I am an American
We are One Nation
Each week, this series will introduce you to an exceptional American who unites, rather than divides, our communities. In this installment, read about Graeme Reid, a Scotland-born museum official in Wisconsin who takes an active role in his adopted country.
Each week, this series will introduce you to an exceptional American who is making a difference to unite, rather than divide, our communities. To read more about the American profiled here and more average Americans doing exceptional things, visit onenation. usatoday.com.
WEST BEND, Wis. - Art museums sometimes have reputations as lofty, elitist, even unapproachable institutions.
Graeme Reid thinks art should be accessible to everyone.
As director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, Reid trumpets the talent and dedication of artists in Wisconsin. He judges art competitions and gives tours of the museum on the Milwaukee River.
He believes beauty, in the form of paintings, sculpture, drawings and other artwork, can bring people together.
“Art offers you a different view or a different take. Maybe it makes you change your mind,” said Reid, 55. “Museums tend to unite rather than divide. Museums elevate rather than denigrate. Museums are more rele-
vant now than ever.”
Reid is an American by choice. He grew up in Scotland and was a student at the University of Glasgow when he was offered a scholarship and graduate assistantship at Indiana State University. He worked weekends as a security guard at Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, and began giving lectures and tours before eventually getting hired as a part-time curator.
In 2001 he moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to work at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. Two years later was hired by the Museum of Wisconsin Art.
Reid believes in getting involved in his community. Though he curates professional art exhibitions and has judged competitions on the state and national level, Reid volunteers as a judge for an annual VFW patriotic art contest, homeschooled art competitions, a duck decoy decorating contest and the Lakefront Festival of the Arts in Milwaukee.
After 18 years in America, Reid decided to become a citizen. America had become his country; he wanted to pledge his allegiance. He became a citizen on a Thursday, and the following Tuesday he voted in the 2008 presidential election.
“Without sounding awfully cliched, America has been very good to me,” Reid said.