Hope for the Future

Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

One of the most memorable events for me this past year was taking part in the People's Climate March in New York City on September 21. The largest climate march in history, an estimated 400,000 people took to the streets to show concern and support for measures to combat the threat of a changing climate. 

In addition to the good will, there was an incredible amount of creativity on display. Enjoy the slideshow (below) of some of my photos from this historic day, which I was proud to take part in. 

Related Links:

"2014 Brought Lasting Action on Climate Change Policy," NPR, December 30, 2014

Remembering The Father of Video Games

Photo of Ralph Baer in his Manchester, NH, home,October 2011. 
Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

I was sorry to hear about the recent passing of Ralph H. Baer (1922-2014). Considered "the father of video games," Baer held over 150 patents in the U.S. alone, and was responsible for the creation of such early games as Ping-Pong in the 1960s; and Odyssey, the first home video game console, in the 1970s.

As someone who was obsessed with video games in middle school/early high school, I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to travel to Manchester, New Hampshire in October 2011, to meet Baer and conduct a videotaped interview in his home/studio for Norman Rockwell Museum (where he had been an art donor). Then 89 years old, Baer seemed as active as ever, still tinkering in his studio and trying out new ideas. He was also quite generous with his time, offering a quite thorough interview and explanation of his early experiments in television engineering, which lead to the idea of interactive video gaming. Here is a quick edit I created yesterday of some of the footage: 

Yes, that's Baer trying out Simon, which he also created. I remember being quite taken with that musical toy as a kid, and it's pretty wild to realize that this pioneering engineer also advanced the electronic toy and greeting card industry—I enjoyed having the opportunity to literally see his creativity at work during our meeting. 

Photo by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Five decades later, video games are a billion dollar industry (today it's my pre-teen nephew hooked on such games as Minecraft). It's nice that Baer had the opportunity to see just how far his ideas had come; it was an honor for me to spend some time getting to know him.

Related Links:

"Video game designer Ralph Baer invented your childhood," Washington Post, December 8, 2014

"Portrait of a Game-Changer," my 2011 article for Norman Rockwell Museum

Holiday Special

This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas weekend, inspired by Norman Rockwell's beloved holiday portrait of the town where he lived and worked, coincidentally, for 25 years. Stockbridge is also home to Norman Rockwell Museum, so the holidays are always a busy time for us as well. 

Welcome to Main Street- Photo courtesy Time Warner Cable News

One of the highlights of the town's annual festivities is a recreation of Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, which is part of our permanent collection. The Museum receives it's fair share of press requests connected to the event, and last Friday was especially busy throughout the day--I found myself taking part in a photo shoot in the town's historic Red Lion Inn for Italian National Geographic, and conducted a video interview about the celebration for Albany's Time Warner Cable News. I'm anxious to see the shots from the talented photographer, but you can already watch the TV interview (which has been airing this weekend) here. A nice change of pace from all the depressing national news lately.

Related Links:

"Stockbridge Main St. Turning into Rockwell's Christmas Painting," Time Warner Cable News, December 5, 2014

Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce

Norman Rockwell Museum

I Can't Breathe

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Humanity not brutality: joining the Albany, NY protest over NYC grand jury decision 
regarding the death of Eric Garner. December 4, 2014. Photo by Sarah Clowe.