Marilyn Hailey has been a member of the Dallas Museum of Art and a Museum Store volunteer for more than twenty years. Last week, she stopped in to purchase a gift membership as a Christmas gift for a friend. I had the opportunity to sit down and ask her a few questions about why she loves the Museum.
Do you remember why you joined?
MH: A friend had a volunteer position with the Museum Store and was moving. She asked me to take over for her and I did.
If you could have one work of art from the Museum’s collections in your home, what would it be?
MH: Vase of White Lilacs and Roses by Édouard Manet.
What is your favorite activity at the DMA?
MH: I enjoy coming to the exhibition previews on the member days. I love the jazz on Thursday nights as well. I sometimes tell Wendell [Sneed, Jazz in the Atrium Program Coordinator] who to bring back.
What has been your favorite special exhibition?
MH: Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong. That Christmas, every gift I bought was from the Splendors of China’s Forbidden City gift shop. I love oriental art. My husband, HM, and I lived in Japan for a while when he was in the Air Force.
What is a typical day like for you?
MH: I get the newspaper and read the funnies, and then work on the computer crosswords. I spend too much time doing that. I’m in a lot of leagues in the city.