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Illustrators Honored--Twenty of America's greatest illustrators have been honored in a pane of commemorative postage stamps that "epitomize the American way of life and our cultural heritage." The stamp designs are details of illustrations originally used for several purposes, including books, advertisements, magazine covers, murals and posters. Some of those included are James Montgomery Flagg, Rockwell Kent, Rose O'Neill, Maxfield Parrish, and Jessie Wilcox Smith. Text on the back of the stamp pane identifies the illustration and provides a short biographical sketch of each illustrator. You won't want to use these little "treasures" as postage!

Artwork to be Auctioned--The International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton, FL, is auctioning items to pay down its debts. Among the hundreds of items is the first drawing of Mickey Mouse, a 36-panel storyboard from Disney's "Plane Crazy" cartoon.

Website Planned--The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is in the process of developing a new website at Guggenheim.com. This super-sophisticated new site will combine art and e-commerce, and it's reported that it will eclipse most other museum sites by its wide range of content and slickness.

Artist's House Opens to Public--Cedar Grove, the Catskill, N.Y., home of painter Thomas Cole, has opened to the public for the first time after a $300,000 restoration. The 1815 federal house features several galleries devoted to Cole, his art and environmentalism and other Hudson River School painters and contemporary artists. Open Fri.-Sun.; call (518) 943-7465.

Designers' Seminar Scheduled--The annual Society of Craft Designers' seminar will be held in Phoenix, AZ, from Sept. 5-8. This 26th year of this seminar will have "Education" as its theme. For info on the SCD, call 740-452-4241; www.craftdesigners.org.

Auction Results In--The spring auction season began with Phillips's auction, where 15 works failed to sell and the total was below its estimate. At Sotheby's, where only three works failed to sell and the total far exceeded the high estimate, a triptych by Francis Bacon sold for $8.5 million, a record for the artist. At their sale of impressionist and modern art, a self-portrait by Max Beckmann sold for $22.5 million, a record for the artist. Christie's sale of impressionist and modern art totaled below the estimate and six works failed to sell.

Sculptor Design Chosen--Gwendolyn Gillen of Hustisford, WI, has been chosen to design a life-size bronze sculpture of Mary Richards, a.k.a. Mary Tyler Moore. Commissioned by the cable channel that syndicates reruns of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the sculpture will be permanently loaned to Minneapolis.

Exhibitions:

Stockbridge, MA--Normal Rockwell Museum--Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People opens June 9 before completing its 7-city tour at the Guggenheim in New York City. Through October 21. Associated programs include "An Evening with Peter Rockwell: Confessions of a Reluctant Model" on June 14; "Family Time: A Day with Rockwell's Models" on June 16; and "Community Connections: Bouquets to Rockwell" on June 23-24.

Washington, D.C.--Corcoran Gallery of Art--Painters and the American West: The Anschutz Collection features 75 paintings by all the major painters who have depicted the West and showcases singular masterpieces by Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington and Georgia O'Keeffe, among others, as well as significant groupings of portraiture, landscape, still life, genre and history painting. Through July 30. Also, 2001 National Foundation for Advancement in the Visual Arts Fellowship Exhibition is on view June 2 July 9 and 2001 National Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition of 250 award-winning student works will be on view June 15 - July 14.

Washington, D.C.--Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian--USA Clay is the second exhibition in a series that focuses on a specific medium in the craft collection of the Smithsonian. Highlighted are 95 pieces of ceramics, ranging from functional wares to conceptual sculptures to folk art to works that emphasize particular techniques and aesthetic approaches. Through July 15.

Charlotte, NC--Mint Museum of Art--Saltglaze from the Rhineland to Randolph County For over 200 years, N.C. potters created saltglazed wares using a technique that originated centuries earlier in the German Rhineland. The exhibition traces the use of saltglaze from its origins in Germany to England and finally to America, where it became the working method of choice by nineteenth century potters. Through Nov. 18.

Los Angeles, CA--L. A. County Museum of Art--L'Esprit Nouveau: Purism in Paris, 1918-1925 revisits the origins of the Modernist movement that made a lasting change in art and architecture. Included are rarely exhibited paintings and drawings, as well as a full-scale reconstruction of the interior of Le Corbusier's Pavillon de l'Esprit Nouveau built in 1925 for the Intl. Expo. Of Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. Through August 5.

Newark, NJ--Newark Museum--Picturing America celebrates the opening of a new wing of two-dozen renovated galleries devoted to the museum's American Art Collection. Starting in colonial times and ending in the 21st century, over 300 works of art examine the powerful impact that artists have had on shaping American culture and identity. Masterpieces of painting and sculpture are shown with great works of photography, drawing and decorative arts by and for Americans of many backgrounds. Take a virtual tour of the exhibition at www.newarkmuseum.org/americanart/html/tour/tour.htm.

June Birthdays:
  3    Raoul Dufy
  6    John Trumbull
10    Gustave Courbet
12    Annie Albers
18    Robert W. Weir
20    Kurt Schwitters

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 11 No. 8 -- June 2001