Amon Carter Museum Blog

Familiar Faces

Katherine M. — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:03:27 -0500

My husband and I recently traveled out to the high desert in West Texas. We had the opportunity to dine at the Reata restaurant in Alpine, a branch of which is in downtown Fort Worth. Imagine my surprise when a MUCH larger version of the frontrunner for the Decision ’08 program was seen in the C.F. room!

This painting is “after” Frederic Remington (which means that it is done in the style of) and the artist is Style Reed. Anybody else seen an “after” picture of an art work from our collection?

Framing America

Nora P. — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:53:14 -0500

Ever wonder what goes into choosing the frames that surround the museum’s priceless collection of American paintings? This Saturday, Suzanne Smeaton of the famed Eli Wilner and Company will discuss this topic in her special lecture, Exploring the Borders in Art: American Period Frames 1820-1920.

As a mental appetizer, take a moment to learn more about a few of the fascinating projects that Suzanne and her colleagues have completed. I especially enjoyed this one about the reframing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s beloved American masterpiece, Washington Crossing the Delaware.

Make it A Memorable Mother’s Day at the Amon Carter Museum

Nora P. — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:36:37 -0500

Are you looking for something special to do for your Mom this Mothers Day? Make plans to bring her to the Amon Carter Museum where we will be celebrating Moms from 1 to 4 p.m. with our Target Family Fun Day.

Visitors of all ages will enjoy participating in the following fun activities:
• Discover how families of all shapes and sizes have been depicted throughout American
history.
• Listen to stories that celebrate Moms and families
• Make jewelry and a “memory box” for Mom
• And much, much more

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday!

Decision 2008 Update (May 5, 2008)

Nora P. — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:02:14 -0500

Every time another candidate starts to close the gap Dash for the Timber races further ahead. There are only a few weeks left in this “election.” Take a moment to cast a vote for your favorite painting and sculpture in the museum’s collection, and then check back to see how your favorite fares in the polls:

Seventeen Votes
Frederic Remington
A Dash for the Timber

Ten Votes
Grant Wood
Parson Weems’ Fable
The legend regarding George Washington is treated in a whimsical manner that draws the viewer into the painting. The direct gaze of Parson Weems is very engaging and directs the viewer to the fanciful figure of Washington as a child. The cherry motif on the curtain fringe and the border of the tree’s foliage just delights me and reminds me that I love cherry pie!
Sharon LeConey, 55
Fort Worth, Texas

Nine Votes
Thomas Cole
The Hunter’s Return

William J. McCloskey
Wrapped Oranges

Five Votes Each
Thomas Moran
Cliffs of Green River

The museum itself is my favorite work of art. That said, I’ll vote for Moran’s work. I like it because its technical execution, palette of colors, and depth of field are quite compelling. I like how it suggests a story—of exploration and adventure—and all that goes along with it. This painting projects an authentic “feeling” of what it is like to travel through remote areas of the West, and this painting helps me vividly and fondly recall my own visits there. In short, it’s a great painting and it evokes an emotional response from the viewer
Francis Flavin, 38
Washington, D.C.

Georgia O’Keeffe
White Birch

John Singer Sargent
Alice Vanderbilt Shepard

John Quincy Adams Ward
The Freedman

Four Votes Each
Albert Bierstadt
Sunrise, Yosemite Valley

Alexander Calder
[Untitled]

Thomas Eakins
Swimming

Martin Johnson Heade
Thunder Storm on Narragansett Bay

Fitz Henry Lane
Boston Harbor

Three Votes Each
Thomas Cole
The Garden of Eden

Daniel Chester French
Benediction

It is an artwork endowed with a romantic grace, conveying gravity and a sense of melancholy.
Jonathan Frembling, 32
Fort Worth, Texas

Marsden Hartley
Provincetown Abstraction

Frederic Remington
The Cowboy

Frederic Remington
The Old Stage Coach of the Plains

While I love all of the Russells and Remingtons at the Amon Carter, this is the piece that made an indelible mark on my memory as a young child. Somehow, the painting just draws my mind into the moment in a way no other does. I really can’t explain why, but it is the one piece I must glimpse each time I visit the Amon Carter.
Alexa Ewen, 34
Fort Worth, Texas

Frederic Remington
Ridden Down

Two Votes Each
Alexander Calder
Studies for Amon Carter Museum Plaza

Alexander Stirling Calder
An American Stoic

Stuart Davis
Blips and Ifs

Stuart Davis
Chinatown

Charles Demuth
Chimney and Water Tower

William M. Harnett
Ease
This was one of my father’s favorites, probably due to the cigar sitting on the table. He smoked cigars so this panting brings back happy memories.
Nenetta Tatum, 54
Fort Worth, Texas

Marsden Hartley
American Indian Symbols

David Johnson
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire

Georgia O’Keeffe
Black Patio Door

Georgia O’Keeffe
Dark Mesa and Pink Sky

William T. Ranney
Marion Crossing the Pee Dee

Frederic Remington
The Right of the Road

Ben Shahn
World’s Greatest Comics

One Vote Each
Saul Baizerman
Cantata

Paul Bartlett
Bear Cub Grooming

George Caleb Bingham
View of Pike’s Peak

Frederic Edwin Church
New England Landscape

Arthur Dove
The Lobster

John Haberle
Can You Break a Five?

William M. Harnett
Attention Company

Childe Hassam
Flags on the Waldorf
Mary Jane Harbison, 58
Fort Worth, Texas

Martin Johnson Heade
Two Hummingbirds above a White Orchid

Winslow Homer
Crossing the Pasture

Louise Nevelson
Lunar Landscape Wall

Georgia O’Keeffe
Series I – No. 1

Julian Onderdonk
A Cloudy Day, Bluebonnets near San Antonio, Texas

John Frederick Peto
A Closet Door

Alexander Phimister Proctor
Indian Warrior
Unlike the Dallin sculpture one can look at this piece and see immediately the difference. The horse and rider mirror each other in valiance and dignity. Are they en route to or from? No matter, we can see they are ready for whatever may come.
Rick Lawler, 49
Cleburne, Texas

Frederic Remington
Coming Through the Rye

Frederic Remington
The Fall of the Cowboy

Frederic Remington
Through the Smoke Sprang the Daring Soldier

Frederic Remington
The Rattlesnake

Frederic Remington
The Grass Fire

Severin Roesen
Still Life of Flowers and Fruit with a River Landscape in the Distance

Charles M. Russell
A Bronc Twister

Charles M. Russell
Counting Coup

Charles M. Russell
In Without Knocking
The look as if they are about to have a good time! The other paintings look as if life is a struggle: perhaps even death is close.
Q.L. Collins, 64
Stephenville, Texas

Charles M. Russell
The Buffalo Hunt, [No.39]

Morton Livingston Schamberg
Figure

Filling the Void

Jana H. — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:50:27 -0500

The scent of spackle is in the air! With the Snapshot show packed up and sent home, the photography galleries are being reconfigured and repainted for two new shows featuring works from the Carter’s enormous permanent collection of photography.

On May 10, a new rotation of Masterworks of American Photography will go up. Of the twenty-some-odd works in the show, only two have ever been exhibited here before. Many of the photographs are new to the Carter, acquired (and cataloged by your truly) just in the past year. Three of these new photography acquisitions are quite large; one measures 6 x 8 feet!

Nell Dorr: From Everlasting to Everlasting opens on May 17 in the gallery adjacent to Masterworks. Dorr was a photographer who focused on family life, but she also shot many portraits and experimented with photograms. The Carter holds Dorr’s archive of over 5800 works, and this is the first time we’ve done a survey of her work.

I love photograms, so I was happy to find one in this show that I had never seen before:

Nell Dorr, [Light abstraction photogram], ca. 1950s-1960s

In the Circle

Nora P. — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:29:59 -0500

The outpouring of community support for the artists and artworks in the Intimate Modernism: Fort Worth Circle Artists in the 1940s has been truly amazing. I will be sad to see the exhibition close on May 11.

I recently received this response to our In the Circle project. I hope you enjoy this story and the stories that came before it.

I knew Dickson Reeder very well (1952 to 1965). His Flora Blanc I saw only now and again and always with Dickson. I saw their home and it was amazing.

In 1952, I got to see one of the first of four or five studios/ateliers/hide-outs. This was the log cabin in the garden of Sousa Bailey’s great home on White Settlement Road. I was then in the 11th grade at Northside High School. Mrs. Bailey was a grande dame in the very best sense. It was in her backyard that the Reeders put on their first production. Gardens, books, art were put together in every case. Because of Mrs. Bailey, I became aware of the role of patronesses—how they were supportive of the local artists. Later I met Miss Margaret MacLean and Sam Cantey.

Dink Starns
Fort Worth, Texas

Thank you so much to Charlene Baker, Jo Ann Fanning Durham, Jesse Garcia, Stanley Shepelwich, Naomi Stroud Simmons, Dink Starns, Jeanne Summers, and Violet Wickes for participating in this project. Your stories have helped to bring the works of art to life!

Decision 2008 (Update April 29)

Nora P. — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:13:18 -0500

Every time another candidate starts to close the gap, Dash for the Timber races further ahead. There are only a few weeks left in this “election.” Take a moment to cast a vote for your favorite painting and sculpture in the museum’s collection, and then check back to see how your favorite fares in the polls:

Sixteen Votes
Frederic Remington
A Dash for the Timber

It represents the romance and legend associated with Texas. After all, Fort Worth is “where the West begins…” for the world!
Mary L. (Cindy) Montgomery, 55
Arlington, Texas

I enjoy the combination of skill, color, story, composition, action, and complex characterization in a distinctly Western setting. It has European echoes, but is decisively American.
Linda Jenkins, 63
Fort Worth, Texas

To me, this is what this museum is…great western Americana of the early and mid-1800s. I know the Carter is so much, much more, but thank the Good Lord that Mr. Carter wanted to preserve and share this great work.
Jesse Pierrard, 58
Fort Worth, Texas

Because it just pops out at you.
Austin Anderson, 12
White Settlement, Texas

This picture has so many individual pieces and everyone is intriguing to me. I love the center horse whose eyes follow you wherever you move in the room. I love the soldiers looking back while others are looking forward. This painting is the epitome of classic western art. I take several moments each time I am in the museum to look at it again.
Cliff Holden, 50
Fort Worth, Texas

Nine Votes
Thomas Cole
The Hunter’s Return

William J. McCloskey
Wrapped Oranges

Ever since the ACM purchased this luminous still life, it has jumped off the wall every time I have passed. I have sought out other McCloskey wrapped fruit paintings, and none compare to this masterpiece. It is a gem.
Robert Bass
Fort Worth, Texas

I love how real this painting looks. To me, this painting is “alive!”
Anita Grimes, 37
Aledo, Texas

This painting awakens all of my senses. Visual, of course, but I can hear the crackling of the paper around the orange, feel the bumpy exterior of the oranges underneath the crisp paper, smell the wonderful orange smell, and of course imagine what they would taste like once the paper and peel are gone.
Kim V, 40
Fort Worth, Texas

Grant Wood
Parson Weems’ Fable
This painting is easy to connect to literature. Themes in the painting (cherry shaped curtains, vivid colors, etc.) can be used to teach themes in literature.
Diane Kue, 29
Fort Worth, Texas

Five Votes Each
Georgia O’Keeffe
White Birch

John Singer Sargent
Alice Vanderbilt Shepard

John Quincy Adams Ward
The Freedman

Four Votes Each
Albert Bierstadt
Sunrise, Yosemite Valley
I believe that Bierstadt conveys the beauty, grandeur, and opportunity of the West in this painting. It touches upon some themes central to the West such as exploration, Manifest Destiny, and conserving nature. Additionally, I really like Hudson River School, and while this may be a touch out of time period, it is my favorite Bierstadt.
Allan Mauldin, 45
Anniston, Alabama

Alexander Calder
[Untitled]

Thomas Eakins
Swimming

Martin Johnson Heade
Thunder Storm on Narragansett Bay

Fitz Henry Lane
Boston Harbor

Thomas Moran
Cliffs of Green River

Three Votes Each
Thomas Cole
The Garden of Eden
Because it is so green and realistic.
Mary Kate Dockery, 12
Southaven, Mississippi

Marsden Hartley
Provincetown Abstraction

Frederic Remington
The Cowboy

Frederic Remington
Ridden Down

Two Votes Each
Alexander Calder
Studies for Amon Carter Museum Plaza

Alexander Stirling Calder
An American Stoic

Stuart Davis
Blips and Ifs

Stuart Davis
Chinatown

Charles Demuth
Chimney and Water Tower

Daniel Chester French
Benediction

Marsden Hartley
American Indian Symbols

David Johnson
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire

Georgia O’Keeffe
Black Patio Door

Georgia O’Keeffe
Dark Mesa and Pink Sky

William T. Ranney
Marion Crossing the Pee Dee

Frederic Remington
The Old Stage Coach of the Plains

Frederic Remington
The Right of the Road

Ben Shahn
World’s Greatest Comics

One Vote Each
Saul Baizerman
Cantata

Paul Bartlett
Bear Cub Grooming

George Caleb Bingham
View of Pike’s Peak
I think that mountain views are the most spectacular images of nature.
Brian Anderson, 12
Bellflower, California

Frederic Edwin Church
New England Landscape

Arthur Dove
The Lobster

John Haberle
Can You Break a Five?
The painting is very realistic. So much so that you can almost expect to feel the actual items—if you were to touch them.
Amy, 38
Fort Worth, Texas

William M. Harnett
Attention Company

William M. Harnett
Ease

Martin Johnson Heade
Two Hummingbirds above a White Orchid

Winslow Homer
Crossing the Pasture

Louise Nevelson
Lunar Landscape Wall

Georgia O’Keeffe
Series I – No. 1

Julian Onderdonk
A Cloudy Day, Bluebonnets near San Antonio, Texas

John Frederick Peto
A Closet Door

Frederic Remington
Coming Through the Rye

Frederic Remington
The Fall of the Cowboy

Frederic Remington
Through the Smoke Sprang the Daring Soldier

Frederic Remington
The Rattlesnake

Frederic Remington
The Grass Fire

Severin Roesen
Still Life of Flowers and Fruit with a River Landscape in the Distance

Charles M. Russell
The Buffalo Hunt, [No.39]

Charles M. Russell
A Bronc Twister

Charles M. Russell
Counting Coup

Morton Livingston Schamberg
Figure

A Year of Blogging

Jana H. — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:24:58 -0500

Yesterday marked my one-year blogiversary! (The Carter blog started in January 2007 but I didn’t make my debut until April.) Since I started contributing to the blog, a lot of things have been happening around here. The museum closed in May for repairs to the fire protection system and major gallery redesigns, I celebrated five years at the Carter in June, and we reopened to the public with a big cookout on the plaza in August. In the year since I started blogging, we have completely redesigned the layout of the permanent collection, installed (and deinstalled) 16 exhibitions, added 64 works to the permanent collection, and added 3 more Carter bloggers. Here’s to a busy year and many more!

Bror Utter, Marine Creek Bridge, acquired in 2007 and currently on view

Newsworthy

Nora P. — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:24:55 -0500

Just in case you missed it, yesterday’s New York Times Magazine had an interesting article on the benefits of visual arts education. Today’s travel section features an article on Ansel Adams and Yosemite.

Decision 2008 Update (April 25)

Nora P. — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:12:26 -0500

Dash for the Timber continues to hold onto its lead in our election. Is it time for a change? Take a moment to cast a vote for your favorite painting and sculpture in the museum’s collection, and then check back to see how your favorite fares in the polls:

Eleven Votes
Frederic Remington
A Dash for the Timber
Action
Seth Hopkins, 41
Cartersville, Georgia

Nine Votes
Thomas Cole
The Hunter’s Return

This is my favorite work of art because I like the color and I like the shape.
Naseen Nabil, 8
Arlington, Texas

Seven Votes
Grant Wood
Parson Weems’ Fable

Five Votes Each
William J. McCloskey
Wrapped Oranges

Georgia O’Keeffe
White Birch

John Singer Sargent
Alice Vanderbilt Shepard

Sargent had great insight and affinity with the children he painted. He captures her shyness, revealed in part by a blush in her cheeks. Sargent always subordinated the lavish female costumes of that era to make the face the focal point. He is a virtuoso with paint strokes—his work is an ideal other artists strive for.
Leisa Corbett, 51
Saint Louis, Missouri

John Quincy Adams Ward
The Freedman

Four Votes Each
Alexander Calder
[Untitled]

Thomas Eakins
Swimming

Martin Johnson Heade
Thunder Storm on Narragansett Bay

Fitz Henry Lane
Boston Harbor

Thomas Moran
Cliffs of Green River

Three Votes Each
Albert Bierstadt
Sunrise, Yosemite Valley

Marsden Hartley
Provincetown Abstraction

Frederic Remington
The Cowboy

Frederic Remington
Ridden Down
The Indian warrior on the top of the plateau with the white men coming after him—it so evokes the fate of the Native Americans at the hand of the white man
Dan Stoyak, 19
Arlington, Texas

Two Votes Each
Alexander Calder
Studies for Amon Carter Museum Plaza

Alexander Stirling Calder
An American Stoic

Thomas Cole
The Garden of Eden

Stuart Davis
Blips and Ifs

Stuart Davis
Chinatown

Charles Demuth
Chimney and Water Tower

Daniel Chester French
Benediction

Marsden Hartley
American Indian Symbols

David Johnson
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire

Georgia O’Keeffe
Black Patio Door

Georgia O’Keeffe
Dark Mesa and Pink Sky
It was my favorite because it has a lot of shapes.
Sammy Najil, 9
Arlington, Texas

William T. Ranney
Marion Crossing the Pee Dee

Frederic Remington
The Old Stage Coach of the Plains
This is my favorite work of art because it captures the sense of adventure found in the way West along the U.S. frontier in the late 1800s.
Franklyn Henry Smith, 59
Fort Worth, Texas

Frederic Remington
The Right of the Road

Ben Shahn
World’s Greatest Comics

It’s really neato!
John Robinson, 27
Fort Worth, Texas

One Vote Each
Saul Baizerman
Cantata

Paul Bartlett
Bear Cub Grooming

Frederic Edwin Church
New England Landscape

Arthur Dove
The Lobster
Great composition, great color, great technique.
Matthew Bostick, 49
Fort Worth, Texas

William M. Harnett
[Attention Company]
This painting has always drawn me in from the first day I came to work at the Carter when we were at the Q. I could not put my figure on why I was drawn into it. Maybe it was because I could relate to the expression on his face of the unknown and I was new to the Carter. It was hypnotic and a mesmerizing image.
Lauri Lawrence, 40
Fort Worth, Texas

William M. Harnett
Ease

Martin Johnson Heade
Two Hummingbirds above a White Orchid

Winslow Homer
Crossing the Pasture

Louise Nevelson
Lunar Landscape Wall

Georgia O’Keeffe
Series I – No. 1

Julian Onderdonk
A Cloudy Day, Bluebonnets near San Antonio, Texas
I like it because it is so peaceful and pretty. I love it because of the comments my students make when they view it. They really connect to it and place themselves inside the painting. It is awesome!
Cindy Shaw, 32
Fort Worth, Texas

John Frederick Peto
A Closet Door

Frederic Remington
Coming Through the Rye

Frederic Remington
The Fall of the Cowboy
So much history is displayed, (I) love the Western art (and) also love sculptures—not being an artist, (I) love the expressions, details, etc.
Pam Armstrong, 57
Fort Worth, Texas

Frederic Remington
Through the Smoke Sprang the Daring Soldier

Frederic Remington
The Rattlesnake

Frederic Remington
The Grass Fire

Severin Roesen
Still Life of Flowers and Fruit with a River Landscape in the Distance

Charles M. Russell
The Buffalo Hunt, [No.39]
I love the noise of it, the intensity of the moment, the high drama and the bravery of the men and horses. I also love the bright dabs of color in their clothing, forsaking authenticity for interest.
Bonnie Bassett, 65+
Denton, Texas

Charles M. Russell
A Bronc Twister

Charles M. Russell
Counting Coup

Morton Livingston Schamberg
Figure

Last Chance for Two Carter Exhibitions

Jana H. — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:15:48 -0500

This Sunday, April 27, is your last chance to see The Art of the American Snapshot, now on view in our photography galleries. The snapshots are from a private collection and the Carter is the final venue for the show, so Sunday will probably be your last chance ever to see these photographs.

Sunday is also the last day for Chimneys and Towers: Demuth’s Late Paintings of Lancaster, now on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Organized by the Carter, the exhibition also traveled to the Norton Museum of Art in Florida. After Sunday, however, the show will be taken down and the works returned to their owners.

If you can’t make it to New York on such notice, come by and check out the snapshot exhibition before it’s too late!

Fort Worth Circle and the Performing Arts

Katherine M. — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:22:16 -0500

I was at the Texas Library Association conference in Dallas last week and ran into two wonderful librarians from the Special Collections department at the University of Texas at Arlington. Lea Worcester and Evelyn Barker not only provide outstanding service to UTA students, they provide outreach to the North Texas community as well.

One of the projects that Evelyn and archivist Brenda McClurkin have worked on is now available online and has direct ties to our current special exhibition on the Fort Worth Circle artists. This Web site talks about the Reeder’s Children’s Theatre, a performing arts school started by Dickson and Flora Reeder. What I like best about this project are the wonderful images of the costumes and set designs.

If you would like to visit the library and see the special exhibition in person, it will be open until May 16th. Directions, parking, and exhibition hours are available on the Web site.

(Don’t) Reach Out and Touch

Nora P. — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:52:28 -0500

My little family traveled to DC this past weekend and took advantage of Saturday’s terrific weather to explore all of the national monuments. While the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials are truly awe-inspiring, I think I had the strongest connection to the FDR Memorial. There was something about it that made the man (who has always seemed so larger than life) very approachable—almost too approachable. I noticed that certain parts of the bronze sculptures were shiny—a sure sign that people have been touching the sculptures. Even though I know better, I couldn’t help but reach out and touch these shiny parts—Eleanor Roosevelt’s clasped hands, FDR’s knee, Fala’s ears, and a hand-print in the column commemorating the Tennessee Valley Authority. In doing this, I felt an instant connection with all the visitors who came to the monument before me, and as a result, felt an even greater connection to the actual site itself.

School's Out! (Almost)

Nora P. — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:36:53 -0500

Yesterday afternoon, I met with teachers and students in Gordon, Texas and was informed by both groups that there are only thirty-two more days left until summer break (not that they are counting or anything). The thought of summer break (even for those of us who don’t experience one) is truly a wonderful thing. As you dream of summer and what you will do with those long, lazy days check out our new calendar of summer programs. You will find that there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Also remember that guided tours of the permanent collection take place Thursday through Sunday at 2 p.m. and tours of the special exhibition Marsden Hartley and the West: The Search for an American Modernism (on view from June 14 to August 28) will take place Thursday through Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Before it gets too warm outside, you may want to take advantage of our self-guided tour, Art Walking in the Cultural District, which explores the many outdoor sculptures that are on view in this area. Once the heat hits, the kids may want to stay inside and read a good book. Check out this list of fun childrens’ books that relate to our collection.

I look forward to seeing you around the museum!

Museums and blogs

Jana H. — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:42:54 -0500

Tyler Green’s post on Modern Art Notes this morning prompted me to write a post on the museum blogs that I read, which I have been meaning to do for a while. Truth be told, I keep up with more blogs that are museum-related or about local arts than blogs produced by the museums themselves. Hope you like them.

Blogs by and about other museums:

Eye Level - Smithsonian American Art Museum blog
Brooklyn Museum blog
Modern Blog - MAMFW
Library of Congress blog
CultureGrrl
Modern Art Notes

Museum issues (or at least the ones I deal with):

Fresh + New(er) - Powerhouse Museum (Australia) technology blog
Musematic technology blog
Digitzation 101 technology blog
Collectanea copyright blog
Adventures in Collection Management

Local arts blogs:

KERA Arts +Culture blog
West and Clear Fort Worth events blog
Fort Worth Weekly blog

Are there any good ones that I’ve missed? Post your recommendations in comments.

Snapshot!

Nora P. — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:45:16 -0500

On Friday, the KERA Arts + Culture Blog mentioned an article in the May 1 issue of The New York Review of Books that looks at American snapshots as seen in our current exhibition, The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson. If you haven’t already seen the exhibition, make time to do so this week as it closes on Sunday.

Russell in L.A.

Jana H. — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:16:35 -0500

Two favorite Charles Russell paintings from the Carter’s collection are now on view at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.

Lost in a Snowstorm – We Are Friends and Smoke of a .45 are both included in the Cowboys and Presidents exhibition through September 7.

Now if you haven’t been to the Autry, it’s different. I visited last year and really enjoyed my time there. Founded by native Texan Gene Autry (from Tioga, about an hour north of Fort Worth), the museum has a sizable collection of western art and western movie memorabilia. They have the Lone Ranger’s blue flannel getup and – get this, fellow children of the 80s – the costumes from The Three Amigos. If you’re going to be in LA this summer, don’t miss out on the Autry and this exhibition.

Polaroid Shake Up

Nora P. — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:16:25 -0500

Like many people, I was shocked to hear that the Polaroid Corporation had decided to discontinue the production of all instant film. This film has become a mainstay of museum education programming and I have yet to find a satisfying substitute. So I was heartened to hear about the Save Polaroid movement. Take a moment to visit the site to find out what you can do to save instant film before it disappears.

Collection Connections

Nora P. — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:02:45 -0500

My little family is headed to Washington, DC this weekend. Being the good educator that I am, I have been re-reading brochures, maps, and guide books that I picked up on previous visits and compiling the information into an “art tour” that will engage my history/science buff husband and seven-month old daughter—I like a challenge. In the course of my reading, I found a connection between the Carter’s Benediction, the Lincoln Memorial, and a marble quarry in Colorado (these are not my pictures) that my family visited on a previous family vacation. This inspired me to learn more about Daniel Chester French and his other sculptures. This treasure hunt may be the basis of our next family vacation.

Spring Cleaning

Jana H. — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:39:41 -0500

It’s that time of year again…time to clean ayear’s worth of grit, grime, and grackles off the Henry Moore sculptures, Upright Motives No. 1, 2, and 7, in the Carter’s plaza. Caring for outdoor sculpture is never easy, but Fort Worth’s extreme weather doesn’t exactly help.

Every spring Carter staff install scaffolding around the Moores at the east end of the plaza. Preparators Steve, Greg, and Les are working on the sculptures this week because the weather is warm (but not too warm!) and dry.

The sculptures are gently cleansed with a mild soap and water, rinsed, and left to dry overnight.

The preparators continue the process the next day. Here, Les applies a specially formulated wax with a daubing brush. He works only in small areas at a time and wipes up any excess wax with a soft cloth. Spring is a good time for waxing bronzes because hot weather makes the wax melt too fast to apply properly.

Greg buffs the wax with a flat brush, making sure it is applied evenly over the sculpture’s rough surface. The wax is formulated to protect the sculpture’s patina from the hot Texas sun, pollution, and storms. During the cleaning process, the preparators also examine the sculpture’s surface for any conservation issues that might have developed since the last examination.

Thanks to Steve for taking pics from atop the scaffolding!

Back to the basement until next year…

Onderdonk Bluebonnets on KERA's "Think"

Jana H. — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:52:48 -0500

KERA’s Think program this week featured the Julian Onderdonk exhibition currently up at the Dallas Museum of Art. Our own Onderdonk, A Cloudy Day, Bluebonnets near San Antonio, Texas is in the show, which will be in Dallas until it heads to Witte Museum this summer.

Gohlke in Andover and a New Website Feature

Jana H. — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:34:35 -0500

Our traveling exhibition, Accommodating Nature: The Photographs of Frank Gohlke opens tomorrow at the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts. It will be up until the Addison closes this summer for a major building project.

(Apropos of this week’s weather in DFW!)
Frank Gohlke, Aftermath: The Wichita Falls Tornado, 4503 McNeil, looking north, April 14, 1979
©1979 Frank Gohlke

And while we’re on the subject, you might have noticed a new(ish) feature on the traveling exhibitions page of our website. Beside the title of the exhibition there is now a link to “View other venues,” which lists the exhibition’s forthcoming venues, with dates, addresses, and - even better - links to Google maps of the venue locations. You can see Gohlke’s “other venues” page here.

Weekend Plans

Nora P. — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:44:26 -0500

While you are at the museum this weekend viewing the collections and special exhibitions and taking advantage of the many free public programs, you may want to pop over to the Fort Worth Community Art Center to see the exhibition: Cynthia Brants: Beyond the Circle which is on view from April 4 to April 19. Tyler Green has some nice things to say about Cynthia’s work on his blog today.

Dave Hickey on KERA's "Think"

Jana H. — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:39:27 -0500

In case you missed Dave Hickey’s talk on the Fort Worth Circle at the Carter a couple of weeks ago, here is another (shorter, cleaner!) version on KERA’s Think program. (Via the KERA Arts & Culture blog.)

Decision 2008 Update

Nora P. — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:28:01 -0500

The “election” continues to stay the course with Dash for the Timber holding on to the lead. Is it time for a change? Take a moment to cast a vote for your favorite painting and sculpture in the museum’s collection, and then check back to see how your favorite fares in the polls:

Ten Votes
Frederic Remington
A Dash for the Timber

Eight Votes
Thomas Cole
The Hunter’s Return
The painting tells a story
Fairlle LaForge, 35
Fort Worth, Texas

Seven Votes
Grant Wood
Parson Weems’ Fable

Five Votes Each
William J. McCloskey
Wrapped Oranges
I love the color and how simple the painting is yet it is unique.
Tiffani Raglon, 25
Keller, Texas

It is such a small treasure! Reproductions do not do it justice. In person, you notice that the background is actually a dark blue which plays beautifully against the orange of the fruit. The white paper that wraps the fruit is elegant and lyrical!
Courtney D. Morfeld, 28
Baltimore, Maryland

Georgia O’Keeffe
White Birch

John Singer Sargent
Alice Vanderbilt Shepard
So real!
Mary Lynn Lively, 51
Dolores, Colorado

John Quincy Adams Ward
The Freedman
There are many lovely pieces, of course, but recently I was drawn to this sculpture. It is about an emotional topic, and is pleasing to the senses—shiny, smooth, beautifully executed. I cried.
Carolyn Allen, 73
Benbrook, Texas

Four Votes Each
Alexander Calder
[Untitled]

Thomas Eakins
Swimming

Martin Johnson Heade
Thunder Storm on Narragansett Bay
It reminds me of my childhood home state of Rhode Island. The artist captured the color and the light of the state.
Oliver Frid, 31
Denton, Texas

Fitz Henry Lane
Boston Harbor

Thomas Moran
Cliffs of Green River

Three Votes Each
Albert Bierstadt
Sunrise, Yosemite Valley

Marsden Hartley
Provincetown Abstraction

Frederic Remington
The Cowboy

Two Votes Each
Alexander Calder
Studies for Amon Carter Museum Plaza
I like horses and I like sculptures, but not scary things.
Katherine Bullard, 4
Fort Worth, Texas

Alexander Stirling Calder
An American Stoic
The sculpture makes me want to be an artist.
Katherine Moloney, 50+
Fort Worth, Texas

Thomas Cole
The Garden of Eden
Because of the richness of the color, the amount of detail, all of the symbolism, and the foreshadowing given the fall of Eden on the right side.
Hayley Bagwell, 20
Fort Worth, Texas

The detail was almost endless—astounding beauty.
Tim Wellman, 20
Quincey, Illinois

Stuart Davis
Blips and Ifs

Stuart Davis
Chinatown

Charles Demuth
Chimney and Water Tower

Daniel Chester French
Benediction

Marsden Hartley
American Indian Symbols
I love the American Indian Symbols work of art because it is bold and peeks into the history of time through the first tepee. The Indian inside is constrained and tied with a blocked confinement on each side—the black hole in the distance and the black tile on the right for time and finality.
Sherry Livingston, 57
Arlington, Texas

Georgia O’Keeffe
Black Patio Door

William T. Ranney
Marion Crossing the Pee Dee
This is my favorite piece of art because there is so much detail and so much going on! From the beagles on the small boats, to the horses in the water with the people holding on to their saddles, I could probably look at it again and find another interesting detail. The artist shows detail even in the background. The contrast of light is very cool. I like this painting a lot.
Adam Thomas, 9
Keller, Texas

Frederic Remington
Ridden Down

Frederic Remington
The Right of the Road
This is my favorite work of art because I like Remington and his style. I like the contrast in the painting with white and black and also how one side is so hectic and the other side so calm. I also like that there are different time periods in it. The man on the bike is one time period and the stagecoach is another. I like how realistic it looks and how the man remains calm while the horses are out of control.
Allison, 12
Keller, Texas

One Vote Each
Saul Baizerman
Cantata

Paul Bartlett
Bear Cub Grooming

Frederic Edwin Church
New England Landscape
My dad is from New England (Maine) and my mom is from Goldthwaite, Texas. That makes me biracial. This reminds me of the art I saw in Maine, a combination of old in a new way.
Gwen Maharg, 47
San Marcos, Texas

William M. Harnett
Ease

Martin Johnson Heade
Two Hummingbirds above a White Orchid

Winslow Homer
Crossing the Pasture

David Johnson
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire

Louise Nevelson
Lunar Landscape Wall
I like the individual forms and how they work together to create a unified whole through the black paint. I also like Wrapped Orangesfor the complexity of the painting, especially the delicacy of the paper and the textures of the oranges.
Kim Harvell, 43
Arlington, VA

Georgia O’Keeffe
Dark Mesa and Pink Sky

Georgia O’Keeffe
Series I – No. 1

John Frederick Peto
A Closet Door
The depth perception with shadows and space is outstanding.
Leonard L. Livingston, 71
Arlington, Texas

Frederic Remington
Coming Through the Rye

Frederic Remington
The Old Stage Coach of the Plains
It appeals to my imagination. I can hear the tack rattle and the leathers rub. It must have been so quiet.
Cindy Heffley, 43
Rhome, Texas

Frederic Remington
Through the Smoke Sprang the Daring Soldier

Frederic Remington
The Rattlesnake

Frederic Remington
The Grass Fire

Severin Roesen
Still Life of Flowers and Fruit with a River Landscape in the Distance

Charles M. Russell
A Bronc Twister

Charles M. Russell
Counting Coup

Ben Shahn
World’s Greatest Comics

Morton Livingston Schamberg
Figure

Behind the Seen

Nora P. — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:29:41 -0500

See the first-ever documentary on Winslow Homer, one of America’s most revered artists, at the Carter this Saturday April 12 at 1:30 p.m. Written and directed by award-winning PBS documentary filmmaker Steve Ross, Winslow Homer: Society and Solitude has been called: “a visual feast that does what few art documentaries manage to do—bring us closer to the objects.” Ross will be on hand to answer questions. Admission is free, but please register at 817.989.5057.

Celebrate Earth Day Early

Nora P. — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:11:58 -0500

Join us this Sunday for the Carter’s second annual Earth Day Family Fun Day

Take part in the following fun activities:
•Discover how American artists have advocated for the Earth through an interactive gallery activity.

•Re-purpose recycled materials through fun-filled art-making activities.
•Read, read, and read some more! Story times start at 1:00 and end at 4:00. Every half hour a different book brings artworks to life, and is followed by fun activities that both parents and children can enjoy.
•Decorate a canvas Bullseye bag that you can use and re-use over and over again, and have your photo taken with Bullseye, the Target mascot, who will be here to help us celebrate!

Tyler Green Features the Carter, Part 4

Jana H. — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:00:49 -0500

In the fourth and final installment of Modern Arts Notes’ coverage of Intimate Modernism Tyler Green talks about the art world at the time and its influence on the Fort Worth Circle artists, notably with a George Grammer painting (which happens to be a staff favorite in the show) that Green compares to the works of Paul Klee. The Fort Worth Circle are most often discussed in the context of being local artists, but it’s been interesting to learn more about their place in a much larger modern art scene. Definitely worth a read.

Tyler Green Features the Carter, Parts 2 and 3

Jana H. — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:49:18 -0500

As promised on Monday, Tyler Green has continued his essay on our exhibition, Intimate Modernism: Fort Worth Circle Artists in the 1940s on the Modern Art Notes blog. Part one introduced the show; parts two & three (posted this morning) focus on the works of Kelly Fearing, one of the last living artists from the Fort Worth Circle.

New Orleans, Art, and Community

Stacy F. — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:43:33 -0500

Last week I hung my hat in New Orleans as I participated in the National Art Education Association annual conference. Each year thousands of art teachers, art education professors, and art museum educators gather together to share ideas and resources on furthering art education.

As I prepared to head to New Orleans, I couldn’t help but consider all the rebuilding efforts that have been and continue to occur. As I listened to education staff from the Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans Museum of Art, Newcomb Art Gallery, and Ogden Museum of Southern Art share their experiences of personal and professional change brought by Katrina, I was surprised by all the consequences I hadn’t considered. Obviously, buildings and their contents were physically damaged, but whole exhibition schedules (and their accompanying projects) were wiped out because institutions would no longer lend artworks, funds were frozen, entire departments were laid off.

But as these museum educators shared their pasts, a new story began to emerge. Their organizations are all rebuilding and proving that museums are more than just repositories for cultural objects. It is these museums that are helping to restore the culture and community in New Orleans—through exhibitions, like the Ogden’s After the Flood, new art therapy programs, and as a venue for discussions about city planning and change.

Museums matter, and those in New Orleans are serving as great examples on how to connect their collections and culture to their community. We should all take notice.