Step In Time

Happy New Year... or in my case, happy new 'ear-! We literally ended 2013 on a quiet note, as I recovered from an ear infection I picked up over the holidays... oof. 

Otherwise, we've been having a good time. On New Year's Eve we decided to go see the new movie Saving Mr. Banks, which tells the story of Walt Disney's attempts to win over author P.L. Travers for the rights to bring her book Mary Poppins to the big screen. Sarah and I both enjoyed it, agreeing that actress Emma Thompson, starring as Travers, really made the movie (I liked the New Yorker review of the film, which remarked that "a spoonful of her medicine makes the sugar go down."):

Of course I have always enjoyed Tom Hanks (at one point in college, I made a point of watching EVERY film he had appeared in); here he does a commendable job of bringing Walt Disney to life. It's a Disney film, and some of the scenes are fictionalized, but I felt that it struck a nice balance between the magical kingdom and "real-world"... in other words, the story was well-written, engaging, and didn't seem as sweet as the jelly beans sitting on Uncle Walt's desktop. Having recently become addicts of the TV show Mad Men, we also enjoyed watching the filmmakers' attempts to recreate the time period: 

Cover of 1957 biography on Walt Disney, signed by the filmmaker
to my father (a big Disney fan). The book was co-authored by Walt's
daughter, Diane Disney Miller, who died this past year.

It seemed somewhat fitting to end the year on a Disney note, after I had spent a good part of the year promoting our Snow White exhibition at Norman Rockwell Museum. In the process, I learned quite a bit about Walt Disney, including his friendship with Norman Rockwell (it was fun to see Rockwell's portraits of Disney's two daughters hanging in his office in the film). Sadly, Walt's daughter Diane Disney Miller, a member of the Museum's National Council, passed away in November, and never did make it to Stockbridge to see the exhibition. A nice touch was a note of dedication to Disney Miller in the movie's end credits—it was her love of Travers' original Mary Poppins books that inspired her father's 20 year effort to bring the character to the big screen.

Sarah ushers in the new year...
with another book (a 1943 P.L. Travers
original)!

A big part of Saving Mr. Banks also deals with Ms. Travers unresolved feelings for her departed father, who inspired several themes and characters in her novels. There was a great moment in the movie where Disney finally convinces Travers to bring her creation to the big screen, revealing the conflicted relationship he held with his own father and how also had used creativity to overcome some of life's trials: “That’s what story tellers do. We restore order to imagination. We bring hope.”

Damn it, Hollywood... another film this past year about the legacy of fathers, and it nearly choked me up (again). 




Later that night we ushered in the new year by watching the original Mary Poppins—I don't think I'd ever seen the movie all the way through. It was charming in many ways:  Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke (his physicality was amazing!), the music, and some fun special effects. Yes, I'd say it was a supercalifragilistic way to end a fairly pleasant year... 

Related Links:

"Saving Mr. Banks" official website

Norman Rockwell Meets Walt Disney (short clip from interview I conducted with artist Jarvis Rockwell, son of Norman Rockwell)

Marge Champion, the original "Snow White" (short clip from interview I conducted with the famed dancer/model for Disney's first feature-length film) 

Radio Disney Albany's "Backyard Show" (interview I conducted with the station re: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic"), July 28, 2013

Marge Champion: The Real Life Snow White, 94, Danced in Her Dad's Footsteps," Babble, July 2, 2013

"Walt: The Man Behind the Myth" (trailer for decent documentary I saw this past year)

Family Tree

Family has been on the mind this past week, as Sarah and I have attended both a wedding and funeral for our loved ones. It strikes me that whether the occasion is sad or happy, we are blessed to have some wonderfully supportive relations. 

Author Deborah Solomon, artist Jarvis Rockwell, and Norman Rockwell
Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt at the book launch of
"American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell," October 19, 2013.
Jarvis Rockwell suggested Solomon write a book about his father's work after
reading a "New York Times" art review she created about Norman Rockwell.
Photo by Jeremy Clowe. ©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

At work the topic has trended towards family lately as well, as we anticipate the release of a new biography on Norman Rockwell, and close an exhibition of the work of his oldest son. On Saturday night the worlds collided, as artist Jarvis Rockwell was one of the invited guests for the official launch of author Deborah Solomon's new book, American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell. Spending the last decade working on the biography, the celebrated art critic made extensive use of Norman Rockwell Museum's archives in the process. From the brief excerpt I have found time to read, her research offers new insight into Norman Rockwell's artistic career and personal life, and I imagine some of her thoughts will prove controversial to a public that still reveres the illustrator's work.

Norman Rockwell's autobiography, "My Adventures
As An Illustrator," signed by the artist for my father.
Forty years later, I added the illustrator's son Tom
Rockwell's signature to the book, following an interview
I conducted with the writer, who helped his father
in penning the 1960 release. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.
All rights reserved.

As stated before, although I studied illustration in college, I was not really aware or a fan of Norman Rockwell's work before I started working at the Museum a decade ago. You could say I was doing my own "research" when I took the job: an effort to understand more about the tastes of my late father, who had amassed quite a collection of Rockwell books, and even corresponded with the artist as a teenager. I guess to some degree I understand the attraction: my father once considered becoming an illustrator before starting a career as an industrial designer, and the themes of tolerance and community pictured in Rockwell's work are values that my family continues to hold strong.

Solomon brought up some interesting points during her lecture on Saturday night, but I found myself most sympathetic in how Rockwell's son Jarvis must feel with having such a famous, larger than life father, and hearing so many personal details about his family. 

I have interviewed many friends, family, and colleagues of Norman Rockwell over the last 13 years, but his son Jarvis always remained elusive. I know the artist had a troubled relationship with his father, which he made more than clear to me over the phone several years ago, flatly denying my request for an interview about the subject. When we mounted our summer exhibition of Jarvis' work, I wondered how things were going to play out, and felt a degree of sensitivity was needed in how to publicize the show within the context of our Museum. 

Jarvis Rockwell working on "Maya V," his on-site
installation of action figures at Norman Rockwell
Museum. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.
©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

As Jarvis worked on an on-site installation (certainly a unique way for visitors to interact with an artist), I figured it was a good time to approach him again about doing an interview. This time, however, I wanted to talk to him about his own work-- the conceptual drawings, found objects and toy sculptures that had made such a presence in our galleries over the past several months. Luckily, I found him and his lovely wife Nova most accommodating. 

Borrowing an HD camera and equipment, I was back in "one-man band" mode, attempting to juggle interviewing, filming and coordination of our meeting during the brief window available before the Museum's regular business hours... add to that a little nervousness in how to deal with the topic of his father, should it come up.

My concerns were soon put to rest, as I found Jarvis to be a very open and entertaining interview. He obviously delighted in talking about his work, and offered me a walk-through of the 60-year retrospective that hung on the walls before us. It went so well, in fact, that we ran out of time to talk about all of the work, and his wife Nova came up to me afterwards to report that he felt it was possibly the best interview he had ever been involved in.

The artist very kindly offered to meet with me the following week to continue the interview. Feeling a little more confident I decided to up the production value, and added some sweet LED lights to provide better illumination in our galleries. Setting up for an on-camera interview is no easy task, but the added preparation time was well worth it. 

During the interview Jarvis told me he felt very comfortable talking with me, which was nice to hear. I had received similar comments while talking to musicians, artists, and my own family on-camera over the years, but it meant a lot to hear from someone I wasn't certain I would ever have the opportunity to interview.



It's interesting how your perceptions of people can change. I really enjoyed learning about Jarvis' artistic process, and didn't find him intimidating at all. Hearing about his "Maya V" pyramid of action figures, which I helped assemble, made me smile− the Rockwell family seems to share a certain puckish sense of humor. It was also enlightening to hear about his thoughts about the after-life, which is a theme he is currently foucsing on in his work. During our interview he remarked how he found it interesting to revisit his older work, and I appreciated the opportunity to talk about it with him. 

With Jarvis Rockwell: he thought the second
week of interviews went even better.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Jarvis was also candid about his father, and their difficult relationship. "I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to be part of a different family," he announced. What I also sensed was a certain degree of peace with where he came from. They say you can't choose your family, and I think he has found his own way, working hard to express his own creativity. No doubt having the exhibition in his father's museum offered him further opportunity for reflection. He seemed pleased with it all, and I was happy to have played a part in his experience.

Legacy is no easy thing to sort out, especially for an artist. A supportive family is a great help, but I have come to understand that the true work is up to you.

Related Links:

Jarvis Rockwell Gallery

"Jarvis, Son of Norman, is a Rockwell in His Own Right," Babble.com, September 6, 2013

"An Evening with Deborah Solomon" NRM press release (written by JC)


"Inside America's Great Romance With Norman Rockwell," Smithsonian, October 2013