Last Thursday night as part of our American Storytellers series, we enjoyed a fantastic performance by the Berkshire Ramblers including Alan Chartock and friends. To hear more on their renditions of folk favorites (including lots of Pete Seeger), read Chartock's column for the Berkshire Eagle. And for a short clip of the Ramblers in action on our terrace with everyone singing along to a truly beloved tune, just press play:
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Alpha Beta Chowder II
A few weeks ago I wrote about the interactive display I made for our Creativity Center on Jeanne and William Steig's book Alpha Beta Chowder. The response throughout the month of July was truly phenomenal as we filled the board several times over with different characters for each letter of the alphabet. Here are some pictures of the display in action:
And some of my all-time favorite characters:
-Cookie the Crazy Cook who Cooks Corn on the Cob, Cookies, Cupcakes and Crabs
-Henry the Hippo who has Huge Hips
-Ian, who takes an Irate Interest in his Ipod
-Paola, the Pretty Penguin who loves to Pretend that she is Picking Peppers and Paprika in Peru. She also loves to Perform as a Pop diva (whew!)
-Wendy, the Winking Waterhorse who Wants to be Wonderful
Sadly, we had to take Alpha Beta Chowder down yesterday. Not without good reason, though--we are welcoming the Multicultural BRIDGE program to our Creativity Classroom for the month of August, which I will definitely write about here as I work with them on a daily basis. But clearing the classroom for BRIDGE meant taking a staple remover to my beloved display.
"Oh no!," I bet you're thinking, "I've been carefully planning my Norman Rockwell Museum visit based exclusively on the contents of this blog and desperately wanted to see the Alpha Beta Chowder display while it was up!" I for one wouldn't expect anything less than for visitors to make a beeline past Norman Rockwell and William Steig's art and head downstairs to see my construction paper, staple-mounted "exhibition."
BUT WAIT. You didn't miss it at all!! In fact, I spent the better part of today making the truly creative doodles that our visitors created throughout July into a book for future musuemgoers to see. I can give you a sneak preview, but I'm afraid you'll have to come to Stockbridge to see the whole thing!
And some of my all-time favorite characters:
-Cookie the Crazy Cook who Cooks Corn on the Cob, Cookies, Cupcakes and Crabs
-Henry the Hippo who has Huge Hips
-Ian, who takes an Irate Interest in his Ipod
-Paola, the Pretty Penguin who loves to Pretend that she is Picking Peppers and Paprika in Peru. She also loves to Perform as a Pop diva (whew!)
-Wendy, the Winking Waterhorse who Wants to be Wonderful
Sadly, we had to take Alpha Beta Chowder down yesterday. Not without good reason, though--we are welcoming the Multicultural BRIDGE program to our Creativity Classroom for the month of August, which I will definitely write about here as I work with them on a daily basis. But clearing the classroom for BRIDGE meant taking a staple remover to my beloved display.
"Oh no!," I bet you're thinking, "I've been carefully planning my Norman Rockwell Museum visit based exclusively on the contents of this blog and desperately wanted to see the Alpha Beta Chowder display while it was up!" I for one wouldn't expect anything less than for visitors to make a beeline past Norman Rockwell and William Steig's art and head downstairs to see my construction paper, staple-mounted "exhibition."
BUT WAIT. You didn't miss it at all!! In fact, I spent the better part of today making the truly creative doodles that our visitors created throughout July into a book for future musuemgoers to see. I can give you a sneak preview, but I'm afraid you'll have to come to Stockbridge to see the whole thing!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Time Travel
Every Tuesday and Thursday at the Norman Rockwell Museum, we offer our visitors the opportunity to travel through time, going back about 150 years (you can't beat the deal, either--free with museum admission). Maybe that's overselling it a little bit, because to be perfectly honest (and corny) your "time machine" is a nifty combo of your imagination to picture the stories we tell and your feet to carry you around the museum grounds. It's not exactly Back to the Future (we don't have a Delorean in the garage), but did I mention it's free?
To be clear, either I or one of my bosses gives a historic property tour, talking about the museum building (a 1993 design by Robert A.M. Stern), sculptures by Norman Rockwell's youngest son Peter that are on the grounds, and the historic Linwood House (c. 1859) which now houses our administrative offices but was once the Berkshire cottage of prestigious New York lawyer Charles Butler.
Visitors on this tour always have a lot of questions. It's understandable, because though the history of this place is truly fascinating, it doesn't have very much to do with Norman Rockwell. He never lived here, and though his studio is on the grounds today, it was moved here from downtown Stockbridge after Rockwell died, so he never did paint on this green hillside with mountains in the background. That said, the story of Charles Butler, his law partners, and their quaint little cottages in the Berkshires (they're really mansions--Linwood houses has 16 rooms and 14 fireplaces) is definitely intriguing.
I'll share some anecdotes about Butler and the history tour in coming weeks, but today I have questions on the brain, in particular one that I got on Tuesday during the tour. We always talk about Butler Road, which Charles Butler had built so he could easily travel from the train station in town to his house a mile away. The only (tiny) problem was that the Housatonic River was in his way. His solution was to build Butler Bridge over it, which still stands as a pedestrian walkway. One of our visitors understandably asked me how to get there and what it was like, to which I had one of those sputtering intern moments: "uh, uh, I think, I'm pretty sure..." The sad truth? I'd never gone down to see it with my own eyes!
When I went back to the offices and told my boss, we hopped on the golf cart and she drove me down to see Butler Bridge myself. It's so beautiful! You'll find it less than a ten-minute walk from the Rockwell Studio down a mown pathway. Standing on the middle of the bridge it's quiet and peaceful, and the views of the Housatonic really can't be beat. Plus, now when anyone asks me a question (well, this question), I won't have to have an intern answer!
To be clear, either I or one of my bosses gives a historic property tour, talking about the museum building (a 1993 design by Robert A.M. Stern), sculptures by Norman Rockwell's youngest son Peter that are on the grounds, and the historic Linwood House (c. 1859) which now houses our administrative offices but was once the Berkshire cottage of prestigious New York lawyer Charles Butler.
Visitors on this tour always have a lot of questions. It's understandable, because though the history of this place is truly fascinating, it doesn't have very much to do with Norman Rockwell. He never lived here, and though his studio is on the grounds today, it was moved here from downtown Stockbridge after Rockwell died, so he never did paint on this green hillside with mountains in the background. That said, the story of Charles Butler, his law partners, and their quaint little cottages in the Berkshires (they're really mansions--Linwood houses has 16 rooms and 14 fireplaces) is definitely intriguing.
I'll share some anecdotes about Butler and the history tour in coming weeks, but today I have questions on the brain, in particular one that I got on Tuesday during the tour. We always talk about Butler Road, which Charles Butler had built so he could easily travel from the train station in town to his house a mile away. The only (tiny) problem was that the Housatonic River was in his way. His solution was to build Butler Bridge over it, which still stands as a pedestrian walkway. One of our visitors understandably asked me how to get there and what it was like, to which I had one of those sputtering intern moments: "uh, uh, I think, I'm pretty sure..." The sad truth? I'd never gone down to see it with my own eyes!
When I went back to the offices and told my boss, we hopped on the golf cart and she drove me down to see Butler Bridge myself. It's so beautiful! You'll find it less than a ten-minute walk from the Rockwell Studio down a mown pathway. Standing on the middle of the bridge it's quiet and peaceful, and the views of the Housatonic really can't be beat. Plus, now when anyone asks me a question (well, this question), I won't have to have an intern answer!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Truly Inspired
Yesterday, as I was uploading a batch of photos from recent events onto the computer, I noticed just how much the Museum itself factors into the art projects that people end up doing in our programming.
Last week in our Summer Sketch class we were teaching chalk pastels, the technique for which is all about layering colors and putting light shades over dark to create the illusion of light. The forecast called for rain, so we had class on the terrace rather than out on the museum grounds as we had planned. One boy in the class was inspired to draw the terrace's bright pink and yellow lanterns hanging above the gray stone floor and silver metal tables. He layered white onto gray onto black, creating a picture with some real depth and beauty of what's really simply a place for visitors to eat their lunch:
Then on Saturday we had a Steig-themed family day that included a tour of the Love and Laughter exhibit, a dramatic reading of some of his books (including Shrek!) and an art workshop making wooden figurines in the style of Jeanne Steig. This last part was so interesting--most families had had a chance to see her sculptures, which are made out of found objects, in the galleries. Their projects were both inspired by her and also went in completely different directions--one girl made an adorable wooden pig, and a little boy set about the task of building an entire (miniature) house.
One of my favorites was this grandmother, who worked with her (camera shy) four year-old granddaughter to make this figure. Can you see the striking resemblance?
I'm getting to the point in my internship here where I find myself breezing through the galleries on a beeline to whatever piece I need to look at for a certain project, or helping the kids in an art class (which can always be a little chaotic) without paying attention to where I am. So it's exciting to see visitors who are inspired by the art they see around them, both inside the galleries and out!
P.S. There will be another Steig-themed family day on August 14th...and this one promises to be Shrekalicious!
Last week in our Summer Sketch class we were teaching chalk pastels, the technique for which is all about layering colors and putting light shades over dark to create the illusion of light. The forecast called for rain, so we had class on the terrace rather than out on the museum grounds as we had planned. One boy in the class was inspired to draw the terrace's bright pink and yellow lanterns hanging above the gray stone floor and silver metal tables. He layered white onto gray onto black, creating a picture with some real depth and beauty of what's really simply a place for visitors to eat their lunch:
Then on Saturday we had a Steig-themed family day that included a tour of the Love and Laughter exhibit, a dramatic reading of some of his books (including Shrek!) and an art workshop making wooden figurines in the style of Jeanne Steig. This last part was so interesting--most families had had a chance to see her sculptures, which are made out of found objects, in the galleries. Their projects were both inspired by her and also went in completely different directions--one girl made an adorable wooden pig, and a little boy set about the task of building an entire (miniature) house.
One of my favorites was this grandmother, who worked with her (camera shy) four year-old granddaughter to make this figure. Can you see the striking resemblance?
I'm getting to the point in my internship here where I find myself breezing through the galleries on a beeline to whatever piece I need to look at for a certain project, or helping the kids in an art class (which can always be a little chaotic) without paying attention to where I am. So it's exciting to see visitors who are inspired by the art they see around them, both inside the galleries and out!
P.S. There will be another Steig-themed family day on August 14th...and this one promises to be Shrekalicious!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Thursday Nights
I've mentioned before that Thursday nights in July and August comprise our American Storytellers summer series of lectures and performances. Thursdays mean I get to come in to work late and stay late. Of course the highlight of the day is sitting in on, for instance, Curator Joyce Schiller's talk on our Rockwell and the Movies exhibition, or a performance of a cappella group Quintessential.
I'll tell the truth though--I definitely don't mind the extra sleep! The picturesque drive I take through the Berkshires to Great Barrington to pick up refreshments for the evening is a wonderful way to spend Thursday morning, and we usually have leftovers of the fancy finger food and seltzer water that I can take home to appreciative friends. I feel a little ridiculous bringing a Tupperware container to work in which to pack my pirate's booty when the event is over, but I'm a poor college student so I have very little pride.
Shopping for these events is a little like playing dress-up when I was little--I get to pick out the nice cheeses, crackers and fruit for a fine cocktail hour, but then put it on the Museum's account. I arrange the goodies carefully on a plate, a skill I learned one summer in high school when I worked in food service making fruit and cheese platters (a talent that at this job has proved shockingly relevant; my boss jokingly asked why it's not on my resume). After Martha Stewart-ing it up all afternoon with the help of Rick, a Museum volunteer who has been doing these events for ages, we sit back and let the performer do their thing, much to the delight of Museum visitors (who don't care quite as much about the platters as I might). You, dear blog reader, should definitely consider coming out one of these Thursdays--5:30 P.M sharp!
I'll tell the truth though--I definitely don't mind the extra sleep! The picturesque drive I take through the Berkshires to Great Barrington to pick up refreshments for the evening is a wonderful way to spend Thursday morning, and we usually have leftovers of the fancy finger food and seltzer water that I can take home to appreciative friends. I feel a little ridiculous bringing a Tupperware container to work in which to pack my pirate's booty when the event is over, but I'm a poor college student so I have very little pride.
Shopping for these events is a little like playing dress-up when I was little--I get to pick out the nice cheeses, crackers and fruit for a fine cocktail hour, but then put it on the Museum's account. I arrange the goodies carefully on a plate, a skill I learned one summer in high school when I worked in food service making fruit and cheese platters (a talent that at this job has proved shockingly relevant; my boss jokingly asked why it's not on my resume). After Martha Stewart-ing it up all afternoon with the help of Rick, a Museum volunteer who has been doing these events for ages, we sit back and let the performer do their thing, much to the delight of Museum visitors (who don't care quite as much about the platters as I might). You, dear blog reader, should definitely consider coming out one of these Thursdays--5:30 P.M sharp!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Love and Laughter
Today we had the second of four weekly performances courtesy of the Berkshire Choral Festival, a group of choir singers from Sheffield, Massachusetts, who have been and will be singing for us during July and August. They have an impressive lineup that they call "A Musical Celebration of Love and Laughter" in an homage to one of our current exhibitions, a show on New Yorker cartoonist and illustrator William Steig. Songs like "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Seasons of Love" are followed by a comedic mashup of "Be a Clown" and "Make 'Em Laugh".
Somewhere in the middle of running around making sure everyone had a Museum button and finding an extension cord, passing out programs and setting out camp stools, I had to stop and really listen. I'll admit, I'm kind of a sucker for sentimental music. But Berkshire Choral really puts on a performance, and the looks on the faces of random museum passerby say it all. They ducked out to the terrace for a quick popsicle, and all of a sudden a choir of forty experienced singers descends with a full lineup of songs closely related to what they just saw in the galleries. What a treat!
Somewhere in the middle of running around making sure everyone had a Museum button and finding an extension cord, passing out programs and setting out camp stools, I had to stop and really listen. I'll admit, I'm kind of a sucker for sentimental music. But Berkshire Choral really puts on a performance, and the looks on the faces of random museum passerby say it all. They ducked out to the terrace for a quick popsicle, and all of a sudden a choir of forty experienced singers descends with a full lineup of songs closely related to what they just saw in the galleries. What a treat!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Lessons in Photography
One of my projects for the summer has been to resurrect the Museum's Education Department camera to capture images of the various programming that's almost always going on at the Museum. It's one of those "easier said than done" things, because the camera itself is pretty ancient--it uses AA batteries and eats them up like crazy. It's always an adventure when the batteries die in the middle of some event and I've gotten, lets say, 10 pictures of the refreshment table (which I just may have set out myself--my photography tends toward the self-serving) and zero of the keynote speaker.
But the times of the week that I am so glad for the camera is when I take pictures of our Summer Sketch Club on Tuesday mornings and Creating Together class for parents and children on Wednesday mornings. Last week our Summer Sketch Club, which is for ages seven and up, met to do pencil drawings outside on the hillside overlooking Norman Rockwell's studio (which has, by the way, been on the Museum's property since 1986 when we loaded it onto a truck and drove it here from the middle of Stockbridge a couple of miles away).
After explaining the different levels of hardness for the pencil sets and giving examples of line drawing, the teacher let the kids in the class roam the hillside to find a subject that jumped out at them. Brother and sister Sam and Sarah parked themselves under a huge tree and drew an elaborate imagined fairy battle taking place over its craggy roots. Meanwhile three girls arranged their stools around Rockwell's studio, drawing the old carriage barn where he created masterpieces like The Golden Rule. I snapped some pictures--maybe not the best or most focused, I am still learning--of these kids discovering the magic of storytelling through art, Rockwell's very own specialty.
But the times of the week that I am so glad for the camera is when I take pictures of our Summer Sketch Club on Tuesday mornings and Creating Together class for parents and children on Wednesday mornings. Last week our Summer Sketch Club, which is for ages seven and up, met to do pencil drawings outside on the hillside overlooking Norman Rockwell's studio (which has, by the way, been on the Museum's property since 1986 when we loaded it onto a truck and drove it here from the middle of Stockbridge a couple of miles away).
After explaining the different levels of hardness for the pencil sets and giving examples of line drawing, the teacher let the kids in the class roam the hillside to find a subject that jumped out at them. Brother and sister Sam and Sarah parked themselves under a huge tree and drew an elaborate imagined fairy battle taking place over its craggy roots. Meanwhile three girls arranged their stools around Rockwell's studio, drawing the old carriage barn where he created masterpieces like The Golden Rule. I snapped some pictures--maybe not the best or most focused, I am still learning--of these kids discovering the magic of storytelling through art, Rockwell's very own specialty.
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