An Interview with Linda Greenwell by Kate Garvey

Membership Level: Director’s Circle

As a prelude to our Membership Drive in October, we over here at the museum have been thinking of ways to recognize and get to know our members better on a regular basis, creating more discussion around what it is like to be a member, what makes being a member at HMA so special, and having a personal connection and reach to our membership community. What better way to celebrate HMA and our members than by sitting down with them and talking to them about their experiences, life, and why they choose to support HMA, and then introduce them to the rest of the community! We are very pleased that Linda Greenwell allowed me to sit down and speak with her about her life and her relationship with HMA. I hope you enjoy what she had to say as much as we did!

““HMA is a fabulous museum. The community is extraordinarily lucky to have the museum and it is important to support this museum.””

— Linda Greenwell

Linda grew up in Winston-Salem, where she lived primarily until 1995, when she moved full-time to Lake Norman. Linda worked as a consultant and travelled quite a bit until she retired in 2006. She enjoys traveling, whether it be overseas or even a good old fashioned road trip. She loves visiting and spending time in Venice, Barcelona, and Istanbul, which she discovered to be an interesting culinary destination. Like me, she is a voracious reader and enjoys a combination of non-fiction and historical fiction, especially ones that have accurate details about the time-period. When I asked her what her favorite food is, she replied, “anything my husband (John) makes. He is so creative in the kitchen.” I told her that I hope that this is what my family says about me when they are asked that question! When Linda does eat out in the Hickory area, her first choice is oysters at Standard Oyster Company in Viewmont.

After Linda retired, she put her heart into working with non-profits because she had always wanted to give back to the community and finally had the time to do so. Linda has served on the boards of and worked with, The United Arts Council of Catawba County, Catawba Valley Community College, LWV of Catawba Valley, and, of course, our dear Hickory Museum of Art.

Linda really became involved with HMA around 2008, about the time she started serving on the board for the Foothills Folk Art Festival, where she continued to serve for 6 years, back when it took place in Sherrill’s Ford. It also happens to be her favorite HMA event because “it is a great way to introduce people to the museum and to a form of art they might not be aware of.” When I asked Linda what made her join the museum, her response was “HMA is a fabulous museum. The community is extraordinarily lucky to have the museum and it is important to support this museum.” She added that she joined because she loves art and that HMA provides such varied exhibitions; that the programming really reaches out and educates why art is so important. Linda also believes that our museum is a place people can “enjoy themselves and grow.” Two of her favorite exhibitions at the museum were just that kind of variation she talks about, one being Torn from Home: My Life as a Refugee and the other one was, BLOW UP: Inflatable Contemporary Art. I was interested to know if there was another museum that had really impressed her, especially after I knew about her love for traveling, and she was enthusiastic about the Courtauld Gallery, located at the Strand block of Somerset House in London. This makes sense to me as the museum is quite small, but boasts an impressive and varied collection of 530 paintings and over 26,000 drawings, including works by Manet, Picasso, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. Similar to Hickory Museum of Art, most of the collection at Courtauld Gallery was formed through donations and bequests.

Torn from Home: My Life as a Refugee

On View January 26, 2010 through May 2, 2010

BLOW UP: Inflatable Contemporary Art

On View July 21, 2018 - November 25, 2018

Linda’s favorite reasons for being a member are the “access to programs and that the staff really gets to know you, and because of that, your experience is enhanced. It’s very welcoming and you feel like part of the museum, that it is your museum.” One of the reasons we chose Linda Greenwell for our first “Member Spotlight” (besides being and all-around interesting and wonderful member) is because of an email she sent to our Executive Director, Jon Carfagno, and myself not too long ago, while on a road trip I might add, with a picture of her ticket to Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. The subject line and note that accompanied the picture was, “one of the great reasons to be an HMA member… free admission to Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA.” We love hearing from our members, especially when it is to tell us that they are getting the maximum use out of their memberships. It did not surprise me at all that she brought this up in our time together as another reason she values her membership. She believes the best time to come to the museum is when she has a couple of hours and can really take her time. When asked if there was anything she would change about our museum, she “would give us more space… space is our biggest hold-back.” I think all of teamHMA would agree with this one!

To conclude our conversation, I asked Linda how she would describe our museum to someone who has never been before. “A museum that will exceed all your expectations in exhibits, staff, and creativity.” I promise I didn’t bribe Linda before this interview, but I was thrilled to hear how much the museum means to her and the positive impact being a member has had for her. All of these reasons are why I feel so grateful to get to be the Membership and Audience Engagement Manager, where I get to interact and enhance our member’s experiences on a daily basis and have an excuse to get to know our members better to create meaningful relationships and programming. All I can say after my time with Linda and hearing about her experience, is who wouldn’t want to be a member?