Virtual Insanity

Saturday morning. Glad the weekend has arrived. 


The last week was a hectic one at work, busy handling press about Norman Rockwell Museum's involvement in Google Art Project. I conducted a long interview yesterday with WFCR-FM, New England Public Radio, about the Art Project; and I will be doing a live interview about the Museum on Monday, April 7, with WKNY Radio in Kingston, New York. Here are links to listen to both stations on Monday−the WKNY interview will be starting around 9:15 a.m., and WFCR will air later that day:



www.wkny.blogspot.com
http://nepr.net


Today is bright and sunny out here in the Northeast−a perfect day to get away from the computer screen, and take in some fresh air and exercise... but look at Google's latest state of the art endeavor−soon, the virtual and everyday may be even further entwined... arrrgh!




I have mixed feelings about these augmented-reality glasses−social interaction already seems to be deteriorating in some ways, and do these computer-enabled programs help make us smarter or more dumbed-down and dependent? 


Hmm... well, enough virtual world for now. Sarah and I are going to head out, maybe stop at a bookstore, and try and get "off the grid"...


Related Links:


"Google Begins Testing Its Augmented-Reality Glasses," New York Times, April 4, 2012

TGIGF!*

Happy Passover and Good Friday! The weekend has arrived...

Canon EOS 60D/manual.
Photo by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

*subject line courtesy of my soon-to-be sister-in-law--I had never heard that one before. :)

Getting My Google On

I had quite a surprise this morning as I drove into the Berkshires... I stopped to pick up a copy of The Berkshire Eagle, only to find my smiling face on the front cover--above the fold!

Photo by Ben Garver, The Berkshire Eagle. All rights reserved.

That's me and my colleague Thomas Mesquita, who helped bring Norman Rockwell Museum from the physical galleries to the online Google Art Project. The Museum's section of the high-resolution art database went live on Tuesday, and it came out really nice. Here you can see a selection of some of Rockwell's earliest work from our collection, with the opportunity to get incredibly close to the artwork online (our docents can relax!). The site actually allows you to zoom in and maneuver around each artwork featured, which offers the chance to view incredible detail that you most likely would not have the opportunity to see. Other sites have uploaded extremely large gigapixel images, and it is just amazing to be able to get that close to the works of such artists as Vincent Van Gogh or Georges Seurat.

The Berkshire Eagle article includes an interview with Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt, who attended the global launch of Google Art Project at Paris' Musée d'Orsay (one of my favorite museums!)  earlier this week . From the article, she states: "As popular and visited as our museum is, we know not everyone will be able to visit or even know who Rockwell is. This brings us great exposure and allows many more people to know his work."

We have a few other high-profile press requests coming in, but for the moment I am basking in the glow of making the cover of the almighty Eagle... although the article laid out right next to the photo announced "Major drug suspect caught"-- unrelated... I assure you!

Links:

"Rockwell goes high-tech with Google Art Project," Berkshire Eagle, April 5, 2012

www.googleartproject.com/collection/norman-rockwell-museum

"The Art of Google"

More Things Change, More They Stay The Same

The British rock band Keane has a new album coming out next month called Strangeland, and they have just released the first single called "Silenced by the Night":



This marks Keane's fourth studio album. They broke on to the international scene back in 2004 with their multi-platinum selling debut, Hopes and Fears, which I loved.


I actually had the good fortune of interviewing the band in Boston during their first tour of America-- in fact, I might have been their first TV interview (eat your heart out, Jimmy Kimmel!). They were actually the second act I ever profiled on Berkshire Soundstage, and I was basically a one-man band with camera during the day of the taping (I interviewed the band and filmed a performance they gave at Newbury Comics, a great Massachusetts-based record shop). 


Here is a clip from the interview, as well as part of their performance of the song "Everbody's Changing":





I had lost touch with the band after their second album, the equally brilliant Under The Iron Sea, so it is interesting to watch this old clip again after viewing the Jimmy Kimmel performance. Everybody is most definitely changing, even as some things remain the same (the lead singer, Tom Chaplin, still has some great pipes).

The day after this interview, I went on to interview original members from both the Temptations and the Four Tops after a joint performance in Albany, New York, so things were definitely underway with this new TV music show that I was asked to host... 


I have many more interesting videotaped music interviews that I need to produce... I just wish I had more hours in the day to work on independent projects. Hopefully I can find the time soon to give these talented music acts the dignified profiles they deserve... now that would be music to my ears.

The Art of Google

Today Google launched the second phase of The Google Art Project, the company's online art database. Norman Rockwell Museum is one of 134 new participants with the project, which features high-resolution images and, in some cases, "street views" of art galleries worldwide. 

I first learned about Google Art Project back in February 2011, at the time of its initial launch. It sounded like a great idea, especially with the technology that allowed viewers to look at galleries in the same manner as the company's street maps. Our Museum was in a perfect position, having just digitized our entire collection and shared on our own website. I sent an initial inquiry for the Museum, and that was that (I figured we would be competing with a lot of other interested venues). Initially there were only 17 different partners, including such high-profile sites such as Museum of Modern Art, The Van Gogh Museum, and The Hermitage Museum. What is great is about the site is that it offers visitors a chance to view rare collections and take a virtual tour of many spots around the world that they might otherwise have a challenging time visiting.

Today's expanded list includes such sites as The White House, which is a such a fantastic idea (great for students):

  

So, last fall Google Art Project got back in contact with Norman Rockwell Museum about getting involved. I think we really owe a great deal of thanks to Risa Schwartz, the daughter of Berkshire artist Sol Schwartz, who we had exhibited over the summer. Risa works at Google, and it was through her suggestion that Google gave us a look at being included in its new phase of the project. 

I served as a project coordinator for the endeavor, as we began looking at artwork from our permanent collections that could be included. One obstacle was the fact that we do not own the copyrights to Rockwell's work, since it was originally created for periodicals and advertisers. We did, however, own quite a few works that would fall under the public domain--earlier works, which showcase the artist's formative years. We thought that was worth moving ahead with, along with a selection of works in our collection from other American illustrators.

Norman Rockwell Museum's collections page on Google Art Project. 
Photo courtesy of Google.

The unique thing about Google Art Project is the high-quality images that are included-- you literally can view the detail on some works more closely than you would be able to in a gallery. I have to hand it to my colleague Thomas Mesquita, who took time to scan, photograph and upload many of the images included. At the same time, I worked hard to find appropriate text, links, edit and enter all of that information into the project's dashboard. A week or so before Christmas, we had completed the uploading, and Google's team worked at integrating it all into their database. 

I notice that we're in pretty good company, with such new venues as London's National Gallery, and The J. Paul Getty Museum also added today. I hope that this is just the starting point for us, and we will eventually be able to include some of Rockwell's more iconic later works, and make use of Google's Street View technology (Rockwell's original studio, which is on our grounds, would be perfect for that). But for now, it's great to see an initial idea become a reality, and I'm happy that I was able to contribute.

Related Links:

http://www.googleartproject.com

"A New Way To Tour The White House," YouTube clip

"Norman Rockwell Museum Joins Google Art Project" press release (written by yours truly)

Paul Is Live!

Paul Waaktaar-Savoy performing with
A-ha in Chicago, IL. May 13, 2010.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Yesterday music journalist David Weiss posted an interview with my favorite songwriter of all time, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, on his New York-based music website sonicscoop.com. For those who don't know, Paul was the co-founder and guitarist of the band A-ha, as well as the writer behind some of the most beautiful songs ever, including Hunting High and Low, Dark Is The Night, Shadowside, and even more with his other band, Savoy. 

Since A-ha's farewell concert in December 2010, I have been dying to know what he's been up to. There has been the occasional news, such as a collaboration with singer Jimmy Gnecco for the movie soundtrack song, Weathervane, but it's mostly been quiet... this article is very welcome, as it gives us a personal tour of the songwriter's New York City studio in SoHo, and professional discussion about the gear he uses to bring his songs to life.


Some highlights from the article:


"Most of the stuff I write needs a certain atmosphere to work at all, so I’m very sensitive to achieving that for an instrument or vocal — I have to have that thing that gives me shivers. If I don’t feel it, we’ll work on something else. Obviously the performance is the most important thing, but you can help it along."

“When you grow up, all you want to do is what you love to do,” says the soft-spoken Savoy. “The first time I started a demo studio in NYC, it was all tape machines – now it’s much more doable to make a great-sounding album. The technology now gives me more time to work on the things that I find to be more important.”

I also appreciated hearing him talk about finding "breathing space" to create, as the computer allows him to become more selective about the musical tools that take up his home studio space: “It works a lot better. I like to experiment, but if you have too many things, you don’t get around to it. Synths with 15,000 presets becomes like Lord of the Rings – it’s endless.”

And... a comment about hit songs: “A song may have been catchy or on the radio, but if it doesn’t move me, it’s not something I’ll take a lot of time trying to emulate. In A-ha, we always decided that if a song gives us the vibe, then that’s what we go for – it will give everyone else the same vibe. There’s nothing more complicated than that. That’s why we thought every song we ever did would be a hit.”

Amen. 


Here's a short clip of me interviewing Paul back in 2005. Here, I am asking him about the 1986 A-ha song, I've Been Losing You. The songwriter was reading a lot of Franz Kafka and Fyodor Dostoyevsky at the time, and it seems that some of that dark tone rubbed off... musically, the simultaneous recording of the band's more commercial-friendly hit, "Cry Wolf," influenced some of the rhythms (I had no idea):

More about the documentary soon...

Related Link:

"Paul Savoy of A-ha: Inside His SoHo Song Incubator," www.sonicscoop.com, April 1, 2012

Every Day You Get My Best

So I have some exciting news! This month I am starting a new job... back at the first job I ever had−yes, things are coming full-circle and I will again be working at Wegmans, the grocery store chain based in my hometown of Rochester, New York:

It's amazing... I still remember most of the codes for produce, and I'm looking forward to the open-air and exercise provided by the chance to push those shopping carts again. Details are still being worked out, but with stores now located in six different states, I am open to the idea of moving... or even heading back to Rochester, where my mom can feel free to use my Shopper's Club Card.

Ok, today's special is April foolishness (check the calendar). Even though I'm joking about my "new job," I do have fond memories of working for Wegmans. The truth is that it was my first job ever (at age 16): I worked as a part-time cashier, and it really was a great entry into the work world, offering an extra sense of structure to my day, exposure to a new group of people and friends, and a little spending cash. Beyond that, Wegmans stores are just wonderful-great selection, quality, prices, and overall shopping experience... you can usually tell when someone is from Rochester when they start raving about grocery stores−Wegmans has set a pretty high standard (think Whole Foods... but better).

Not lost in the supermarket...
these people shop happily!
Photo courtesy Wegmans. All rights reserved.

I was pleased to come across two news stories this past week about my hometown grocery store chain. First from The Boston Globe, reporting that company officials are looking to open a supermarket in Boston, and have begun scouting locations. Last winter, my friends in the Berkshires sent me a photo of the company's first Massachusetts store in Northborough, and I understand the excitement... any time I drive through another state and see a Wegmans store (last year in New Jersey, for instance), there is something that compels me to stop in and take a look... at least buy a cup of coffee. 

The second article was in The Atlantic, and was really interesting. Titled "The Anti-Walmart," the story talked about the secret of Wegmans' success: the fact that they place such a high value on their employees. From the article: "Our employees are our number one asset, period," said Kevin Stickles, the company's vice-president for human resources. Yet the company is profitable. Its prices are low. And it is lauded for exemplary customer service."When you think about employees first, the bottom line is better," Stickles argued. "We want our employees to extend the brand to our customers."

It seems like a no-brainer. I think it explains the great vibe that you feel when you enter the store... that hasn't changed since the time I worked there. When you feel that your company cares for each member of it's team, supporting their development by sending them around the world to learn about their products, or by offering scholarships or reimbursement for continuing education, how could that not have a positive effect on your wanting to work hard and do your very best for the company? According to the article: "(Wegmans) has half the turnover of its peers. In February, Fortune magazine declared it the fourth-best company to work for in America in 2012. In 2005, it was number one."

An apple a day... Wegmans making new friends.
Photo courtesy Wegmans. All rights reserved.

I'm happy for Wegmans' success, and that goes beyond the hometown connection. As a manager at my current job, I am very interested in learning about what works to motivate staff to do their very best, as well as ways to foster great relations with outside companies and the public. When I think back at places I have worked, Wegmans still stands out as one of the few places that understood this... it keeps both its customers and employees happy... the employees, in turn, also become customers, and do their own effective marketing for the company by word-of-mouth (or, in this modern-day, social networking). 

So yes, there appears to be an art to running a business... and I am fortunate to have learned some important tips from my very first job ever... no foolin'!

Related links:

http://www.wegmans.com

"The Anti-Walmart: The Secret Sauce of Wegmans in People," The Atlantic, March 23, 2012

    

"15th Consecutive Year: FORTUNE Places Wegmans on '100 Best Companies to Work For' List, Ranking #4," News Release, Wegmans, January 19, 2012