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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5 MAY 2010
More than 100 paintings by 35 members and guests of the Plein-Air Painters of America begin touring the nation this fall. The exhibition documents 35 different National Park Service (NPS) units stretching from coast to coast and border to border.
BEING THERE. The adjective plein-air refers to the philosophical belief that going into the field and painting on-location, challenging as it may be, is crucial to successfully documenting a visual and emotional point in time and place. The artists in this exhibition are recognized as some of the finest on-location painters in the country. Each visited his or her park, documenting locations that give vision to the unique elements that prompted U.S. Presidents and Congresses to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.”
From Wyoming’s Yellowstone, designated a park in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant, to the Old Spanish National Historic Trail, designated by President George W. Bush in 2002, American Legacy takes viewers on a journey through 130 years of preservation. In many ways it is “field journal” experience of jewel-like colors, dazzling light, and subtle nuances. Parks such as Kenai Fjords in Alaska are so vast and remote that Joan M. LaRue found it best to view it from a boat on the outside looking in. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, on the other hand, is an urban retreat that Ken Auster has enjoyed many times himself. Breathtaking vistas and intimate off-road locations are captured in both field studies, as well as studio paintings created from field experiences. TOUR SCHEDULE The exhibition is traveling under the auspices of Smith Kramer Exhibition Services. November 5, 2010-January 16, 2011 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center 1001 Ryan Street City of Lake Charles, Louisiana 337.491.9147,
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February 13 to April 24, 2011 Museum of the Southwest Midland, Texas
May 22 to November 6, 2011 Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts Springfield, Massachusetts
December 6, 2011, to February 12, 2012 R.W. Norton Art Gallery Shreveport, Louisiana March 8-August 26, 2012 Booth Western Art Museum Cartersville, GA September 23-December 2, 2012 Washakie Museum and Cultural Center Worland, WY April 5-June 16, 2013 Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum Logan, Kansas July 14-October 6, 2013 Michelson Museum of Art Marshall, Texas CATALOG. A color catalog documenting the artworks describes the parks and the artists’ experiences, including an essay by art historian Jean Stern on historic artists in the park.
ARTISTS & PARKS *Designates a Guest Artist Ken Auster, Golden Gate Kenn Backhaus, Appalachian Trail Christopher Blossom, Weir Farm John Budicin, Yosemite Scott Burdick, Blue Ridge Parkway Denise Burns, Death Valley Gil Dellinger, Point Reyes Mary DeLoyht-Arendt, Tonto Don Demers, Acadia Louise DeMore, Grand Teton Gay Faulkenberry, Ozark West Fraser, Cumberland Island* Lynn Gertenbach, Santa Monica Mountains Walt Gonske, Black Canyon of the Gunnison* Quang Ho, Grand Canyon* Raleigh Kinney, Voyageurs Frank LaLumia, Canyon de Chelly Joan M. LaRue, Kenai Fjords Jean LeGassick, Great Basin Kevin Macpherson, Zion Joseph McGurl, Boston Harbor Islands* Joseph Mendez, Mojave Ned Mueller, North Cascades Ralph Oberg, Yellowstone Joe Paquet, Mississippi Jean Perry, Mesa Verde Ron Rencher, Canyonlands Ray Roberts, Old Spanish Trail Jane Shuss, Salem Maritime Matt Smith, Saguaro Kathryn Stats, Capitol Reef* Brian Stewart, St. Croix George Strickland, Organ Pipe Cactus Linda Tippetts, Glacier Skip Whitcomb, Rocky Mountain
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