Fort Worth, TX, March 22, 2002—Three new film series, two traveling exhibitions, lectures and gallery talks—all of them free—highlight the Amon Carter Museum's full schedule of public programs for April, May, and June.

Several of the adult public programs are offered in conjunction with The Stamp of Impulse: Abstract Expressionist Prints, the first traveling exhibition to be held at the Carter since its reopening, and Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery, which opens May 25.

Exhibitions from the Permanent Collection

The Artist and the American West: A Century of Western Art

Through May 26, 2002
This special exhibition celebrates 40 years of collecting outstanding examples of the art of the American West.

Revealed Treasures: Prints from the Permanent Collection

Through August 18, 2002
The second rotation drawn from the Carter's extensive works on paper collection, this exhibition features prints, from 1822 to 1947, that offer a broad spectrum of American printmaking. Highlights include Mary Cassatt, Edward Hopper, and James McNeill Whistler.

Masterworks of American Photography

Ongoing
Consisting of more than 50 selections from the Carter's holdings of more than 30,000 exhibition quality prints—one of the most important such collections in the United States—this exhibition changes regularly and is arranged chronologically. The current installation, on view through August 11, includes works by Albert Southworth and Josiah Hawes, William Henry Jackson, and Alfred Stieglitz.

Abstraction in Photography

Through June 9, 2002
While photography was initially valued for its ability to reproduce the world with exactitude, in the early twentieth century, photographers began to use the medium to transform reality into abstraction. It became a powerful trend in twentieth-century modernist photography. This exhibition includes 48 photographs by such masters as Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, and László Moholy-Nagy.

Woodland Portraits: Photographs by Eliot Porter and Jeannette Klute

April 6-October 13, 2002
Eliot Porter and Jeannette Klute are two early masters of color landscape photography. This exhibition contrasts their different approaches to photographing New England's woodlands. In depicting similar subjects, Klute used shallow focus to deliver painterly effects while Porter rendered realistic scenes with full focus and exacting detail.

Out of the Blue: Cyanotypes from the Permanent Collection

April 13-October 13, 2002
Versatility and singular beauty distinguish the cyanotype process presented in 22 images drawn from the Amon Carter's photography holdings. This exhibition examines the imaging potential in diverse subject matter when a lush blue tonal range translates portraits, botanical specimens, and landscapes into unforgettable monochromatic creations.

The Spirit of Buildings: Laura Gilpin's Architectural Photography

April 13-October 13, 2002
Although Laura Gilpin is primarily known for southwestern landscapes and her documentation of the Navajo, she had an abiding interest in architecture and regularly supplemented her income with architectural photography. The 24 selections displayed in this exhibition illustrate how Gilpin's style of photography went beyond record and document and instead captured the mood and spirit of buildings.

Striking Likeness: Portrait Prints from the Permanent Collection

May 25-August 25, 2002
What people look like, how they act, and what can be made of their looks and actions is the focus of this exhibition drawn from the Carter's print collection. Presenting examples from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, the exhibition brings together over 40 portraits, self-portraits, and group portraits. Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whistler, John Sloan, and George Bellows are among the artists whose works will be on view.

The Artist and the American West: The Great Basin

June 15-October 6, 2002
This exhibition chronicles the visual history of the Great Basin, a high desert region of some 220,000 square miles that includes portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. The name was first used by the explorer John C. Fremont in 1843-44. The exhibition will feature a number of notable images, from the earliest views by explorer artists to provocative and stunning prints by contemporary photographers.

Special Exhibitions

The Stamp of Impulse: Abstract Expressionist Prints

Through May 12, 2002
Abstract expressionism is acknowledged as the leading achievement in American art during the twentieth century, but its impact on the graphic arts has never been fully examined. In 100 prints by as many artists, this exhibition surveys the era's diverse approaches to printmaking and the stylistic and technical experimentation that revolutionized American graphic arts. The works in this show, dating from the 1940s to the 1960s, present a wide variety of printmaking media and range in scale from miniature drypoints to mural-sized screenprints. This exhibition is organized by the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Judith Rothschild Foundation. It will also travel to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery

May 25-August 25, 2002
With nearly 50 works on paper exploring a century of portraiture in the graphic media, this exhibition showcases aesthetic masterpieces from the past 100 years that have been assembled in the Portrait Gallery's 30-year history. Some offerings are artists' interpretations of well-known figures from American life, including writers, politicians, actors, and musicians. The personal interaction between artist and subject results in keen portrayals of such luminaries as Henry James, Thornton Wilder, W.C. Fields, and Robert Kennedy. Others are self-portraits, including a shimmering watercolor by Mary Cassatt, a pastel image by Everett Shinn, and a gouache by Joseph Stella. This exhibition has been organized by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Public Programs

Gallery Talks

Thursdays, 12:15–12:45 p.m.

• April 11
  Eliot Porter and Jeannette Klute: Learning to Think in Photographic Color
  John Rohrbach, Associate Curator of Photographs
• April 25
  Cyanotypes: Something Old, Something New, Something Blue
  Helen Plummer, Curatorial Associate
• May 9
  Revealing Treasures from the Print Collection
  Rebecca Lawton, Assistant Curator of Paintings and Sculpture
• May 23
  Restoration and Perception: The Cleaning of Fitz Hugh Lane's 'Boston Harbor'
  Claire Barry, Chief Conservator of Paintings, Kimbell Art Museum
• June 13
  A Tribute to Thomas Cole: Frederic Church's 'New England Landscape'
  Patricia Junker, Curator of Paintings and Sculpture
• June 27
  The Magic of Russell's Watercolors
  Rick Stewart, Director

An Artist’s Perspective

Sundays, 3-4 p.m.
A series of talks in which artists discuss their work based on examples in the museum’s permanent collection

• April 14
  A Space for Boundless Revery: Poetic Representations of Abstract Expressionism
  Willard Spiegelman, Hughes Professor of English, SMU, and Editor in Chief, The Southwest Review
• May 12
  Still Water: Images Along the Cache La Poudre River
  William Wylie
• June 9
  Positive and Negative: Influences from Working with the Museum Collection
  Steven Watson, Museum Photographer

Making an American Masterpiece

Sundays, 2-3 p.m.
A new lecture series that features work from the museum’s collection and asks the question: "What makes a work of art an American masterpiece?" Curators, guest speakers, and scholars discuss works at the Carter. An opportunity to ask questions and meet the speaker follows each lecture.

• April 28
  Artistic Duel in Yellowstone: Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt
  Peter Hassrick, Founding Director Emeritus: Charles M. Russell Center for the Study of Art of the American West, University of Oklahoma
• June 30
  The Statue That Enchanted the World: Hiram Powers' Greek Slave
  Patricia Junker, Curator of Paintings and Sculpture

Films

Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.
Film Series: Capturing the Spirit of the Time
A special film series presented in conjunction with The Stamp of Impulse: Abstract Expressionist Prints

• April 4
  Double Feature: Jackson Pollock
  Directed by Kim Evans, 1987, Great Britain, 52 minutes.
  A film of Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) looking at his concept of action painting and his role in the abstract expressionist movement.
  Jackson Pollock
  A short film by Hans Namuth, directed by Paul Falkenberg, 1950-51, USA, 10 minutes.
  Features American abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock in the only existing footage of the artist at work.
• April 18
  Robert Motherwell and the New York School: Storming the Citadel
  Directed by Catherine Tatge, 1991, USA, 56 minutes.
  This investigation of abstract expressionism centers on one of its most important figures, Robert Motherwell (1915-1991).
• May 2
  de Kooning on de Kooning
  Directed by Charlotte Zwerin, 1981, USA, 58 minutes.
  An award-winning film that examines the life of American painter Willem de Kooning (1904-1997).

Film Series: Portraits in Film

Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.
A special film series presented in conjunction with Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery.

• June 6
  Edward Hopper: The Silent Witness
  Directed by Wolfgang Hastert, 1995, USA, 45 minutes.
  An atmospheric film that captures elements of the inner life of American artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967). Searching for scenes that inspired him, the film conjures the austere, still, and isolated American landscape Hopper evoked.
• June 20
  Double Feature: Roy Lichtenstein: Reflections
  Produced by Edgar B. Howard, 1989, USA, 30 minutes.
  Features artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) discussing his work, his artistic process and the sources of his inspiration.
  The Drawings of Roy Lichtenstein
  Directed by Edgar B. Howard and Seth Schneidman, 1987, USA, 20 minutes.
  A film that gets behind the sometimes impenetrably slick surfaces of Lichtenstein's canvases and prints to show the genesis of his works.

Special Lecture in conjunction with Eye Contact

Sunday, June 2, 3-4 p.m.
Eye Contact: The Tradition of Twentieth-Century Portraiture in conjunction with Eye Contact: Modern American Portrait Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery
Wendy Wick Reaves, Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Children's Film Series: The Amazing Lives of American Artists

Fridays, 2 p.m.
Program includes an introduction to the film and a discussion following the film. We ask that an adult accompany groups of children.

• June 7
  Winslow Homer: An American Original
  Directed by Graeme Lynch, 1999, USA, 49 minutes.
  Set in 1874, this film recreates the life of American painter Winslow Homer (1836-1910).
• June 14
  Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist
  Directed by Richard Mozer, 1999, USA, 60 minutes.
  Focuses on the story of American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), an impressionist painter in Paris in the 19th century.
• June 21
  Double Feature: Jacob Lawrence: The Glory of Expression
  Directed by David Irving, 1996, USA, 28 minutes.
  Features the life and work of one of America's great painters, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000).
  Jacob Lawrence: Intimate Portrait
  Directed by Grover Babcock and Elvin Whitesides, 1993, USA, 25 minutes.
  Traces Jacob Lawrence's career from Harlem in the 1930s to his life as a professor in Seattle.

Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m.
John Entenza Memorial Lecture: The Art Museums of Philip Johnson
Richard Brettell, Professor of Aesthetic Studies, University of Texas at Dallas