Greetings, there are many big happenings in the World of Rockmore and his famous family as the summer of 2014 adventure begins. Floyd MacMillan Davis, an artist war correspondent and Noel's father was recognized in a Washington Post Article on the US Army archives by Michael Ruane who we have been in touch with. We actually visited the US Army Archives in 2010 to help document the works of Floyd & his famous war correspondent wife, Gladys Rockmore Davis, Noel Rockmore's mother. The Army Archives have 44 of their works from the Life Magazine Commissions of WWll. "Bob Hope entertaining the troops" is actually in the Pentagon and the other two were referenced in the Post article.
In New Orleans recently, the Foo Fighters performed a concert on St. Peters St. via Preservation Hall attended by Anderson Cooper where Rockmore's Preservation Hall Portraits and Pres Hall's Clint Maedgen were featured in the background on CNN to an international audience.
The photographs collected in Lee Friedlander's "Playing for the Benefit of the Band: New Orleans Music Culture," many of which are currently on display at the Yale University Art Gallery were featured in the New York Review of Books. There are many of Rockmore's favorite Pres Hall subjects and the book is dedicated to recent GEFQ honoree Larry Borenstein. The dedication reads: " I dedicate this book to my late friend Larry Borenstein. The most interesting man I've known."
The photos of Bill Russell & Punch Miller are Freidlanders' - the Painting is Rockmores' Punch.
Gladys Rockmore Davis artwork is part of The Metropolitan Museum's new online resource. A silk scarf in the Museum Collection is made from an original Gladys Rockmore Davis artwork called "Carousel." It was one of the first times that art was transferred into a wearable material by The Onondaga Silk Company and collected and displayed by the Cleveland Museum of Art
Johnson & Johnson has rediscovered Gladys and we are in contact with their Chief Historian about coordinating to bring Gladys Rockmore Davis back to the Artworld attention that she is so richly deserving. This painting image along with several others are at the Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey. We have been invited by their Exhibitions Coordinator to visit this summer with Shirley Marvin and see their Gladys Rockmore Davis artworks and discuss a future potential exhibition.
One final recent Gladys Rockmore Davis connection, article and image comes from Steven Pressman and his article, Research and the Power of Bashert , a Hebrew word meaning "things that were meant to be." In his article, he includes an amazing connection of his family to Gladys Rockmore Davis. Upon reading it, we asked if there was an image available and as of today the painting image photo by Liz Perle at left is now a part of his article. Thanks Steven & Liz, it was meant to be!
THE MOST EXCITING news for us so far this summer is that planning for the "The Genius of Rockmore" Show at the Lake Charles, Louisiana Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center is moving full speed ahead with The Weekend Opening Party scheduled for Friday September 5th, 2014 and then a Rockmore "Private Invitation Party Event" scheduled on Saturday September 6th (We know LSU's Home opener against helpless Sam Houston will not be nearly as fun as the Rockmore Party).
There are some majors Casino Hotels in Lake Charles including the Isle of Capri & L'Auberge for guests and they do have flights to the Lake Charles Airport via American & United from Dallas. It is a beautiful scenic 2 to 3 hour ride from New Orleans & Houston by car. There will be many "Unseen Rockmores" displayed for the 1st time from all sorts of International & Regional themes. We will gather 150 Rockmore works that will be an absolute must see for any art aficionado this fall. Lake Charles, Louisiana actually has the most industrial projects slated in 2014 for any parish/county in America with over $19 billion dollars, $58 billion in the next several years. Lake Charles is a happening up and coming phenomenon just like Rockmore!
This coming week we will be reaching out to many of you to see if you will allow your works to be loaned for the September & October Show. The Marvin's will be picking up the works from locations throughout the eastern seaboard and Texas this August and we would love to include yours. The works will be boxed, insured and transported to and from Lake Charles. If you are interested in having your collections' FRAMED images presented to the Lake Charles Museum Staff for possible inclusion in this ICONIC show, please let us know this week by Sunday June 8th.
We will be revisiting our Rockmore's on eBay this month because most of the larger Rockmores' now available will be presented for possible inclusion in this show. If you are interested in that list of larger works available for private purchase but possibly headed to the BIG SHOW, please let us know soon. Also, this interesting 1976 work of Gypsy Lou & Johnny White will be at Rachel Davis Fine Arts Auction on Saturday June 14th. It is not from Shirley's Collection but is a fine piece with a reasonable estimate and we have often worked with them without a problem. The appropriate title is "Wasted Days & Wasted Nites" - the 1975 Freddie Fender hit!
We really hope "it was meant to be" that we see you on our summer adventures with Shirley!
Shirley, Rich & Tee Marvin
The GEFQ Team
www.rockmore.org
|