Snap Shots

Queen on her throne. Photos by Jeremy Clowe.
©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Summer has arrived... but who would have thought we'd have such humidity already? Luckily there are still traces of the sweet air of spring, both in the fragrance and beauty of blossoming trees and plants.

Before I bid adieu to my favorite season, I thought I would post some fun shots I took a couple weeks ago at Norman Rockwell Museum. A member of our maintenance crew alerted me to the arrival of an interesting visitor, who stopped by just to give birth. Yes, you read that correctly.

A huge snapping turtle had wandered on to our grounds and settled atop a pile of stones our crew had lying around, adjacent to the parking lot. Not wanting to get too close, I still couldn't resist taking some snaps of my own with the Canon 60D (National Geographic, eat your heart out!).

I found the baby momma still there seven hours later (guess these things take time). The next day, however, she was gone... hopefully making her way to the nearby Housatonic River to cool off. Glad I caught her while I did, and still waiting to find any offspring wandering around campus... careful where you step.

Berkshire Soul

RBIT at the Spectrum.
Courtesy Spectrum Playhouse. All rights reserved.

Happy summer solstice! It's a beautiful, sunny day here in the Berkshires, and I thought I would take some time out to share another update.

There's a lot happening here in the Berkshires this weekend— most notably, Wilco's Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA. I had the good fortune of attending and covering the event a couple years ago, and it was a blast—great fusion of music, art, good vibes... I won't be attending this year, but I'll try and post some more of my experiences working on the 2011 festival in the coming weeks.

I will, however, be performing again tonight with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe. It is our last gig of the season and honestly, I think we could use the break... get refocused and audition for some new members (contact me or the group if interested). If you're in the area, tonight's show is 7:30 p.m. at the Spectrum Playhouse in Lee, Massachusetts (can't thank these guys enough for their hospitality over the last couple years). 

Also worth checking out in the Berkshires, of course, is Norman Rockwell Museum. Our exhibition, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic is a real treat, as is seeing our permanent collection of Norman Rockwell artwork. Below is an interview I gave a couple weeks ago to WGGB, the ABC station in Springfield, Massachusetts, to help promote the Museum. Turned out pretty good, even though the audio sync appears off and you see me swatting some flies at the beginning of the piece (the fact that I was being interviewed by a former Miss Connecticut made it slightly more bearable). Fast forward to about 12:27 to view the segment:

Speaking of interviews, if you're in Boston this Saturday, you can hear me on WBZ Radio's  New England Weekend, talking up the Snow White exhibit. The segment should air around 7 a.m.

Well, that's about it... just got back from lunch at Baba Louie's Pizza in Great Barrington (another Berkshire favorite), so before I fall into a food coma I better get back to work. Happy Summer, everyone.

Dancing on Air

With Snow White model Marge Champion at the press 
conference for "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs: 
The Creation of a Classic" at Norman Rockwell Museum, 
June 7, 2013. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic is a hit! We had a successful opening last weekend, and our Enchanted Evening Gala was enjoyed by all who attended. I was asked to help out with an auction held during the event− as a performer, it made me conscious of how to speak effectively from the diaphragm, and in an engaging way in order to entice potential bidders. There is an art to this public speaking thing, for sure... but I did alright.

One person who seems to have mastered the skill is Marge Champion, the famed dancer/choreographer who also served as the live reference model for Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She was our guest of honor during our gala event, and also joined us for a well-attended press preview to talk about her experience working on the groundbreaking film. I was impressed by her energy and spark, and her words were often inspiring (hope I'm like this when I reach 93). During the gala, Sarah I and took the dance floor and so did Marge... I must admit, there was a part of me that wanted to impress the award-winning performer with my own dancing ability (here's a little video my co-worker filmed of us; you can also see Marge Champion waltzing away in the background).  

During my last post I mentioned my planned interview with the Berkshire program Well Talk Radio about the exhibition. I thought it turned out well... here is a link to the segment, where you can also hear portions of my April interview with Marge Champion. And... without further delay, here is a very quick clip I put together from that same interview... I hope to put a longer piece together when I can find the time... right?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic will be on view through October 27, 2013 at Norman Rockwell Museum.

Related Links:

"'Snow White' in the Press," Norman Rockwell Museum website

Enchanted Evening Gala photos (includes shots taken by your's truly), Norman Rockwell Museum Facebook page

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho!

"Snow White Dancing with Dopey and Sneezy. Doc, Happy, Sleepy
Playing Music." Disney Studio Artist Reproduction, cel setup; ink and acrylic
on cellulose acetate. Courtesy Walt Disney Animation Research Library. ©Disney.

Back from a relaxing and adventurous weekend in the Adirondacks... good to get out in the fresh air and countryside. Now I'm busy preparing for the opening of the exhibition, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic this weekend at Norman Rockwell Museum. We have already received a couple good articles in The Boston Globe and Berkshire Eagle, and a Friday press preview is starting to fill up nicely.

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) I will be talking about the exhibition on the radio show,
Well Talk with Avi Dresner. This Berkshire radio program focuses on health-related subjects, so we will be looking at the film's connection with dancer Marge Champion, who served as a live reference model for Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film. The host plans on airing portions of my videotaped interview with Champion, which was conducted in early April− this seems perfect, seeing as she lives part-time in the Berkshires. You can listen to the interview at 9 a.m. ET on WSBS Radio in the Berkshires, or online at www.wsbs.com

Also in the works: a couple interviews about the Museum that I conducted for the Russian Television Network of America, and WRGB-TV, based in my new home of Schenectady, New York. Apparently WRGB is the oldest TV station in the country, but more interesting for me is the fact that my Mom used to sing on the station when she was a teenager! More info soon... heigh ho, heigh ho...

Related Links:

www.welltalkradio.com

"New family fun programming at the Rockwell begins with Family Day opening of Snow White," Berkshire Family Focus, May 30, 2013

Every Picture Tells a Story...

L to R: Norman Rockwell models Ed Locke ("The Runaway"),
Mary Whalen Leonard ("Girl at Mirror"), and Wray Gunn
("New Kids in the Neighborhood"). Photo by Jeremy Clowe
for Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

The June issue of Berkshire Magazine came out last week, and features a nice article about Norman Rockwell's models ("Worth a Thousand Words"), written by my friend/journalist Nichole Dupont. I was interviewed at length for the article, which ties in to the upcoming Models Reunion we are holding at Norman Rockwell Museum on Saturday, July 6, 2013. Once again, the Museum will attempt to gather as many living reference models who worked for the artist as possible... and considering their advancing ages, there's no time like the present!

Since starting at the Museum in 2001, I have initiated videotaped oral histories with the models, which has been one of the more enjoyable parts of my job, and useful in terms of learning more about the artist's process. The seed was really planted during the first models reunion I helped out with back in the summer of 2001. As I mention in the article, "I set up a little corner of the archives room, and people came in and told their stories. Rockwell, in a way, has given a gift to many of these models, and their story continued on after the artwork." The article has a nice plug for the collection of interviews I have posted on the Museum's YouTube page, as well as an interview with model Mary Keefe ("Rosie The Riveter"), who I have interviewed on a couple of occasions.

Actress Stefanie Powers posing with
her portrait created by Norman
Rockwell for the movie Stagecoach.
Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman
Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

On a related and interesting note, a couple weeks back I received a surprise call from the production staff of the touring show, Looped, which was playing at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut. The lead of the show, actress Stefanie Powers (Hart to Hart) wanted to stop by the Museum and view the portrait Norman Rockwell created of her back in the 1960s for the movie Stagecoach. Accompanied by members of our curatorial staff, I toured her around the Museum and showed her one of the reference paintings as well as dozens of photographs that Rockwell took of Powers and her fellow actors to create separate paintings of the cast, which eventually ended up on the movie poster. While visiting, Powers even agreed to do a videotaped interview with me regarding her experience posing for Norman Rockwell, and her memories of working on the film. She was very gracious... even invited me to see her show in Hartford. Anyway, never know who you will meet at the Museum... I hope to post the interview online sometime soon.


At the moment I am preparing for next week's opening of our exhibition on the art of Walt Disney's Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. I'm busy transcribing my interview with another model: dancer Marge Champion, who served as the live action reference for Snow White's movements. She is being honored with the Fred Astaire Award this upcoming Monday for her achievements in dance... congratulations, Marge!

Related Links:

www.nrm.org

www.youtube.com/normanrockwellmuseum

www.stefaniepowersonline.com

Spring Awakening

©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Hi there. I know... I've been away from this blog for awhile. My bad. Things have gotten busy, but I hope to find more time to update you on my latest projects... even if it's just a quick note. Still have an eye on the big prize, which is what this blog is really all about.

Today I took the day off for some spring cleaning. Continuing the move from the Hudson Valley to our new digs in Schenectady... still a lot to be sorted, but things are coming along. 

In my last post I talked about my improv group, and how things were in a bit of transitionary period. Well, I'm happy to announce that we've gained surprising momentum, with some relatively new members adding to the enjoyment of carrying the group on... I mean, three straight weeks of rehearsals... imagine that! We're trying out some new things, and it is feeling good. 

This Thursday, May 16, we will try something entirely new− an event called PechaKucha, which is being held at The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. For those not familiar, PechaKucha was started in Japan in the 2000s and is basically a presentation of 20 slides, shown for 20 seconds each (six minutes 40 seconds in total... a Powerpoint rep's dream!). The Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe has been invited to try its hand at some improv using the format... here's the catch: we won't know what slides are coming up, so it will be true improv. Of course I appreciate the visual end of things, and know from my experience creating media design over the past few years that there are a lot of crazy images out there! Show starts at 7 p.m., and there will be free adult beverages... so you can't lose.

RBIT rocks the Berkshires, 2013! Photo by Dan McManmon.
Courtesy Spectrum Playhouse. All rights reserved.

The next evening, May 17, I will return with RBIT to the Spectrum Playhouse for our monthly show, starting at 7:30 p.m. I have to give big props to the Spectrum for being most accommodating for us... the space has been great for shows and rehearsals, and they like us so much they already have us on tap for June and into the fall... it's funny... Lee, Massachusetts was never quite that exciting when I lived in the area, but cool to see the progression all the same.

Anyway, nice to have the outlet. Apart from that, I've been taking a lot of cool photos lately, and hope to share some of those with you soon. Ok, back to cleaning... and I promise I'll return here soon... xo

Related Links:

RBIT's Triple Crown Weekend, www.berkshireimprov.com

The Best Medicine?

What a difference a week makes. Last Monday morning who could have predicted the events that would transpire in the days ahead? The Boston Marathon bombing... Senate vote on gun control... the Texas fertilizer plant explosion... oy. Hard to find much to laugh about, yet last week also marked my return to performing with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe, and we had our first rehearsal on the same day we all learned about the bombing.

The Berkshires are not that far from Boston, and over the last ten years I have made frequent trips to Beantown... I have some truly fond memories, both personal and professional, and would certainly count it as one of my favorite cities. So it was unnerving to learn about this attack on a city with such charm and history, during a public event that has come to symbolize such good will.



As an event, the Marathon is also about endurance and triumphing over adversity. Keeping this theme in mind, the city of Boston certainly honored the victims of this tragedy. Last Friday was surreal, as I drove to work and heard news about the manhunt for the bombing suspects and subsequent lockdown of the area. All day long we were glued to the internet or TV trying to keep up on the latest of this very tense ordeal...

Photo courtesy and © Spectrum Playhouse. All rights reserved.

So as the evening rolled around, it was something of a release to join my improv comrades for our show at Lee's Spectrum Playhouse. It's odd... I remember starting RBIT over twelve years ago, right after September 11th, and there was something similarly poignant back then about being able to soldier on in the midst of darkened skies...


I haven't been to a RBIT rehearsal or gig in a few months, and there were a few changes. First, our friend and co-founder Frank La Frazia has moved to Brooklyn to further pursue his career. This meant filling the leadership role which he had provided for most of the last decade. I decided to step up and host the show, which was a new experience... not something I have done too often in this context, but it felt good. We had a meeting this past weekend to talk about the future of the group and it seems there is a desire to keep moving forward.

Waving goodbye to our friend Frank. Photo courtesy and
©Spectrum Playhouse. All rights reserved.

At this point, if I am to remain active with the group, I need to be able to take it to the next level as a performer. I have been checking out some performances recently with Schenectady's resident improv group, The Mop & Bucket Company— these guys certainly know their stuff... dipping into long-form improv, and benefitting from a fairly seamless presentation of their performances. 


My fellow improv buddy Paul and I decided to take one of their open drop-in classes, and it was nice to get some outside feedback on how to strengthen our improvisational skills. The best piece of advice: jump into scenes without knowing what you're going to do. I tend to want to come up with the most clever lines, but that's not what this is about... it's more about being instinctual and truthful, which I understand... it is challenging, but most definitely funny seeing actors react in the moment and try to figure it all out.

Courtesy and ©Spectrum Playhouse.
All rights reserved.

So in the midst of all this uncertainty, our Friday show went great. It felt a bit more spontaneous, while still having the benefit of good rehearsal to support an underlying structure. I think I could actually keep at this for a little while, as long as the rest of the group stays committed... they seem to be. And so we move on... until the next big challenge... unavoidable, but not necessarily insurmountable. 

Post-show, as we celebrated at a nearby pub, news came over one of the TV screens that the second bombing suspect had finally been caught. It was pretty wild how in this new technological age things had been "resolved" so quickly... of course I feel for the friends and families of the victims, who are left with the task of finding some kind of peace...

Related Link:

www.berkshireimprov.com