By Felix Carroll
This summer, from June 6 through August 11, the Berkshire Botanical Garden (BBG) will transform into a haven for artistic reverie with DayDream, a new exhibition featuring works by some of the most renowned names in contemporary and modern art. DayDream will be in the Leonhardt Galleries, open daily, 9am to 5pm.
Immerse yourselves in the boundless imagination of legendary figures such as Salvador Dalí, Annie Leibovitz, Yoko Ono, and Jamie Wyeth, alongside a diverse array of contemporary artists like Roz Chast, Will Cotton, Ellsworth Kelly, and Kenny Scharf. Spanning painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media, DayDream promises to be a stunning and thought-provoking journey into the artistic subconscious.
Curator, James Salomon is director of design projects at Achille Salvagni Atelier, which has showrooms in Rome, London, and New York. He has created a show steeped in imagination – playful and unexpected.
BBG Trustee Chair Matt Larkin and Trustee Joanne Cassullo have been instrumental in bringing DayDream to life.
Norman Rockwell Museum Celebrates the Famous Artists Cartoonist Course
By Stephanie Plunkett
Launched in 1956 the school was a groundbreaking correspondence course designed to teach aspiring cartoonists the tricks of the trade. With lessons written by some of the most renowned artists of the time, including Rube Goldberg, Al Capp, Milton Caniff, and Dick Cavalli, the course helped chart the path for future generations of comic artists. The course’s curriculum was designed to instill both the technical fundamentals and the joy of creating art for a mass audience, encouraging students to have fun with their craft – a philosophy that continues to resonate with today’s creators.
“Comic strips, gag cartoons, and humorous drawings have been widely appreciated by audiences across time and media outlets. During the twentieth century, the prospects for enthusiastic, well-trained comic artists appeared to be limitless,” said Norman Rockwell Museum Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. “We are honored to showcase the Museum’s outstanding collection of original artworks by the nation’s top cartoonists – the founding creators of the Famous Artists Cartoon Course who encouraged aspiring artists to hone their craft and pursue their dreams.”
Responding to public interest, the Famous Artists Cartoon Course was an outgrowth of the successful Famous Artists School’s commercial and fine art correspondence courses that were established in 1948, in Westport, CT.
The exhibition brings together a diverse selection of more than 75 works, including original process and finished artworks from the Permanent Illustration Collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum.
The program consisted of 24 distinct lessons, each with a focused theme, from The Comic Figure to Anatomy and Perspective. Each lesson was accompanied by an assignment that students were asked to complete and submit for assessment. All for Laughs will also feature a dynamic video component that delves into the history of the Famous Artists Cartoonist Course.
