See Mark Twain at the Booth Museum

Thursday evening, August 21, Mark Twain will pay a visit the Booth Museum. No, not the real Mark Twain - he died 98 years ago (at the age 75). The multi-talented Jim Dunham will bring this remarkable American icon to life before your very eyes. This is isn't a seance to channel the dead, although Twain probably would have loved that, but instead Dunham will present an hour long performance on Mark Twain, by Mark Twain. You read correctly - "by Mark Twain." Dunham has compiled excerpts from a number of Twain's writings that chronicle his life and the times he lived in. Dress in a white suite, the standard attire of Twain in many of photographs, Dunham will take on the persona of Mark Twain and present this unique first person narrative, thus becoming Mark Twain for one hour and one hour only. It's something you really don't want to miss.

So maybe you're sitting there reading this blog entry and thinking "I remember a little about Mark Twain from school, but I really don't know much about him. What's so special about Mark Twain?" Well, you are in luck. Here is a brief (very brief) biography of Mark Twain.

Mark Twain, known as an American humorist and satirist, was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835 in Missouri. He was the 6th of 7 seven children although only 4 of the children survived to adulthood. During his lifetime, Twain worked as typesetter at a printer in Missouri; as a printer in New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Cincinnati; a steamboat pilot; a coal miner; and writer for numerous newspapers. He married in 1870 and he and his wife had 4 children - 1 boy which died and 3 girls. Twain is best know for writing "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," which was based on his childhood in Missouri, and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Twain's writing differed from other authors because the characters in his writings talked like the average American talked - with dialects and regional accents. His writing was also highly influenced by journalism as he wrote for newspapers for much of his life.

If you want to learn more about Mark Twain, there are a couple of places you may want to check out online: The Mark Twain House and The Official Website of Mark Twain. And of course, you could always read his books.

Sweet Tea II Opens

Last night we have yet another fantastic exhibition opening for our members. We held the opening reception for three exhibitions - Western American Art South of the Sweet Tea Line II, Hidden Heritage: Western Art from an Atlanta Collection, and Neo-abOriginal Art: The Sculptural Marvels of Ed Archie NoiseCat. All three exhibitions are great - each is unique in its own right, however Western American South of the Sweet Tea Line II (or "Sweet Tea II" as the museum staff calls it) absolutely stole the show. Our executive director Seth Hopkins co-curated the show with our curator Jeff Donaldson. "Sweet Tea II" features over 70 peices of art spanning about 150 years. All the artwork came from collectors within 6 southern states. Some of the lenders are private individuals and others are are museums. Many of these works have never been exhibited to the public before. When you first walk into the gallery, landscapes with almost take your breath away. Each peice in the exhibition has a unique and interesting story, but one of particular interest is a piece that was owned by Lyndon B. Johnson. Apparently he loved the scene in the painting because it reminded him of his ranch and gave it a place of honor above his bed in the White House. Johnson commissioned the artist the do a portrait but apparently it did not turn out well. Johnson thought it was the worst portrait of him he had seen and it led to an argument with the artist. Johnson then sold the painting of the ranch scene.

Neo-abOriginal Art...

Neo-abOriginal Art on display in Borderlands Gallery

There are some interesting sculptures and carvings by Ed Archie NoiseCat now on display through September 21, 2008 in the Borderlands Gallery at the Booth Western Art Museum. Neo-abOriginal Art is NoiseCat’s way of terming his impressive artwork of the Northwestern Coast Native American culture. This exhibition contains pieces of artwork of all sizes and sentiments. Ed Archie NoiseCat was born and raised in British Columbia and grew up under the influence of the stories and art forms of the Native Americans of the Northwest Pacific Coast. NoiseCat was formally trained in New York, has worked in Oklahoma and New Mexico and has been featured in Southwest Art Magazine. NoiseCat states on his website, http://www.noisecat.com/:

We are the stewards of these lands. We are responsible to generations past and
generations yet to come. I am working to communicate aboriginal values and honor
our ancestors with my art.

NoiseCat’s artwork shows the traditional richness of his people while also reflecting modern uniqueness and originality. This collection is very eclectic and offers a good opportunity to break out of the ordinary and view creative artwork. The curator for this exhibition will be present August 16th, at 5:00 pm in the Borderlands Gallery to further discuss this intriguing exhibition. Come view these sculptural marvels of Ed Archie NoiseCat and learn more about the artist behind them!

Borderlands Gallery