R.W. Norton Art Gallery Newsletter : December 2008

The July First Saturday Tour falls on a National Holiday, so it has been rescheduled for the Second Saturday. This is in conjunction with a new program we will be instituting here at the Gallery: Saturday Speakers. Flying in from upstate New York will be NPR’s own music historian Micheal Lasser, who will speak in addition to the Transcendental tour and in conjunction with our Special Exhibition: Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit. He intends to reveal the unlikely stories of our unofficial national anthems and their relation to Old Glory.

The special exhibition The Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit will run through July 26, 2009.

Around the Gallery

Editor
Kristi Kohl

Contributors
Everl Adair
Gary D. Ford
Jennifer DeFratis
Kip DeHart

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“Oh, say can you see . . .?” This musical question, whether heard on a parade ground, in a school auditorium, or on a sports field has been known to raise a lump in the throat. National anthems around the world may variously celebrate rulers or exalt the common man, but ours may be the only one that specifically focuses on its country’s flag. Perhaps it is because we are the rare case of a nation whose flag was born simultaneously and developed along with it, or perhaps because of the meanings with which it is imbued; President Woodrow Wilson once wrote:

When I think of the flag, . . . I see alternate strips of parchment upon which are written the rights of liberty and justice, and stripes of blood to vindicate those rights, and then, in the corner, a prediction of the blue serene into which every nation may swim which stands for these great things.

We all know the 13 stripes represent the original colonies and the stars the states, but even the colors have a specific meaning. Red indicates hardiness and valor, white purity and innocence, and blue vigilance, perseverance, and justice. There are few more powerful symbols in the world, which is why the flag is both revered and attacked.

The R.W. Norton Art Gallery is proud to present “The Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit,” a collection of American flags assembled by J. Richard Pierce. The retired banking executive from White House Station, New Jersey, received his first flag as a 30th wedding anniversary gift from his wife and has been collecting rare and historically significant embodiments of our national emblem ever since. His knowledge and experiences provided the information for his book, The Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit, based on this impressive collection.

The first use of a flag specifically intended to represent the newly fledged American republic was, appropriately enough, on New Year’s Day of 1776, when George Washington ordered the Grand Union Flag hoisted above his base at Prospect Hill as he laid siege to the British in Boston. Its design was an indication of the improvised nature of the early republic; although it bore the familiar thirteen red and white stripes, the top left hand corner, or canton, featured the British Union Jack instead of stars. Despite its conspicuous relationship to the British Empire, the Grand Union flag was flown on U.S. naval ships from 1776 to 1779 and was the first American flag to be recognized by another country. Nonetheless, the need for a more specifically American flag was evident.

Generations of schoolchildren associate the creative spirit behind the image of the first flag (13 stripes with a circle of 13 stars in the canton) with Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross, a seamstress who did indeed sew ensigns and flags during the war. According to legend, Washington asked Mrs. Ross in 1777 to sew a flag based on his own design (which later led some to suggest that it was based upon the Washington family coat-of-arms which contained red and white stripes and stars). However, the Betsy Ross story didn’t appear until 94 years later in a speech by one of her grandsons, William J. Canby, and there is no contemporary evidence for it; nothing appears in any official or anecdotal record, including Washington’s papers.

Another popular candidate for first-flag designer was Rebecca Young. Again, later generations of her family were responsible for publicizing the story. Like Ross, Young had sewn ensigns and garrison flags during the Revolution, a trade which she taught her daughter, who did indeed make flag history. Mary Young Pickersgill sewed the famous “Star-Spangled Banner” that flew over Fort McHenry during the 1814 Battle of Baltimore, and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became our national anthem.

The unfortunately far more prosaic likelihood is that the first official flag of the republic was designed in a committee chaired by Francis Hopkinson, a representative of New Jersey to the Continental Congress. Mr. Hopkinson claimed credit for the design, even sending a bill to the Congress for his work. Payment was denied on the grounds that he already received a salary as a Congressman and that he was not the only person on the committee to contribute to the design. Congress did not deny his claim, so Hopkinson must have been instrumental in its adoption. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: “Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” In 1949, President Harry S. Truman commemorated the act by making July 14th Flag Day.

The act, however, did not specify any particular arrangement of stars. The so-called Betsy Ross flag that shows the 13 stars in a circle is depicted in contemporary battleground paintings by John Trumbull and Charles Willson Peale which are among the first documentations of the flag’s appearance. Nonetheless, slightly different arrangements of the stars are found on the Francis Hopkinson, the Cowpens, and Brandywine.

In 1795, the number of stars and stripes were expanded to 15 when Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union. Fearing it would become too cluttered, Congress decided to stop adding to the flag. Therefore, the flag that inspired Key in 1814 bore 15 stars and stripes, although more states, including Louisiana, had gained statehood. U.S. Naval Captain Samuel C. Reid provided the key to the flag’s next incarnation by suggesting that the stars represent the number of states while the stripes remained a constant 13 in commemoration of the original colonies. On April 4, 1818, President James Monroe signed the act initiating this new plan with a flag bearing 20 stars and the requisite 13 stripes.

From 1818 to 1912, however, no law specified a particular arrangement of those stars. Different designs that emerged are a great part of the excitement for flag collectors, along with rare artifacts such as the 40- and 41-star flags of 1889 and the 49-star flag of 1959. On November 2, 1889 both North and South Dakota were admitted as the 39th and 40th states, while Montana entered on November 8th as the 41st state. Three days later, Washington came in as the 42nd. Therefore, very few flags were created with either 40 or 41 stars. To eliminate so many quick changes to the national emblem, it became tradition to add each state’s star to the flag on the first July 4th following its statehood. Even with that rule changes could be rapid. In January of 1959, Alaska was admitted to the union and its star affixed to the canton in July. The next month, we welcomed Hawaii. Consequently, relatively few 49-star flags were made since the next year our Union of states grew to 50.

Whatever its many permutations, the American flag has served as a beacon for its citizens’ hopes, ideals, and aspirations. And when political differences occasionally intrude upon our ability to cooperate, we can look to that colorful banner and remind ourselves of the words of Daniel Webster at a time when this country was on the verge of disastrous divisions: “Let it be borne on the flag under which we rally in every exigency, that we have one country, one constitution, one destiny.” Long may it wave!

Everl Adair, Director of Research and Rare Collections

TIPS FROM KIP: Creating a Butterfly Habitat

A tiger swallowtail samples a native azalea.

The Norton gardens attract many varieties of animals and insects. However, the most graceful and delicate of all our wildlife are butterflies. Our Color Garden contains a variety of plants, including the favorite butterfly bush that winged wonders cannot resist. To attract them to your yard throughout the summer months, you’ll need plants with colorful and interesting textures, and certain garden conditions. To create a butterfly habitat in your backyard, consider these tips:

1) Butterfly gardens can be any size - a window box, a part of your landscaped yard, or even a wild untended area on your property.

2) Select a sunny location sheltered from the wind.

3) Provide a wide variety of flowers to attract the greatest diversity of visitors. Remember that different species of butterflies have different preferences of nectar, like customers in an ice cream shop.

4) Select a variety of flowers to ensure that blooms throughout summer will encourage a season-long succession of visitors to your garden.

5) You’ll want flowers with multiple florets, such as these favorite nectar-bearing plants: butterfly bush, butterfly weed, lantana, and marigold.

6) Stagger wild and cultivated plants across your garden, but group similar plants together so butterflies can locate them more easily.

7) Butterflies need host plants where they may lay eggs and caterpillars may feed. They like cabbage, clover, dill, and milkweed.

8) Provide a damp puddle or moist sandy area for water.

9) Offer a supplemental nectar source, such as a sliced orange.

10) You may want to add a butterfly house to prolong the butterflies’ stay.

Once you have created your butterfly habitat, you will learn a lot about your garden visitors by observing the many varieties and their behaviors, such as sunning and puddling. You can be proud that your efforts may conserve many species of butterflies that are quickly disappearing.

Kip Dehart, Landscape Director

OUT IN THE GARDENS: A Sanctuary for Birds

A brown thrasher safely guards her hatchlings while the landscaping crew prunes around her.

The Norton gardens have become a sanctuary for many species of birds, including hawks, blue jays, cardinals, thrushes, chickadees, herons, purple martins, and woodpeckers. The many varieties of plants and the mix of trees with open space increase their diversity. Such a haven for winged wildlife provides the three basic necessities for survival: food, water, and shelter.

All year birds may feed on seeds, berries, nuts, insects, and other foods. Such a diverse selection ensures a varied food supply, while streams and ponds are clean sources of water. Meanwhile, the trees, particularly evergreens, offer shelter, protection, and breeding sites. So do numerous birdhouses.

Whole families have come to enjoy bird watching. In turn, birds help the health of the family’s environment. They control insect populations, pollinate flowers, and disperse seeds. On your next visit to the Norton gardens, bring your binoculars and watch our winged visitors and residents. They help our gardens grow in health, beauty, and song.

Kristi Kohl, Staff Researcher

You'll see birdhouses on our trees.

Blue herons and other birds enjoy our garden's grounds and streams.

VOICES FROM THE ARCHIVES: Marvin A. Watkins, Sergeant in 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division

Yeah, there were hundreds of them that were dead in there just—they’d stack them. The Germans had this big building that was like a shower—you’ve seen pictures of all that, I’m sure—and they’d get all the Polish people and all the others, the Jewish people, and put them in there, and when they’d bring them in and turn the water on to take a bath, then they’d turn the gas on and kill them. Well, I was right there, and I saw all of that. They’d haul them out, drag them out, and they had two furnaces like a barbecue pit outside, you know, with metal shelves in it, and they’d throw a body in there, shove it up in there, and burn it, cremate it. They had pots that they were supposed to put the ashes in. They got so far behind, they had stacks of pots by the hundreds. A lot of them had ashes in them. They didn’t have any more pots and they’d take them and they’d shove that out in a wheelbarrow, and haul it out there and dump it on the ground. There was a big white spot as big as this room, with just ashes out there where they’d dump it - ashes where they burned them. And there were a lot of them that were dead, and they hadn’t buried them, and so we had that, plus what we could gather of the ashes, and then the 36th Division went in and took dozers and dug ditches and laid them in there and buried them right there. All in a mass grave. Buried them all, right there. I’m sure it’s got probably a statue there now today. I don’t know. It was terrible. That was the most terrible thing I’d ever seen in my life.

Marvin A. Watkins, a sergeant in 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division, fought his way into Germany and helped liberate one of the main Nazi death camps, Dachau. He is among more than 400 men and women from Shreveport and the surrounding areas who graciously gave their time to tell us their life stories of service and sacrifice. We’re preserving those stories as part of our Oral History Project, an ongoing effort to interview members of the World War II generation, along with veterans of subsequent American conflicts. We also want to hear from eyewitnesses and participants in the civil rights struggle, as well as those who shaped the economical and cultural heritage of the city and the nation.

Click here to view additional photographs and to listen to the audio of the interview with Mr. Watkins.

If you or someone you know would like to share stories with us, please call (318) 865-4201, or contact ohp@rwnaf.org.

FEATURED ARTIST IN THE COLLECTION: Frederick Judd Waugh

Seascape

20th Century Landscapes and Lifestyles Gallery

This remarkable painter of seascapes came from a family of artists. His father, Samuel B. Waugh, was a portrait painter and his mother, Mary Eliza Young, a miniaturist. Frederick (1861-1940) and his half-sister became artists as well. After training with Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Waugh studied at the Academie Julian in Paris. A trip to the Channel Islands imbued him with his love of seascapes. After living there and in an art colony at St. Ives on the Cornish coast, Waugh began to make a name for himself with his English seascapes. When the Royal Academy of Art rejected two of his paintings in 1907, he returned to America and settled in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where the same two works met with acclaim. A later sojourn with his half-sister on the New England shore inspired scenes like On the Maine Coast. Though countless artists have depicted the crashing waves of the North Atlantic coast, no one has been more responsible for popularizing American marine painting than Waugh. Because of his fame and knowledge of the sea the U.S. government called on his help to camouflage ships during World War I. At the height of his popularity, he was painting 10 canvases a month to meet demand, yet also found time to write children’s books, design silver and copper objets d’art, and design structures as a skilled architect.

Three of Waugh’s works, On the Maine Coast, Seascape, and The Breaker Line, are displayed in the 20th Century Landscapes and Lifestyles Gallery at the Norton.

Museum Staff

On the Maine Coast

20th Century Landscapes and Lifestyles Gallery

FEATURED ARTWORK IN THE COLLECTION: The Burning Image by Loren Adams

The Burning Image

20th Century Landscapes and Lifestyles Gallery

Although Adams (1945- ) was born in land-locked Linton, Indiana, his most popular subject has been the Pacific Ocean, which he first saw at age six when his family moved to California. Adams’ works focus on seascapes and coastal marine landscapes in which he attempts to convey not only the majesty of the sea, but also the actual motion of the waves. He was influenced by the Hudson River School artists, painting layer upon layer of color in a smooth brush technique that disguises the hand of the painter to focus attention on the subject. The Burning Image, oil on fused media, demonstrates Adams’ love of majestic scenes infused with rich color and ambient light designed for emotional impact.

Museum Staff

BEHIND THE SCENES:
Jerry Bloomer, Public Relations & Secretary of the Board

Since the museum opened in 1966 it has presented over 200 special exhibitions which included paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, decorative arts and photographs. Most of these were exhibits organized by companies specializing in assembling both public and private collections for circulation among museums across the country. Over the years I have had the pleasure of working with a number of these organizations in booking exhibits which we felt would be of interest to our patrons and the general public.

Once a selection is made, a time period for viewing (usually a six to eight week period) is chosen, usually several years in advance, and a contract is signed. Several months prior to the opening, the organizing company will send us publicity material, images, and a checklist of the works included in the exhibit.

In the case of framed objects, the width of the frame is used to arrange the objects on walls so that a pleasing balance is achieved without overcrowding. The total width of all frames is used to determine the total linear feet of the exhibit and how many galleries will be required for the installation.

When the exhibit arrives, it is unpacked and checked against the condition report. Item numbers are assigned to each work, and the actual installation is performed by our Building and Maintenance Supervisor, Taylor Devers, and his assistants.

Jerry Bloomer, Public Relations
& Secretary of the Board

DID YOU KNOW?

Moonlight, Carmel

20th Century Landscapes and Lifestyles Gallery

An ethnic Serb, Alexander Dzigurski (1911-1995) was born in the war-torn region of Backa, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the support of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Dzigurski attended the School of Art in Belgrade, paying for his education by restoring iconostases (screens decorated with icons) at the Monastery Rakovica. He then went on to the Academy of Art in Munich. After serving in the Yugoslav army during World War II, Dzigurski immigrated to Pennsylvania with his family in 1949, repaying their passage by painting iconostases for churches around the state. A move to California in the 1950s prompted him to paint the seascapes for which he is best-known. A New York critic once called him “the poet of the sea.” Dzigurski himself declared that the solitary beauty and grandeur of his mountain and ocean scenes, like Moonlight, Carmel, were a metaphor for the freedom and peace he had enjoyed since coming to America. We also proudly display his work, Seascape.

Everl Adair, Director of Research and Rare Collections

QUERIES FOR KRISTI

Shadow on the Dunes

American Art History Gallery

Was Winslow Homer associated with any school of art?

Many consider Winslow Homer as Pre-Impressionist, although many of his innovative techniques were found in the Impressionist movement when it arrived in America. He used a high-key palette, vivid colors with the suggestion of bright light, broken brushwork, and a very high horizon line - a hallmark he may have borrowed from Japanese prints. He was also the first famous American artist to complete works en plein aire – in other words, in a single sitting outdoors capturing the scene before him in quick strokes.

Homer was a precursor of and an influence on American Impressionists. They held him in such high regard that they once invited him to join “The Ten,” the rather clubby group of America Impressionists. Solitary by nature and too independent to join any part of a school, he politely declined.

If you have an art-related question you would like answered in a future newsletter, you may submit your question by going to the Norton website at www.rwnaf.org.

FOR THE KIDS: Butterfly and Moth Identification

The wooded park-like gardens at the Norton provide the ideal habitat for many varieties of butterflies and moths. You are sure to catch a glimpse of these colorful creatures flitting through the gardens on your next visit. Some of the moths and butterflies recently discovered resting on our flowers include a Tiger Swallowtail and Polyphemus and Luna moths.

The unmistakable and common Tiger Swallowtail is yellow with dark tiger stripes. The females display many iridescent blue scales and an orange marginal spot on the hindwing. Adult feed on nectar from many plants, including wild cherry and lilac. Their habitat ranges throughout eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf coast and west to the Colorado plains and central Texas.

Its colors identify the Polyphemus moth, also known as a Wild Silk moth. Its reddish to yellowish-brown upperside features oval eyespots ringed with yellow, blue, and black. The underside has rust, brown, and pink markings. Adult Polyphemus moths do not feed and are found in every American state except Arizona and Nevada.

The beautiful Luna moth, another Wild Silk moth, is easily recognized by its pale green color. Its hindwings, each with a transparent eyespot, have long curving tails. The outer margins of its wings vary from pink to yellow. As with the Polyphemus moth, the Luna moth does not feed. Its range extends from Nova Scotia west to eastern North Dakota and south to the Gulf Coast.

How many moths and butterflies can you identify in the Norton gardens? Let me know how many you find by emailing me at kk@rwnaf.org!

Kristi Kohl, Staff Researcher

Tiger Swallowtail

Polyphemus Moth

Luna Moth

FROM THE VAULTS: Elusive Butterflies by Dani

NOTE: Items featured in From the Vaults are currently not on display.

Costa Mesa, California artist Dani, whose given name is Shirley Leyrer (1933- ), began her artistic career as an oil painter. Later in her adult life, she began dabbling in the lost wax method of sculpting after a friend offered her a ball of wax to play with at an exhibition. Dani has been hooked on sculpture ever since. Most of her bronzes depict delicate female nudes and muscle-rippling males. Dani does not work from live models. Instead, she refers to anatomy books and her own body’s musculature for her sculptures. She will, however, occasionally distort the legs or arms of a figure to emphasize “the flow of the piece.” Dani uses her art to teach speech to children with hearing impairments, and her work has been collected throughout the United States.

Kristi Kohl, Staff Researcher

WORTH QUOTING:

“There is one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath.”

--- Herman Melville

WORTH THE TRIP: Plantation Point Nursery, Mooringsport, LA

Plantation residence Greenhouse

Ten years ago, physician Stanley Schikowitz and dietician Debbie Hawkins of Worcester, Massachusetts, both retired, bought 22 acres on Caddo Lake in Mooringsport, LA, and transformed a former Kiwanis Club camp into Plantation Point Nursery. Stanley and Debbie recently welcomed Landscape Director Kip DeHart and me with true southern hospitality, even offering us a cup of their home-roasted coffee upon our arrival. In addition to their gracious welcome, their six dogs and 75 barn swallows that have taken residence in their lovely patio, were just as friendly.

Twelve acres of Plantation Point now overflow with tens of thousands of Louisiana irises, daylilies, poppies, snapdragons, vegetables, and fruits. Debbie began her nursery by transplanting 5000 irises from Little Elm, Texas. Those irises have multiplied and now total over 60,000 in 400 varieties. Some 350 varieties of daylilies also flourish here, along with tens of thousands of poppies and snapdragons. Her vegetable garden boasts enormous cabbage, several varieties of beans, onions, celery, and potatoes. She grows eight types of berries including blackberries, raspberries, and gooseberries and several fruit trees including apricot, peach, and plum. The remaining 10 acres are wooded, with one acre planted in bamboo which Stanley uses to make furniture and pond bridges.

The couple has also renovated the original camp cabins. Two accommodate guests, while others house the mechanic’s workshop, coffee-roasting facility, art studio, and food cleaning/storage areas. Debbie and Stanley also built a beautiful greenhouse (over the camp’s old concrete shuffle board), which features several arched antique stained glass windows. Their gorgeous home, completed two years ago, embodies their idea of what a southern house looks like. To meet this remarkable couple with endless energy, enthusiasm, and talent, and to see the gardens, call for a tour of Plantation Point!

Plantation Point Nursery: 10325 Caddo Lake Rd. Mooringsport, LA 71060. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours of the nursery are available in April and May for the Louisiana irises and in June and July for the daylilies. All tours must be arranged in advance of the visit. For more information, call (318) 996-7222 or 1-800-865-9220, or see http://store.plantationpointnursery.com.

Kristi Kohl, Staff Researcher

Iris Poppy Daylily

EDUCATIONAL TOURS, PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

FIRST SATURDAY TOURS

Regularly scheduled tours are offered on the first Saturday of every month at 2:00 p.m. No reservation is required for these First Saturday Tours. Groups of 10 or more are asked to call ahead so preparations may be made to accommodate the group on these particular tours. All tours, like admission to the Gallery, are free to the public. The next First Saturday Tour on July 11, 2009 is The Transcendental Tour: When America Discovered Itself. On this tour, we’ll explore the art and literature of the transcendentalists, which marked the first truly American movement and the moment we stepped away from European models of thought, literature, and art. *The First Saturday in July is a national holiday and the Gallery will be closed, so the tour has been rescheduled as indicated.

GROUP TOURS
Eighteen group tours are offered at the Norton ranging from the 19th Century French Art History Tour to the Cowboy Artists Tour. Group tours are available by appointment year-round for groups of 10-30 and last approximately 45 minutes.

OUTREACH PROGRAM
The purpose of the community Outreach Program is to take art and art education to people through interactive presentations. Community presentations consist of power point presentations to civic groups and schools.

For more information on the programs offered or to schedule a tour or presentation, click here.

ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
The R.W. Norton Art Foundation is pursuing interviews with those who were involved in America's effort to win World War II, whether in the military or on the home front. Each interview will be digitally recorded by the Gallery to be stored and used for historical purposes, and each interview subject will also be given a copy of this recording to share and preserve his or her memories for family and friends.

If you are interested in participating in or would like more information about the Oral History Project, please click here.

SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS?
To offer us feedback or to suggest what you’d like to see in upcoming issues, please click here.

GALLERY LOCATION AND HOURS:
4747 Creswell Avenue
Shreveport, LA 71106
318-865-4201
www.rwnaf.org
Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 1 - 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays and National Holidays