"Painting Summer in New England was a testament to the power of curator Trevor Fairbrother's exceptionally keen and informed eye and an outstanding team of museum staff who helped bring this truly memorable exhibition and publication to life,"Â said Dan Monroe, executive director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum.
The exhibition, which was accompanied by a popular catalogue, now in its second printing, attracted more than 150,000 people to the museum during its run from April 22 to Sept. 4, 2006.
"Painting Summer in New England was not just an exhibition. It was an experience--of the dynamic conversation between art and culture, of painting as a powerful voice for communication, and of the relationship between the past and present. The show embodies so much of what the Peabody Essex Museum strives to achieve in its exhibitions and programs--advocating for the power of creativity in people's lives,"Â said PEM Chief Curator Lynda Hartigan.
Organized by PEM and curated by Trevor Fairbrother, the exhibition featured more than 100 paintings, ranging from the 1850s to the present. New England's enduring capacity to attract artists to the region in the summer months was a key focus of the show. Paintings were dynamically presented in themes of sea and shore, coastal light, plant life, architecture, urban life, individuals, and New England nudes. Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Andrew Wyeth, Stuart Davis, George Bellows, Marguerite Zorach, Edward Hopper, Lois Dodd, and Alex Katz, are just some of the more than 80 artists represented in Painting Summer.
"I am honored by this award and thank everyone at the Peabody Essex Museum for their part in the project. It is never easy to secure loans for big thematic exhibitions, and it is hard to make the pictures come together in an engaging and unusual way. This award reflects on everyone's effort to turn a very open-ended theme into a special experience," said Trevor Fairbrother.
Painting Summer in New England also served as the centerpiece of Escapes North, a cultural tourism initiative that attracted visitors from around the world to the north of Boston region. Escapes North was founded by the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Peabody Essex Museum, and Essex National Heritage Commission, and funded in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). -- www.pem.org
Posted March 4th, 2007 by ruzik_tuzik
