"The Best Kind of Life: Edward W. Root as Teacher, Collector and Naturalist" opens on Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Emerson Gallery. The exhibition is focused on the pioneering of Edward W. Root, a graduate of the class of 1905, to promote American art. The show, which is free and open to the public, closes on Jan. 6.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Sept. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the gallery, and an open house is scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring student-written audio tour podcasts. (The audio tour will also be accessible on the gallery's Web site.) Refreshments will be served. Professor Emeritus Eugene Putala will give an informal talk titled "The Root Legacy: Homestead, Glade and Glen" also on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 2:30 p.m. in the Outdoor Education Center.
Known chiefly as a collector, Root's activities as a naturalist and his novel approach to art education, which he taught at Hamilton for two decades (1920-1940), have been largely overlooked. Via a selection of Root's own teaching materials and original works he collected for instructional purposes, the exhibition provides insights into the development of Root's collecting philosophy as well as the link between educational theory and the history of collecting in America.
Historical photographs and documents, some never before published, present an intimate portrait of Root and his time. They provide a compelling introduction to the powerful national and international forces that shaped American art culture during this period. The Root family saga is told, with special attention devoted to Edward's relationship with his father, Elihu, whose illustrious career included terms as a New York senator and U.S. Secretary of State under two presidents.
Root's close friendships with the artists whose work he collected, such as George Luks, Edward Hopper and Charles Burchfield, are also documented with irreplaceable family photos, original letters and works of art. A highlight of The Best Kind of Life is the recreation of the 1931 exhibition that Root curated from his own collection to introduce contemporary American art to his upstate audience. Root's choice of works by Charles Demuth, George Luks, Charles Burchfield and others marked the early emergence of the collecting vision that would inform all of his subsequent efforts and also help to shape those public collections with which he was most closely associated. Also included in the show are works by George Braque, Salvador Dali, Honoré Daumier, Edgar Degas, Edward Hopper, Rockwell Kent, Fernand Leger, Reginald Marsh, Henri Matisse, Charles Sheeler, Mark Toby and Eugene Speicher among others.
Organized concurrently with the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute's exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Edward W. Root bequest, The Best Kind of Life, presents a portrait of Root as educator, collector and naturalist.
The 2008 schedule will begin with three interrelated shows opening on Monday, Jan. 14, focused on the black experience during the Civil War: Unacknowledged Heroes curated by William E. Williams '73; prints by Thomas Nast curated by Jay Williams, the Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Religious Studies; and an exhibition on the Underground Railroad curated by the Emerson Gallery's associate director Susanna White and students in a related course. Details of the 2008 exhibitions will be forthcoming.
Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For further information, including information on parking and wheelchair accessibility, please call 859-4396.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Sept. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the gallery, and an open house is scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring student-written audio tour podcasts. (The audio tour will also be accessible on the gallery's Web site.) Refreshments will be served. Professor Emeritus Eugene Putala will give an informal talk titled "The Root Legacy: Homestead, Glade and Glen" also on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 2:30 p.m. in the Outdoor Education Center.
Known chiefly as a collector, Root's activities as a naturalist and his novel approach to art education, which he taught at Hamilton for two decades (1920-1940), have been largely overlooked. Via a selection of Root's own teaching materials and original works he collected for instructional purposes, the exhibition provides insights into the development of Root's collecting philosophy as well as the link between educational theory and the history of collecting in America.
Historical photographs and documents, some never before published, present an intimate portrait of Root and his time. They provide a compelling introduction to the powerful national and international forces that shaped American art culture during this period. The Root family saga is told, with special attention devoted to Edward's relationship with his father, Elihu, whose illustrious career included terms as a New York senator and U.S. Secretary of State under two presidents.
Root's close friendships with the artists whose work he collected, such as George Luks, Edward Hopper and Charles Burchfield, are also documented with irreplaceable family photos, original letters and works of art. A highlight of The Best Kind of Life is the recreation of the 1931 exhibition that Root curated from his own collection to introduce contemporary American art to his upstate audience. Root's choice of works by Charles Demuth, George Luks, Charles Burchfield and others marked the early emergence of the collecting vision that would inform all of his subsequent efforts and also help to shape those public collections with which he was most closely associated. Also included in the show are works by George Braque, Salvador Dali, Honoré Daumier, Edgar Degas, Edward Hopper, Rockwell Kent, Fernand Leger, Reginald Marsh, Henri Matisse, Charles Sheeler, Mark Toby and Eugene Speicher among others.
Organized concurrently with the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute's exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Edward W. Root bequest, The Best Kind of Life, presents a portrait of Root as educator, collector and naturalist.
The 2008 schedule will begin with three interrelated shows opening on Monday, Jan. 14, focused on the black experience during the Civil War: Unacknowledged Heroes curated by William E. Williams '73; prints by Thomas Nast curated by Jay Williams, the Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Religious Studies; and an exhibition on the Underground Railroad curated by the Emerson Gallery's associate director Susanna White and students in a related course. Details of the 2008 exhibitions will be forthcoming.
Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For further information, including information on parking and wheelchair accessibility, please call 859-4396.
