A Richer Life Through Art

I know, things have been quiet on this blog lately... in reality, this month has been as busy as it has been cooold!

This past weekend I was on a bit of a video production tour, with stops in Connecticut and New York City (not to mention The Capital Region). Last Friday I visited the headquarters of Cortina Learning International, based in Wilton, CT, which recently donated the art and archives of the Famous Artists School to Norman Rockwell Museum. Along with the Museum's chief curator, I interviewed Cortina's owners Robert and Magdalen Livesey about this very generous gift, which includes more than 5000 artworks (including original art by Norman Rockwell), course materials, photographs, and other important objects. The couple, who have led the popular art correspondence course since 1981, shared stories about the program and the many talented artists they have worked with over the years.

Norman Rockwell wants YOU. FAS ad, c.1970s.

The Famous Artists School (FAS) was founded in 1948 by illustrator Albert Dorne and 12 of his peers, including Norman Rockwell. In its heyday, FAS became America’s most popular art correspondence course during the mid-twentieth century. At its peak enrollment in the 1950s and 1960s, FAS served as many as 40,000 students. I actually remember seeing the school's "We're looking for people who like to draw" ads in the back of comic books when I was a young kid in the 70s!

Norman Rockwell Museum has nearly doubled its collection through this new acquisition, which offers a wealth of knowledge and undiscovered materials about Rockwell and the field of American illustration art. The press has taken note, and I even landed a big feature in last Sunday's New York Times about the addition to our collection. As the Museum's press manager, this was a big coupe for me, and I'm very happy for the exposure—thanks to Times writer Randy Kennedy for the great article and interest.

Hilarious 1950s-era commercial for FAS! 

In addition to press, it has been great to play around with our new Sony PMW-100 camera and accessories. I have also been learning a bit more about lighting options for video, film and photo shoots, and will write more about that in the future.

On that note, I'll end here. To satisfy my own "communication needs," I have belatedly started a Twitter page, which should allow me to more easily share info on my current doings... hell, at this rate I should be jumping on Instagram and Tumblr in another year-! I do like the format of Twitter (keep it simple, sucka) and there are some great artists to follow over there. Still figuring out a proper website, so this should be enough to tide you over for the time being... #Ciao!

Related Links:

“The Draw of a Mail-Order Art School,” New York Times, March 20, 2014

“Famous Artists School Archives Donated to Museum,” Westport News, February 21, 2014