years
Reasons to celebrate with big smiles and cheers!
© Janie E. Bibbie
Reproduced with permission