The Kids Are Alright

2016? With the exception of my family, friends, and Bernie(!), it was a frequently trying year. What else do you say about a year where Gen X-ers like myself lost such cultural icons as Bowie, Prince, Mohammad Ali, George Michael, and Carrie Fisher, and can look forward to being Trump-ed in the new year? Makes you want to turn the lights out and pull the covers up for a looong nap.

Photo: Jeremy Clowe

There were, however, a couple projects that I was involved with this year that raised my spirits. They involved the next generation - Millennials and Generation Z, if you will.

Last February I spent some time working from home in New York's Capital Region, and decided to document a group of local high school students who were busy preparing work for an exhibition reinterpreting President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Four Freedoms (which celebrated its 75th anniversary this year). The show was to be presented at Norman Rockwell Museum, where we own and display Norman Rockwell's original 1943 paintings that famously interpret Roosevelt's speech. It sounded like an interesting project, and I was curious to see what freedom meant to young people in the 21st Century.

"Freedom of Speech," one of FDR's original ideals, was perhaps the most popular, and was interpreted in some interesting ways--as a form of protest; in being able to express yourself through dress, music, or the visual arts; and speaking up for your rights as a young person. The other freedoms (want, religion, and fear) were less frequently illustrated, with these studio art students deciding to expand on the original concept.

Not surprisingly, one of the biggest concerns was privacy--in this day of social media and smart phones, young people had mixed feelings about the freedom to share information, but also the need for it to stay protected. Others addressed the idea of equality for people of all genders, races, and sexual identities. I enjoyed working with and finding the common threads between the three schools that I visited, and telling the students' story; several were looking at issues that seemed far beyond the typical high school concerns. The students pleasantly surprised me with their generally polite and thoughtful nature.

From there, I helped the Museum cover a number of other interesting education initiatives during 2016. One of the most unique was a group of students we had been working with from Edward A. Reynolds High School in New York City, who learned that Norman Rockwell was born just a few blocks from their school (206 West 103rd Street). After learning more about the artist and how he illustrated humanitarian themes right through and including the civil rights era, they decided to form a committee to see about renaming the corner near Rockwell's birthplace (West 103rd and Broadway) in the artist's name. On Election Day, November 4, 2014, the students canvassed voters at their school, a polling location, and picked up 300 signatures in favor of the idea.

Civics - the Norman Rockwell way.

With support from the Museum, the effort became a useful lesson in civics for the students, involving them directly in the political process. In February 2016, New York's City Council voted to officially rename the corner, and a special signing ceremony, officiated by Mayor Bill de Blasio, was held at New York's City Hall on February 25-- I was on hand to film the occasion, as well as the official unveiling of "Norman Rockwell Place," which took place on June 9, with City dignitaries, Museum officials, Rockwell family members, and fans in attendance. It was a meaningful day, and I was again impressed by the perspective and determination of these young people.

This past June we held our annual gala, which celebrated our education efforts. Former First Lady Laura Bush, who was an educator, was on hand, as well as children's book illustrator Jerry Pinkney, who was honored as our new Artist Laureate (I had previously interviewed and created a video for our 2009 exhibition of Pinkney's work). The night of the gala we also premiered a video I created to highlight several of our education initiatives, including the Four Freedoms and New York City student efforts. Again, I found it be an involved project, sorting through tons of footage to find the through line to tell an effective story. However, all the work paid off and the video was quite well-received, helping us raise considerable new funds to continue our education efforts.

As I mentioned, it was a trying year... easy to get discouraged... but thinking back about these projects and talented teens I met along the way, I continue to find hope for the future. 

Reimagining The Four Freedoms exhibition photos- NRM Facebook

Freedom For A New Generation - photos by JC- NRM Facebook

"Manhattan Street is Renamed After Norman Rockwell," New York Times, June 8, 2016

Changing Scene

Late October can really creep up on you. Where did the summer go? Where did fall go? It snowed the other day.

Photo: Jeremy Clowe / Norman Rockwell Museum

As the seasons turn, I am reminded that our exhibitions will also be changing at Norman Rockwell Museum. This is your last weekend to see Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World, which ends on October 30.

This exhibition has examined the shifting trends in the art world during the twentieth century, when traditional narrative painting fell out of favor for more conceptual work. Abstract expressionism really took hold in the 1950s, with artists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko becoming the new gold standard. Illustrators, on the other hand, attracted even more criticism, and perhaps none more so than Norman Rockwell. Over time the prejudice has faded, and realism has found a place again in the contemporary art scene (fortunately for our Museum). 

My father, an industrial designer, was a big fan of Rockwell but also tried his hand at some Pollock-style paintings back in the day. I don't know that the shifting fashions of the art world, largely fostered by art critics, really bothered him during the AbEx movement. 

Personally, I am attracted to strong expression and concepts in visual art, but equally impressed by a realist approach. This has been an interesting show, inviting visitors to think about what they consider art, and view a style of work not normally on view at our Museum.

I was tasked with creating a video for the exhibition. Once again, I had the pleasure of visiting a handful of artists in their studios (Marshall Arisman, Robert Cottingham, Eric Forstmann) and learning about their background and work. It's quite a window for me, and useful in my own knowledge of the creative process.

The challenge comes in putting it all together. Not to overstate things, but it is like approaching a blank canvas. In this case, the video was narrative, so I needed to figure out how to connect the artists' various stories. I enjoy letting personalities come through, and have been told that I have a knack for making people feel comfortable in front of the camera. Indeed, Robert Cottingham became so relaxed, that I just kept rolling as the photorealist settled into painting in his studio (it's my favorite part of the finished video). 

Sound + vision: interviewing Marshall Arisman in his NYC studio, May 2016. 

Happy with the material I collected, I faced a bit of a creative obstacle when it came time to edit. As I separated the audio channels, I discovered that the lavalier mic I had been using was spotty. In most cases, the on-camera mic was a suitable backup, but some of the rooms proved less conducive to our recording. A hard lesson to learn in the middle of post-production. Oy. 

Making the most of a stressful situation, I got a crash course in audio sweetening. Delving into my Adobe Audition and old Soundtrack Pro software, I learned a thing of two about EQ, compression, and high/low pass filtering. I appreciated the help from experts who explained possible solutions. Once I worked out some of these kinks, I was able to find a couple great jazz tracks that helped the flow and really brought the piece together. 

Onward! Our next show should be fun: a look at the art of animation studio Hanna-Barbera. I grew up with those cartoons, and had the opportunity to conduct a promo video with two of the original animators. Stay "tooned." 

In other news, the Museum recently received a generous grant from the George Lucas Family Foundation to support its multimedia efforts, and has initiated a feasibility study to look at expansion. A wise philosopher once said: "There is nothing more constant than change."

View from the office. Photo: Jeremy Clowe / Norman Rockwell Museum

Pushing The Envelope

It's all about the chemistry... Courtesy AMC.

Speaking of award ceremonies, I caught a very quick glimpse of the Emmys last night. Despite the irony of other TV award shows being nominated, they are right when they call this a "golden age" of television... "slow-burning, deeply satisfying pleasures" as The Atlantic put it. I too find myself more satisfied with what is being produced on the small over big screen lately (with the exception of Richard Linklater's new film, Boyhood, which was great for similar reasons). 

Today I learned that Breaking Bad won big at last night's ceremony... and rightfully so. The series, writers, lead actor (Bryan Cranston), supporting actress (Anna Gunn), and supporting actor (Aaron Paul) certainly deserved one last bow, following their brilliant run. Also deserving, The Colbert Report for Variety Series (I cross my fingers that the host will be as good when he makes the move to The Late Show). While I wait for the final season of the consistently captivating Mad Men, I hear there are plenty of other good shows to binge on... but I'm not sure I will ever see anything as thoroughly well-produced as Breaking Bad again. Here's hoping.

Related Link:

"Breaking Bad's Hard-Earned, Heartwarming Emmys Win," The Atlantic, August 26, 2014

"Emmys 2014 Winners List," Indiewire, August 25, 2014

New Year, New Heroics

A "captive" audience enjoys my exhibition video for
Heroes & Villains at Norman Rockwell Museum.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Hi again. We're already at the middle of January... can you believe it? I've been keeping busy as usual. This month actually marks my twelfth year of working in the Communications/Marketing department at Norman Rockwell Museum... I know, that's a long time. 

So I have been continuing to give quite a few direct interviews lately. Last week saw me as a live guest on Kingston, New York's WKNY Radio, talking about the Museum's latest offerings; and this weekend YNN News in the Capital Region is airing a segment about the Heroes & Villains exhibition, which includes an interview with yours truly. You can find the link here, but I think you need a Time Warner account to pull up the video.

Speaking of video, without further ado... here is the short documentary I created for Norman Rockwell Museum's exhibition of Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross:



I'm happy with the way this one came out, and the way that I succeeded in working on it alongside other duties for the Museum. Being a one-man band, these productions usually take quite a bit of time to do right, and I don't always have that luxury while managing the press department. In the past I have nearly "killed" myself, working literally non-stop from work and outside work to produce such videos... but this time I followed the methods that seemed to work in the past, and simply made revisions along the way. Hence, you are finally seeing a version I consider "complete."

Another great kick for me the other day was to finally see the movie trailer I created for the exhibition. It is currently playing before all main features at both the Beacon and Triplex Cinemas in the Berkshires, and what a thrill it was to see it unfold on the big screen (I even heard a few gasps of excitement from the audience!). I think Ross' artwork really lends itself to the movies... very cinematic.



On the topic of comic books, I finally caught up with some recent copies I had lying around. I have to say, I am not a fan with what they are doing with Spider-Man (artwork or story). Last month they published the last few issues of the long-running Amazing Spider-Man title. Leading up to the final issue of #700 (spoiler alert) was the revelation that Spidey's old foe, Doctor Octopus, had actually switched bodies with the web-slinger. Doc Ock was actually on his deathbed... which meant that it was actually Peter Parker who was on life support (I know, only in comics). The whole story line was very intriguing, but ultimately disappointing as the last issue revealed that Parker had actually died. The new "superior" Spider-Man is a version of Peter Parker who actually has the mind of Otto Octavius... with all of Parker's memories, but essentially a new character... still with me? Meh. It's like New Coke... why tamper with perfection?

Hey you, get off of my wall!... Keeping Spidey real
at Norman Rockwell Museum.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Of course no one stays "dead" forever in comic books, so I'm sure if enough people disagree with the direction, the real Peter Parker will be back. However, I think they have harmed the overall story line for one of the seminal superhero characters... as if the Clone Saga, One More Day, and Brand New Day messes weren't bad enough! 

I remember talking with Alex Ross back in October about the challenges of sustaining comic book continuity. Played out in real-time (from the point of his first appearance), Spidey would be in his mid-60s by now... so unless you're going to write him as a much older character, you've got a problem. What is the solution... keep revising the history? Rebooting the series for new generations, or keeping the story line very much set in a particular time period? I might favor the latter. There is actually a comic book workshop coming up at a school in the area, which I'm thinking about signing up for... giving the old visual storytelling chops a workout. Whether you are working on ongoing stories in film or comics, I think that a clean narrative is essential, and there are probably smarter ways to work around such issues in a work of fiction (i.e. Terry Moore's books, which my wife loves).

Anyway, the Heroes & Villains exhibition continues at the Museum through February 24, and I am still finding new details in Ross' artwork that surprise me. As for the amazing Spider-Man, I am scheduled to don my Spidey suit once again for the Museum to accompany some upcoming programming... but believe me, I'll be portraying the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko version of "Peter Parker," not some cheap imposter... because ain't nothing like the "real thing!"

Related Links:

"Comics in the Classroom," YNN News, January 12, 2013

"Events in landmark 'Spider-Man' issue have fans in a frenzy," CNN, December 31, 2012

Got Game

I'd like to say we avoided the shopping mall on Black Friday... but yeah, we went there. 

We finally got to see Wreck-It-Ralph, which was playing at the mall's multiplex. Like Brave, the other animated movie we had seen in the last week, we were slightly underwhelmed by the film... it was fun, but I guess our expectations were too high (mine for Ralph, Sarah's for Brave). 

As expected, the best part of Ralph was seeing the recreation of the old-school video games... the ones that I sunk many a quarter in back in the Chuck E. Cheese days of the early 80s. There was a certain charm and quirkiness to these games, and I think the movie captured a bit of that spirit... even in the fictional title game. Ralph does his best Donkey Kong (I think they even game a cameo to that mullet-haired King of Kong game-master), and Fix-It-Felix is our man Mario. The voices for the movie were wonderful... the always pleasant John C. Reilly plays Ralph... I think I have yet to "see" him in a bad film--his voice brought the quality of this mainstream Disney fare up a notch... Jack McBrayer from 30 Rock does his best "golly gee whiz" for Felix, and Glee's Jane Lynch does her best Sue Sylvester in combat gear as Sergeant Calhoun--here's a fun trailer I just found with her giving a bit of history about gaming and the movie:



Calhoun represents a character from the second wave of games, which upped the pixels and violence... in real-life, this is the time I began to lose interest in video games... I preferred the quirky, stylishly designed Japanese 8-bit creations (still hold a soft spot for Q-Bert, Dig Dug, and Pac Man.... all represented in this movie, by the way). Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing these characters from different ages and style interact. Where I thought the film started to drag was getting stuck in Sugar Rush, a candy-coated, children's game, which holds much of the plot and action for the movie... I think I would have preferred to see more turbo-ing... or, not to give anything away, game-jumping.

For the most part, Wreck-It Ralph was fun... the filmmakers obviously had a love for the subject matter. Celebrating that old school vibe, I double-checked and yes... that was members from the old Buckner and Garcia band who perform the title song... I still remember their early 80s cash-in Pac Man Fever... I have to admit, I have that album somewhere... and I still enjoy doing the Donkey Kong...

Good Sport

Hot on the heels of Dr. Ruth, we had a visit from another highly regarded broadcaster today--sports writer/commentator Frank Deford. The event was being held by WFCR, the NPR affiliate in Amherst, Massachusetts, and Deford was their special guest speaker for the evening. 

Strictly a Sharpshooter! Frank Deford at Norman Rockwell Museum.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

Although I'm not a huge sports fan myself, I always enjoy listening to Deford's commentary that airs every Wednesday on NPR's Morning Edition. He has a great style in his delivery, and his segments frequently address the world of ethics in sports--something that is a true concern in this age of steroids and big moneyed sports franchises. 

Deford obviously has a love for the game--he joined Sports Illustrated back in 1962 (he's now their senior correspondent), serves as a regular correspondent for HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and has read over 1500 segments on NPR. He recently released an autobiography of his life as a sportswriter, titled Over Time, which he was signing during the Museum event-- I picked up a copy, which he graciously signed for me (including some words of encouragement on my upcoming nuptials). 

Deford is a tall man--not quite what I pictured when I hear him on the radio (that's usually the case with radio personalities!). Yet he certainly has a grace about him, which also comes through in his radio announcing. We walked to the new Norman Rockwell Museum exhibition called Norman Rockwell: Sports, and I did my best to try and interest him in doing a feature on some of Rockwell's iconic sports imagery (I would love to hear his take on it). Like Rockwell, here is a guy who can really draw you in with his storytelling--there is an honest and pure gift there... at age 73, I'm sure he has seen a lot, and it is nice to have an elder commentator add his viewpoint to current sports discussions... frankly, I think it is sorely needed. As I have grown older I appreciate the value of sports--from health to dealing with adversity, to the idea of teamwork--I know that Deford also gets it--that this is (and should be) the heart of sports' appeal.

Nice to meet off the radio, and I wish his beloved Baltimore Orioles the best of luck this season.


Related Links:


www.frankdefordbook.com


www.npr.org/series/4499275/sweetness-and-light

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/frank_deford/archive/index.html

The 'Real' Super Tuesday

Speaking of movies, Sarah and I won tickets to see the new Avengers movie tonight—I'm super-excited because this was one of my favorite comic books growing up... particularly from middle school to high school (my peak comic book collecting years)! 


I was always a Marvel Comics fan growing up, favoring characters like Spider-Man, The Hulk and Wolverine, over Superman and the rest of the DC Comics do-gooders (you're usually a fan of one comic universe or another). To me, Marvel's characters seemed more real... they had everyday problems they had to face in between saving the world, which made the ongoing stories much more interesting. The books also showed the characters arguing and struggling to work as a team—from the previews, it looks like The Avengers will offer that in spades:




I'm curious to see how they will pull it off. Superhero movies are huge right now, but they have been rather hit or miss (Batman: The Dark Night= hit, Ang Lee's Hulk= miss). I'm rooting for The Avengers though—I think it's the first time they have gathered so many top-name characters together for one of these movies, and I like what they did with Captain America and the first Iron Man. Now if they can just do justice to Hawkeye... 


I'll try and post a review about the movie tomorrow, and talk more about why I loved this book so much in the 1980s... "Avengers Assemble!"


Movie website: marvel.com/avengers_movie