Graphic Novelist Barron Storey To Speak at Norman Rockwell Museum
STOCKBRIDGE - Norman Rockwell Museum will present "Life After Black: The Visual Journals of Barron Storey" on Saturday, May 24, starting at 5:30 p.m. Meet artist Barron Storey, whose visual journals allow for everything from personal therapy to research and development for his illustrations. Storey will describe his process and many inspirations, which has lead to the creation of over 145 visual journals since 1976. The event is free with regular Museum admission.An illustrator, graphic novelist, and noted educator, Barron Storey has created award-winning artworks for the covers and pages of Time, National Geographic, Saturday Review, and "The Sandman: Endless Nights" among others. His published journals include "Life After Black" and "Marat/Sade Journals." The artist's paintings are held in the collections of the National Air and Space Museum, the American Museum of National History, and the National Portrait Gallery, and his work is featured in the exhibition "LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel."
On view through May 26, 2008
"LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel"
Lions released from a zoo in war-torn Baghdad; a mother's battle with lung cancer; an American expatriate searching for her identity in Mexico- serious subject matter for any medium, but particularly so for a new wave of critically acclaimed and commercially successful long form comic books. In these illustrated stories, called graphic novels (a mostly grown-up version of the comic book), themes explored include culture, society, and current events, and topics range from heart-wrenching to thought-provoking to risqué. A fascinating new exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum, "LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel," examines the history, diversity, and tremendous popularity of this phenomenon considered by many to be a comics renaissance. On view from November 10, 2007 through May 26, 2008, the exhibition features over 146 artworks by 24 contemporary graphic novelists and historic practitioners of this ever-evolving art form.
"LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel" examines the development of sequential art through its practitioners. Their work continues to suggest new ways of seeing: wordless narratives by 1920s woodcut artist Lynd Ward and modern-day commentator Peter Kuper; revolutionary underground comix by R. Crumb and humorous, personal "Girl Stories'" by Lauren Weinstein; the visual thrill of works by "Mad Magazine" co-creator Harvey Kurtzman and "Breathtaker" co-creator Marc Hempel; and the pioneering art of Will Eisner ("Contract with God"), Dave Sim ("Cerebus"), and Terry Moore ("Strangers in Paradise"). The exhibition features original book pages and studies, sketchbooks, and videotaped interviews with graphic novelists.
Artists included in the exhibition are Jessica Abel, Sue Coe, R. Crumb, Howard Cruse, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Brian Fies, Gerhard, Milt Gross, Marc Hempel, Niko Henrichon, Mark Kalesniko, Peter Kuper, Harvey Kurtzman, Matt Madden, Frans Masereel, Frank Miller, Terry Moore, Dave Sim, Art Spiegelman, Barron Storey, Lynd Ward, Lauren Weinstein, and Mark Wheatley.
Norman Rockwell Museum is open daily. General public admission is $12.50 for adults, $7 for students, and free for visitors 18 and under (five per adult). Kids Free Every Day is a gift to families from Country Curtains and the Red Lion Inn. On Wednesdays from November to May, senior citizens are admitted at half-price. The Museum is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May through October; from November through April, weekday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekend/holiday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gallery tours are available daily, beginning on the hour. Antenna Audio Tour of select paintings from the Museum's permanent Norman Rockwell collection is available. Rockwell's studio, located on the Museum grounds, is open May through October.
For more information, the public is invited to call 413.298.4100, ext. 220. Visit the Museum's Web site at http://www.nrm.org.
