Call for Artists. See Reverse for Call for Artist Details Questions? Contact Tina Malott or

Transcription

1 Call for Artists The New Bedford Whaling Museum is proud to present the artists sneak preview of A Spectacle in Motion, an upcoming exhibition that will premiere a never-beforeseen digital facsimile of the longest painting in America the 1,275-foot-long Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage Round the World. The purpose of the preview is to inspire attendees as part of a call for artistic interpretations in a variety of media to be performed/exhibited alongside the exhibition. The exhibition will include a theatrical replication of the panorama in its original format as a moving Panorama on stage - complete with contextual objects that will regale visitors on the history of the artists, the evolution of visual culture and entertainment, maritime literature, cultural connections, and the maritime history and culture of mid-19 th century America. The Panorama is a maritime artwork of national historical importance, authentically depicting a whaling voyage originating from the port of New Bedford. It was originally designed as a moving panorama and performed on stage for audiences in the 19 th century and was complemented by live narration, music, and other special effects. See Reverse for Call for Artist Details Questions? Contact Tina Malott tmalott@whalingmuseum.org or

2 Call for Artists Details Artists are invited to submit proposals for unique interpretations of the Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage Round the World. We are encouraging artists of every medium to participate, from painting and sculpture, to visual and performing artists, and from music to the written word. Step #1: Get inspired! Learn about the Panorama, its significance as an authentic depiction of a whaling voyage, its relevance to the maritime history of the region, its value as a representation of the public spectacle era, its illustration of the global cultural, social, and industrial impacts of whaling, and its portrayal of national myths of the romantic life on the high seas. Step #2: Submit a Proposal by Friday, May 18 Submit to Tina Malott tmalott@whalingmuseum.org Artists may submit one proposal in a word or pdf document and they must include: Artist Statement (2-3 paragraphs describing artist, general approach, and medium) Examples (descriptions or images) of past work (1-3 examples) Description of artist s interpretation of the Panorama, including written description of project and title Estimated schedule of completion Process: A jury of judges including curators, historians, and other Museum staff members will evaluate proposals for uniqueness, feasibility, creativity, relevance to object, and appropriateness. The Whaling Museum will notify all finalists by June 1 if they have been selected to participate and work with individual artists on timeframe and viewing/showing details. Since this is a multi-media call for artists, the exhibition of work will differ (date/format/timeframe) for each artist. The Museum has a limited budget that may be allocated to artists for project supplies, but this will be addressed on a case-by-case basis and is not guaranteed. Support Material: Artists will receive access the digital Panorama movie and images, along with additional supplementary information after agreeing to a non-disclosure term that can be found here: Important! The material shared with you CANNOT be shared publicly in advance of the Museum s exhibition. Important Dates: Proposal submission(s) due: Friday, May 18, 2018 Notification of finalists: June 1, 2018

3 Call for Artists Frequently Asked Questions 1. What is the Panorama? The Panorama was painted in 1848, by New Bedford artists Benjamin Russell and Caleb Purrington. At 1,275 long, the Panorama is one of the longest paintings in the United States. A maritime artwork of national historical importance, the Panorama authentically depicts a whaling voyage originating from the port of New Bedford in the mid-19th century. The Panorama is a unique work of art because it is one of only a few surviving American moving panoramas, a popular art and entertainment form that reached its peak in the mid-19 th century. Unlike cycloramas, which were installed statically in a circular format, moving panoramas were played across a stage in a theatrical setting from spool to spool. Much like the adventure writings of authors like Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, panoramas played to the spectacle of the exotic and the unknown to eager audiences of armchair travelers and the rising middle class in the Industrial Age. In 1849, it was exhibited, with great fanfare, at Amory Hall in Boston for three months. Between , the Panorama toured the East and Midwest as a traveling exhibition, visiting Cincinnati, Buffalo, St. Louis, Baltimore, and New York City. The Panorama travelled again in the mid-1850s and was exhibited around Southeastern Massachusetts through the 1870s. The Panorama was donated to the Whaling Museum in 1918 by Benjamin Cummings, who discovered it in a local attic.

4 The last time the Panorama was displayed in its entirety was in 1969 at a former furniture store on Pope s Island in New Bedford. Even then, however, the final spool had already been lost and remains to this day unfound. 2. Who can submit a proposal for an artistic interpretation? Any artist, of any medium is invited to propose his/her unique interpretation or Panorama-inspired work for consideration. 3. What happens if my proposal is accepted? If your proposal is a finalist, New Bedford Whaling Museum curators and staff will work with you on details, timelines, and exhibition/showing of your work alongside the Panorama. 4. Will I get paid for this? The Museum will not be compensating artists financially for time and effort. However, your work, name, and artistic vision will be shared with the large audience that will be visiting the exhibitions. The Museum does have a limited budget that may be allocated toward artists supplies related to this project. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and is not guaranteed. 5. Will I get my artwork back? Yes. You will receive the artwork back. The Museum will not assume ownership of your work. 6. When does the project need to be completed by? The date that each approved work will be shown will vary depending on medium and theme, to coincide with Museum exhibition activities and programming. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis, but showings will range from July to October. 7. Can the Museum sell my artwork? The Museum does have a consignment system in place and if both the Museum and the Artist come to a consignment agreement, the Museum can sell the artwork, if the artist wishes. 8. Will my name be prominently displayed along with the work? Yes. We will give you full credit and will clearly display/share artists credit and vision for each piece. 9. Will my work be publicly accessible? Yes. More questions? Contact Tina Malott at tmalott@whalingmuseum.org or

5 Opening Summer 2018 The New Bedford Whaling Museum is planning to open A Spectacle in Motion, a major exhibition featuring the longest painting in North America. The 1,275 Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage Round the World is a maritime artwork of national historical importance, authentically depicting a whaling voyage originating from the port of New Bedford in the mid-19th century. The Panorama was painted in 1848, by New Bedford artists Caleb Purrington and Benjamin Russell, who traveled it around the country as a piece of commercial entertainment for the public. The Panorama was donated to the Whaling Museum 100 years ago and it was put into storage in the 1970s due to deterioration of the fabric and paint. Now that substantial conservation and stabilization work is complete, the Whaling Museum will reintroduce the Panorama to the public this summer through a blockbuster exhibition, publication, special events, and public programs. At 1,275 long, the Panorama is one of the longest paintings in the United States. A maritime artwork of national historical importance, the Panorama authentically depicts a whaling voyage originating from the port of New Bedford in the mid-19th century. Benjamin Russell spent 42 months ( ) on a whaling voyage aboard the Kutusoff before he began his career as a commercial artist. During his voyage, Russell travelled to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, became steeped in whaling culture, and trained himself to paint landscapes, whaleships, and whaling scenes. As a skilled artist and detailed observer with a broad range of both practical and business experience, he captured details of the whaling voyage and the industry in the Panorama seldom encountered in other art works. The Panorama is a unique work of art because it is one of only a few surviving American moving panoramas, a popular art and entertainment form that reached its peak in the mid-19 th century. Much like the adventure writings of authors like Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, panoramas played to the spectacle of the exotic and the unknown to eager audiences of armchair travelers and the rising middle class in the Industrial Age. Moving panoramas were theatrical performances that in many ways were the predecessors to early cinematography. The NBWM s Panorama was created as a commercial traveling public spectacle. It would have been mounted on

6 several spools and displayed on a large custom structure that scrolled through the Panorama much like celluloid film as a kinetic performance. Benjamin Russell would have displayed it in any large room or theater accompanied by a narrator, music, lighting, and other theatrics, replicating a journey through time and space along a set narration of a whaling voyage around the world. In December, 1848, the Panorama debuted in Fairhaven, MA. In 1849, it was exhibited, with great fanfare, at Amory Hall in Boston for three months. Between , the Panorama toured the east and midwest as a traveling exhibition, visiting Cincinnati, Buffalo, St. Louis, Baltimore, and New York City. The Panorama travelled again in the mid-1850s and was exhibited around Southeastern Massachusetts through the 1870s. The Panorama was donated to the NBWM in 1918 by Benjamin Cummings, who discovered it in a local attic. Since the NBWM acquired the Panorama, the painting has been displayed in the Bourne Building, as well as at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. In , a 200 foot section was displayed at the New York World s Fair in the New England States Pavilion. The last time the Panorama was displayed in its entirety was in 1969 at a former furniture store on Pope s Island in New Bedford. Now, for the first time in decades, the NBWM will exhibit the Panorama in its entirety, sharing this awe-inspiring piece of history with a multitude of new audiences. The Panorama is a fundamental artifact for the Whaling Museum and the city of New Bedford for its comprehensive celebration of the maritime heritage of the United States. Today, the Panorama is a significant artifact of American maritime history as well as an important piece of 19th century American popular visual culture, documenting the historic importance of the American whaling industry, its global cultural, social, and industrial impacts and national myths of the romantic life on the high seas. Through the intensive conservation, digitization, and historical research already completed, the NBWM has transformed the Panorama into an accessible educational resource with potential to reach both on-site and remote audiences.