Nickel Movie Night: December 10th

By: John Buchinger, Associate Director of Education

When I moved to Cooperstown four years ago my son gave me one of those folksy wooden signs with a heartfelt quote. It said “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Now I am not the kind of guy for whom wooden crows, and country candles and blue geese rally work, but the sentiment was an acknowledgement of my love for the Frank Capra classic that debuted in 1946.

For those of you who have just landed here from another planet this iconic Christmas classic follows the life of reluctant home town hero George Bailey as he struggles with the demons of living out life on the big stage of the world or on the small one in his hometown of Bedford Falls. The action of the film surrounds the loss of a large bank deposit by his business partner, Uncle Billy, that threatens to ruin George and his life. Facing financial ruin, shame and imprisonment, he throws himself from a bridge on a snowy evening, only to be saved by his guardian angel Clarence. Clarence grants George’s wish that he “had never been born.” And in a Dickensian turn, George is taken back and shown how life would be in the small town if his wish came true. After seeing the dark flip side of a world without George Bailey he begs for his life back. In the end George finds out he had a pretty wonderful life after all, and is brought back to his life and his family and finds that the town he has done so much for comes to his aid, saving George and saving Christmas.

I watch this film every year. I watch as he saves his brother from drowning. I watch as he eats a meal with his father and sacrifices his future to save the family business. I watch as he opens his arms and asks for “A big One.” I watch as he reluctantly woos his future wife in one of the most romantic scenes ever committed to celluloid, and I watch as he is reunited with his family, the most important and essential part of who he is, despite the chance of ruin and imprisonment. This is an important movie for me. Not because I am in the banking industry, or because I am a huge Capra fan, but because I have a family. Christmas is always a time of joy but also a bit of darkness that sometimes leaves us doubting. Many of us have metaphorically peered down into frothing waters when faced with hardships and have been tempted just to give in to despair.
But this time of year is a time to look around and take in the full picture of life. It is a time to see the joy in the everyday, to recognize the little connections that make all our lives better. On December 10th, we will celebrate the season and everyone’s wonderful life with Nickel Family Film Movie Night. We will screen this classic film and even enjoy a short live version of a select scene from some local actors. Pack up the kids, and join us at The Fenimore for an evening of family fun!

Night at Our Museum: Rock Out!

By: John Buchinger, Associate Director of EducationThis week Fenimore Art Museum will be debuting a new program called Night at Our Museum from 7-10 pm. This new program will open our doors for a little after-hours fun for families and kids of all ages in the galleries of the museum. The night will feature family music artist and all around rocker Uncle Rock, who will do two sets during the evening. I was fortunate to find out about UR from a friend who had hired him for a party. She let me borrow some CDs, which I quickly tested on my four- and six-year-olds. They whole-heartedly approved. When from the speakers Uncle Rock yells “Are you Ready?!” Both girls in unison screamed “YEEEEAHHHHH! “ Rock plays off of classic rock sensibilities and merges them with kid and family friendly topics. He covers hard hitting issues like children pretending to be asleep in Playin’ Possum, and lost foot coverings in Shoe Bandit. My favorite is a montage of super hero songs which features several classics such as the Spiderman and Batman themes, and he throws in some contemporary examples such as REM’s I am Superman.

I was surprised at the infectious rootsy sounds that had me singing along. My favorite is Picnic in the Grave Yard. This is about a celebration of El Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Rock sings “We’ll sit in the grass with people from the past and we will not be afraid.” His appeal to parents is strong as he hits topics important to families such as remembering loved ones, and offers us a chance to explore themes with our kids in a different way.

The evening isn’t all rock. Our paintings come to life as our “security guard” takes you on a tour where you will meet the people in the paintings, and characters or artists associated with the work. Some of our featured characters include artist Thomas Cole who will share with us his views on painting, and a Russian explorer will tell us about his meeting with Aleutian peoples in the Thaw gallery.

Local arts groups and businesses who support families and family related programming will be also be on hand to preview some of their holiday wares and provide crafts and activities to visitors.

This is a great chance to expose your family to the rich offerings that are always present at The Fenimore Art Museum, but also the larger community that is rich with cultural groups serving families and their children.

Beacon Lights

By: John Buchinger, Associate Director of Education
Working at an art museum, I see amazing things every day, and sometimes I only realize how special they are when someone else points them out. Though all of our pieces could be celebrated in this post, one object in particular shines above the others.

The Beacon Lights basket, a Washoe basket by famed Native artist Louisa Keyser, has been selected to be a part of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ newest initiative of its We the People program Picturing America. The basket is made out of willow, western redbud, and bracken fern root, and is the most historically significant basket of Keyser’s career and the one most widely referred to in publications on this famed Washoe weaver. Keyser’s mastery of the medium is revealed in the control of the extremely fine stitches of weaving and the elegant balance of her design as it moves over a constantly changing surface. Beacon Lights epitomizes Louisa Keyser’s greatest work.

Picturing America was launched in February 2007. This program distributes large, high quality reproductions of selected works of American art, along with a teacher resource book, lesson plans, and materials, to K-12 schools and public libraries.

We were incredibly thrilled to hear that not only Beacon Lights, but also our Black Hawk Sans Arc Lakota Ledger Book were both selected to be a part of this fantastic art education program. It calls national attention to our collections and shares our greatest hidden treasures with audiences across the country.

Beacon Lights, by Louisa Keyser (ca.1850-1925). Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY. Gift of Eugene Victor Thaw Art Foundation. T0751

Through the Eyes of Kyra

By: John Buchinger, Associate Director of Education
There are days when you get things right. November seventh at The Fenimore Art Museum was one of those days. Roughly 150 eleventh graders made the pilgrimage from Yonker’s New York Public schools to attend a very special day in Cooperstown featuring tours of the exhibit Through the Eyes of Others, curator by Gretchen Sullivan Sorin, and to hear from one of the shows artist Kyra Hicks.
I had the good fortune to play tour guide and roadie to Kyra while she was here. She is a dynamic woman whose history is as fascinating as the brightly colored quilts that bear pivotal moments, emotions and stories from her own life. Her appearance at the Fenimore was made possible by a grant from IMLS and the students travel and attendance were all supported through the grant.
Kyra spoke to the students not just about quilting but about life. She made connections with students, by asking questions, getting their interpretations on her quilts, and teaching them that if they have a dream that they should go for it!
Kyra is a marketer by trade and a world traveler who was accustomed to bringing the messages of major corporations to people. But in the 1990s, after viewing a quilt show that featured the likes of Faith Ringgold, she had discovered her passion: story quilts.

The quilts which all are queen size are a combination of images and words that come from Kyra's "soul." The exhibition, Through the Eyes... deals with the topic of African American identity in art and Kyra’s work are brightly colored vivid representations of her politics, personal longings, and social observations. Her Black Barbie Quilt which features and image of an African American woman dressed in classic Barbie swimsuit and sunglasses reads Barbie: America's Doll…Was never intended for me.

The message is clear and succinct. It is provocative, but the image is celebratory despite the thought provoking controversy of the text. Students both male and female were riveted by the artist and her work.

Kyra shared with me that her favorite part of the day was when a group of young men who had clearly sequestered themselves in the back of the auditorium noticed and asked “Why are there no men in your quilts?”

This was an aha moment not only for the students realizing that the absence was a telling side of the quilts message, but that message Kyra had to process as well.

Rarely does anyone have the opportunity to engage with not only art, but an artist in this way. We owe a great thanks to Kyra and the students from Yonkers!