Blog @ the Nelson-Atkins

This Independence weekend is the perfect opportunity to celebrate America's history with a tour of the Museum's new galleries of American art.

The new installation features paintings and works on paper mixed with sculpture and decorative arts. It is organized around 6 key dates in American history to give visitors contextual connections to the works of art.

Please note: If you do stop by this weekend, make sure to plan ahead. We are closed on Saturday, July 4th but open regular hours on Friday (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and Sunday (Noon to 5 p.m.).

Just for fun, let's enjoy a little American history lesson as we tour the galleries.

1776: From Colonies to Country - Significant works of art in this section divide among Boston, Philadelphia and Great Britain indicating the relationship of these art centers for early American artists. This section includes portraits by John Copley and paintings by the Peale family (Charles and Raphaelle). My favorite part of this section would have to be the Hall from the Hooper House. Robert Hooper was a loyalist who permitted his home to be used as British headquarters before the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Mr. Hooper soon lost his fortune as the Revolutionay War began to look hopeful for the colonists.

1826: Promoting Republican Values - This second section covers the years of 1805 to 1840. During these years America saw great expansion in size directly following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The founding of the National Academy of Design in New York launched the professional status and increased the availability of formal training for artists. Images of American daily life could be found in works such as Winding Up (right) by William Sydney Mount. Coinciding with the expansion in territory, this period saw the creation of the quintessential American subject, the landscape, indicated in Jacob Ward's Natural Bridge, Virginia.

1850: Producing the National Ideal - 1850 marks the mid-point of the 19th century which was the 75th anniversary of the United States. It also was marked by the Compromise of 1850 which set the course for the western territories and the move toward secession by the Southern states. Life and the democratic process on the frontier are recorded in paintings by George Caleb Bingham such as Canvassing for a Vote. Landscape was used to promote the idea of manifest destiny in works such as Thomas Cole's The Old Mill and Thomas Otter's On the Road. The year 1850 also saw an influx of European immigrants who added their international style to American decorative arts.

1886: Joining the International Arena - The late 19th century saw a return to Europe for American artists. The first Impressionist exhibition of 1886 created a surge of internationalism in American art that continues today. Artists traveled to and worked in other countries including Frederick Edwin Church (Jersulem from the Mount of Olives), John Singer Sargent (Mrs. Cecil Wade) and Henry Ossawa Tanner (The Sabot Maker). Decorative arts such as John La Farge's Peonies Blowing in the Wind demonstrate how American manufacturers had achieved skills comparable to European makers and the inspiration of the Far East for design.

1913: Wrestling with the Modern - The span of 1900 to 1927 encompassed unprecedented transformations in American life related to advances in technology and the impact of World War I. 1913 saw the creation of the Federal Reserve Banking system, the moving assembly line by Ford Motor Co., and the first home electric refrigerator. Of course, 1913 is known in art history for the landmark Armory Show which showcased both European and American vanguard art including Marcel Duchamp's infamous Fountain. Marsden Hartley's Himmel always seems out of place to me in the American collection but his work was a signal of the changing attitudes toward American art.

1939: The World of Tomorrow - The beginning of World War II signaled the end of the Great Depression. A new era of cultural affairs, economics and science was promoted in the 1939 World's Fair - "Building a World of Tomorrow." Though civil rights was a few decades away, the results of America's racism was beginning to appear in works such as Joseph Hirsch's The Lynch Family. American artists such as Thomas Hart Benton (Persephone) and John Steuart Curry (The Bathers) created a new style called regionalism that was frought with classical connotations while adding a sense of American irony.

As you exit the current exhibition George Segal: Street Scenes, you might notice a table with black construction paper and chalk. This is an opportunity for visitors to share their thoughts about the exhibition through drawings or notes.

I stopped on this one because the figures seem to be based on Japanese Couple against Brick Wall from the exhibition.

Something else that caught my eye was an inscription next to the drawing that read: "If only they could open their eyes and see the life they are living."

It is hard to tell if that is a positive comment or a negative one. I guess as is the same with art, it is subjective.

There are other ways to comment on your experience with Street Scenes. Check out our website to view photos that people have uploaded. You may be inspired to create your own.

We get a lot of requests to do photo shoots at the Nelson-Atkins. For commercial shoots or ones that require some assistance, we escort the photographers during their work.

They are usually pretty fun. We've had fashion models, ballerinas, companies doing their annual reports and other stuff like that. This week, we had a special photo shoot: a man and his car.

The car is a 1911 Stafford that was built by the Stafford Motor Car Co. of Kansas City, KS. It is being featured in the Art of the Car Concourse this weekend at the Kansas City Art Institute.

President Harry Truman owned a Stafford that he bought with $600 he borrowed from his mother-in-law. It turns out that the Museum has a resident Truman re-enactor. He donned his costume and was more than happy to take the car for a spin.

Photography Tom Strongman had some fun with the picture.

Click here for more photos and the rest of the story.

A group of volunteers from FRD Communications, Inc. helped apply wax to Standing Figures (Thirty Figures) one day last week. FRD Communications gives employees two days per year to volunteer and this work group choose to help the Nelson-Atkins.

First, they got their directions from Conservation Associate Joe Rogers and Sculpture Technician Anna Zimmerman.

Then they got to work applying wax to the figures with paintbrushes. The wax acts as a protective barrier from the elements and nature (especially human nature). Most of the sculptures in the Park receive a fresh coat of wax once a year.

I think it was definitely better than spending the afternoon at work.

If you have a group of colleagues or friends who would like to volunteer at the Nelson-Atkins, please contact our manager of volunteer services, Mary Beth Sloan, at volunteer@nelson-atkins.org or 816.751.1307.

Yesterday was my first day as a marketing intern at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Randy Attwood, the Museum’s Media Relations Officer, directed my co-intern Caitlin and myself in escorting 22 ballerinas from the Legacy Ballet Company for a photo shoot in Rozzelle Court and the Bloch Building.

The girls ranged in age from 11 to 18 years old. The photo shoot began in Rozzelle Court where all of the girls were giggling and talking while putting on their point shoes. Their shinning smiley faces told me how special it was they were being photographed in the Nelson-Atkins.

The photographer did a great job keeping the girls focused and on cue. Once the photographs were taken in Rozzelle Court, Caitlin and I escorted the girls over the Bloch Building. The contemporary setting was a great back drop for the pictures. All of the ballerinas were wearing purple leotards which contrasted fabulously with the white background of the walls of the Bloch Building.

The photographer lined up the ballerinas on the stairwell, which created a great angle for the pictures. The last pose was from one of their dances. I thought it looked like a piece of art. All of the ballerinas were intertwined into one cohesive photograph.

Overall I had a fantastic time working on the photo shoot and I cannot wait for another one.