Spring Training

This week went by fast, and seemed have a common thread... at least when it came to my day job.

Coming up for air... ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

It actually started late last week, as I received a call from a writer with The Detroit Free Press; he was looking for a comment from Norman Rockwell Museum about Jackie Wells, a woman whose portrait Norman Rockwell had painted during his time in Massachusetts. It was around the late 1950s when Rockwell started attending Peggy Best's Sketch Club in Stockbridge, and one of the models the class was to paint/draw from life was Ms. Wells. Not being one of the illustrator's commercial works it seemed a rather obscure inquiry, but having been at the Museum for so many years, it didn't take me long to know exactly who the reporter was referring to.

Wells' portrait is one of the few nudes that Rockwell is known to have created during this mature point in his career; the fact that the model was African-American also makes it stand out during a time when few of the subjects he depicted for the conservative Saturday Evening Post featured people of color (they actually denied him that opportunity). I enjoyed speaking with this reporter, who made me consider how the work prefaced Rockwell's depiction of more diverse subjects during the following decade—I felt I had a lot to offer in terms of thoughtful reflection, and it was interesting to learn about how the model herself went on to inspire people (particularly those battling cancer in the Detroit area). 

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), "The Rookie (Red Sox
Locker Room)," 1957. Norman Rockwell Museum
Digital Collections. ©SEPS: Curtis Publishing,
Indianapolis, IN

This week began with the news that two of the models for Rockwell's humorous Saturday Evening Post cover, "The Rookie (Red Sox Locker Room)" had been celebrated as guests of honor at Boston's Fenway Park. The occasion was to highlight the upcoming Christie's auction of the painting, and what better place than the landmark stadium used by the Red Sox? I knew the painting was to be displayed this week at Fenway, but had I know that the two living models—Sherm Safford and Frank Sullivan—would also be there, I might have insisted on attending. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Safford a couple times; the first being my August 2011 lecture at the George Eastman House on the topic of my videotaped oral histories with Rockwell models. Safford was the main character, "the rookie" in the 1957 painting, and a high school student from Pittsfield when the artist called on him to pose; he now lives in my hometown of Rochester, New York, and was kind enough to do a live interview with me during the lecture. We have kept in touch, and reconnected during the news about the upcoming auction.

I called Safford the day after the Fenway event, after seeing articles about him and Sullivan (a former Red Sox pitcher) during the event. Interestingly enough, the two had never met before, as Rockwell posed Safford separately from the Sox players who also traveled from Boston to his Stockbridge studio. It sounds like he and Sullivan a grand time at Fenway, and it's always nice to learn how these former models are treated. I had been meaning to get in touch with Sullivan, who now lives in Hawaii, and the event made me realize that there was no time like the present.

I gave the Red Sox Hall of Famer a call, inviting him to visit the Museum in Stockbridge if he had the opportunity during his week-long visit in Boston. Unfortunately he was not able, so I inquired about the idea of meeting him in Beantown to record his story, to which he was agreeable. It seemed like a worthwhile pursuit, since a videotaped interview with this former Major Leaguer would add to our important collection of historical recordings, and Boston is a hell of a lot closer than Hawaii.

Cutting to the chase, it didn't happen. During the time it took to seek approval on the meeting, Sullivan went ahead and made other plans (sometimes I wonder if I misunderstand the organization's needs or expectations). Too bad, because the research I conducted on him seemed interesting, and I enjoyed our brief chats on the phone. We might still have the opportunity to talk down the road, but I imagine this may have been my last window to do so in-person. Certainly the news of the upcoming sale of Sullivan's painting will be keeping me busy in the weeks to come.

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), "Willie Gillis in Convoy," 1941.
©Norman Rockwell Family Agency. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

At the same time, out of nowhere, I received an inquiry about another painting going up for auction this month. This time it was a work I wasn't really familiar with, at least not in finished form. In 1941, Rockwell created a new illustration for his popular Willie Gillis series for the Post. Centered around the escapades of the fictional World War II recruit, I knew the series and had even interviewed the original model Bob Buck; I also knew that there was one unpublished illustration for the series that existed as a detailed charcoal study (the image in question).  What I learned was that Rockwell had also completed a fully rendered oil on canvas painting of "Willie Gillis in Convoy," and that it had been in the possession of Gardner High School since the 1950s. A beautifully executed work, this was quite the discovery, and a nice story about how the town is looking to auction off the work for needed funds to support a school scholarship.

Lo and behold, I'm doing more radio and print interviews, and on the front page of today's Boston Globe, talking about the painting and Rockwell's lasting legacy. It was a nice feeling to see my name and title appear so prominently in this major metropolitan newspaper, and one of the other interviews has been circulating through national publications courtesy of The Associated Press.

It felt good to offer my insight and interest for all of these intriguing stories... so why did I end the day feeling largely unfulfilled at work? 

Catching it while I can...
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

My "moment of Zen" this past week was found away from my desk, running around photographing and filming the spring flowers starting to bloom on our campus. With all my other obligations, it is hard not to feel self-conscious about taking some time to attend to my own creativity. I'm not sure some of my colleagues get it, but it does require special focus to get it right, even for projects intended to benefit the Museum. The magnolia trees are beautiful but fleeting, so I knew I had a short window of opportunity to capture them; the idea is to include a few shots in a planned promotional video highlighting the Museum's year-round offerings... it was nice to give myself the time, and there must be a way to operate similarly in the coming months... who knows what the following day will bring? 

Media Collection:

"Rockwell Painting Kept in Storage in Gardner Heads to Auction," Boston Globe, May 8, 2014

"Norman Rockwell Painting Found at Gardner High School Heads To Auction," WBZ-Radio, May 8, 2014

"Adventurous Spirit of Woman Who Posed for Norman Rockwell Inspires Cancer Survivors," Detroit Free Press, May 6, 2014

"Rockwell Painting Shown at Fenway," Associated Press, May 5, 2014

Wrap Up

Spent the day trying to tie up a lot of loose ends−literally and figuratively. On the eve of Christmas Eve, I naturally ran around a bit trying to figure out some last minute gift-giving ideas... never recommended. However, being as busy as I have in the last month (I pinpoint the craziness starting around the opening of the Alex Ross exhibit), I haven't had a lot of time or resources to devote to planning for the holidays. Anyway, I'm in good shape: presents are wrapped, tree is up, bills are paid, and I'm ready to spend a couple days on vacation with family and friends. 

I keep hearing more "best of 2012" lists. Even Chris Matthews' Sunday morning talk show listed the top news stories today. There were a few things I forgot about, and some I'd like to forget...

As I wrapped presents this afternoon, I looked for some music to play as motivation. It suddenly dawned on me that I forgot to add the Australian musician Gotye to my list of top 10 albums last week. At the beginning of the year, his song "Somebody That I Used To Know" was everywhere... rightfully so. A soulful, eerie, heart-felt song about relationships... the song seemed to touch a nerve (mine included). It sounded different than anything else out there, for sure. I ran out to buy Making Mirrors on the strength of that song... and even though none of the other tracks on the album really match the intensity of that single, it is an interesting work... including nods to several different styles, produced in an adventurous manner. I guess I'll consider it my #11 favorite album of the year.

I found this interview interesting on radio host Jian Ghomeshi's program, Q (particularly where Gotye talks about filtering traditional instruments through new technology to create new sounds):

Can you tell that I'm a music fan? To have a job like Ghomeshi's would be a true delight. Unfortunately, I still haven't found the time to finish up my own music interview programs that have collected over the years... it's just been too crazy this year. Now that I'm feeling more settled, maybe I'll be the "next big thing" in 2013.

Related Links:

http://gotye.com

A Norman Rockwell Moment

Well, this certainly was a memorable day... 

A Japanese TV crew visited the Museum today to begin filming a segment on the work of Norman Rockwell. Today was devoted to recreating the scenes depicted in two of Rockwell's most famous paintings−The Marriage License and The Runaway. My friend Mas, the producer, asked me ahead of time if I knew of anyone who could play the part of certain figures in the illustrations...

My friend/Museum volunteer Carlton agreed to play the part of the clerk in The Marriage License. By the time I got to the shoot (held in the Stockbridge Town Hall) he was already suited up and doing several takes, as if he was waiting on the couple stopping in to get their license. He even got a couple lines... it will be interesting to see if they are dubbed over in Japanese! 

Later in the afternoon, my nephew Sam joined us to play the "title character" in Rockwell's 1958 Saturday Evening Post cover illustration, The Runaway. The crew set the scene in Elm Street Market, where I had actually once interviewed the original models for the painting. The production company, Robin/Tani Media Factory, always has a great eye for detail, and they had my nephew fitted with an old-style knapsack (like the boy in the painting), and found a real-life Massachusetts State Trooper to play the kindly cop. They also went beyond the illustration, filming the little runaway walking outside on his journey... Sam did a great job, and we were even greeted unexpectedly by Ed Locke, the original model for the little boy, who just happened to be driving down the street where we were filming!

But the biggest surprise was yet to come. My sister-in-law's boyfriend had confided in me and Sarah the previous week that he had planned to propose to her... however, he was having a tough time figuring out a time when someone could watch after their own separate children, and make it happen. I suggested that he head out to Stockbridge during the shoot, where she would be present with her son. I told him I would figure out some way to get her back to where we had staged The Marriage License earlier in the day (have to thank the production company for their willingness to help us pull it off). After the Runaway shoot, we all walked back over to the town hall, under the pretense that she needed to sign a couple extra appearance forms for her son... When she got there, her guy was waiting for her at the makeshift set that the TV crew had constructed (even Carlton agreed to "reprise" his role as the clerk). It was here that he popped the question (surrounded by members of her family)... luckily, she said yes! 

As I said, it was a fun, memorable day... I truly cherish when I have the opportunity to help make others happy... when I have the chance to do so in a creative way, that's even more satisfying!

All photos ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Festivus

Holiday party day. My wife is a great cook.

Photos by Jeremy Clowe. ©2012.

Back On The Boards!

I have some more vacation time to use before the end of the year, so I took the day off from work... but that doesn't mean I wasn't busy! More on that in a sec...

I did check into my work email during the day, and discovered that the Museum's new holiday billboards are up... and if you see them around the Berkshires, you may recognize a couple dedicated do-gooders!

Yep, that's me in the Spidey suit, along with my web-slinging nephew Ben! The Museum wanted to promote our latest exhibition (Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross), but we were having a heck of a time trying to get the copyright holders of Ross' artwork to agree to let us showcase his art on a promotion of that size... but me, I had no problem (they don't call me a wallcrawler for nuthin'!). 

Seriously, it's pretty cool... I'll have to take a better picture once I get back to the Berkshires (and find the locations of these displays). 

Minor earth, major sky...! Celebrating my "A-ha" moment at WEXT's
studios in Troy, NY. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Continuing my bid to be called the new "king of all media," I returned to radio station WEXT's studios today to finally record my tribute show on 

A-ha. Actually, it was a re-record... I had already given it a shot a couple years ago at the request of Program Director Chris Wienk, but it was decided to put it on hold... in the meantime, the band retired (2010), briefly reunited to perform during a memorial concert for the victims of that tragic shooting in Norway last year, and on a more joyous occasion... were actually knighted by their home country last month during a ceremony held in Oslo to honor the 30th anniversary of their founding and contributions to Norwegian culture... the least I could do was re-record my tribute, and pull out all the stops!

I'm happy with how the recording session went... I thought my delivery was even stronger than the MyExit show I recorded a few months back. Radio production assistant Katie G was wonderful as usual, and was encouraging during my hour-plus, reading my prepared notes. Now I just have to wait for her to produce it... I prepared a couple discs full of music and editing background themes, and she has my notes... make her job a little easier. There's a chance it might air before the end of the year, otherwise early next... hopefully. So cross fingers and Morten Harket's leather wristbands that it will finally see "the living daylights"... soon! 

I'm ending the day by continuing to organize our new home. We are supposed to host a night of Hanukkah for our family, but I'd feel better if we could straighten it up a bit more... having said that, we lit our own candles earlier... not a bad day at all today!

Related Link:

http://exit977.org

Face Front, Man

Sarah and I just finished watching the 1993 film, What's Love Got To Do With It. I had never seen it  before, but music fan that I am, it stood out to me amidst a stack of DVDs at the library the other day. Well, I now see what all the talk was all about. The movie features some truly great performances by both Angela Bassett as the singer Tina Turner, and Laurence Fishburn as her husband, the abusive musician Ike Turner. I had known a little about Tina's troubled past, but it was interesting to learn more about how she became the legendary performer that she is today, despite all the obstacles--both personally and professionally (I was not aware of how long it took her to land a hit song):



Last night I had the opportunity to see a concert in New York City by a singer who is not quite as well-known as Tina Turner, but equally as entertaining a performer. Truthfully, Jarvis Cocker's witty indie rock music is more my speed than Tina's glossy rock hits, and especially the songs off Different Class, the 1995 album that he recorded with his band Pulp. Well... Pulp reunited last year, and just played a couple of rare shows at New York's Radio City Music Hall--I guess as a warm-up for their performance at the Coachella Music Festival this month. It's all unbelievable to me, as Pulp was a '90s Britpop band that never really attracted widespread commercial success here in the U.S... but I just love the swagger of British pop/rock music--there's something rather exotic about it, and here was a rare sighting of a "bird" that seldom makes it to these shores.



Unfortunately, my last-minute decision to attend the show was thwarted, as I just missed the train to make it out to the city... I sat there at the station perplexed... trying to figure out what to do... suddenly rocked back to reality with a concern about my finances, and whether it was really worth trying to catch a later train that would be cutting so close to showtime... Jarvis would surely have appreciated the gloomy scene, as it is the kind of mood you'll find mixed into some of Pulp's best work: dark themes wrapped in a rather infectious pop/rock groove. Anyway, I hear the shows were fantastic, and the band played most of the songs off their 1995 album-! And apparently Mr. Cocker has become an even more engaging and eccentric showman... well he should, as I understand he founded Pulp back in the late 1970s (that's a long time until they broke in the mid-90s)!

While trying to forge my own artistic career, it is interesting to consider the trajectory of two musicians who have persevered through tough times and lean years. The fact that they both have matured into such strong performers is a good example of stick-to-it-ness in the uncertain "creative" world.

So I'm disappointed that I didn't make it to the show with the other "common people," but there is a lot to plan for in terns of my wedding and other projects, so the money is well saved... I just wish being "responsible" felt a little more fun in the here and now. I'm hoping I have another opportunity to see Jarvis live... in the meantime, I'll just keep "rolling, rolling, rolling down the river..." hopefully collecting more savings and knowledge along the way, and growing into my own frontman shoes.

Related Links:


Tina Turner: Wikipedia.org


"Pulp Make Triumphant U.S. Return at Radio City Music Hall," Rolling Stone, April 11, 2012

"Watch Pulp Make Triumphant U.S. Return on 'Jimmy Fallon,'" Billboard.com, April 10, 2012

"Pulp make triumphant return to the U.S. with two sexy, bouncy shows at Radio City Music Hall," Entertainment Weekly, April 12, 2012