ansel adams & edwin land: photographs from the … · this exhibition of 86 photographs by...

2 P

rim

e A

venu

e

Hun

ting

ton

NY

11743

631.3

51.3

250

ww

w.h

eck

sch

er.o

rg

Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at the Heckscher 2007

April 21 - M

ay 6, 200

7

This renow

ned annual juried exhibition of artwork b

y Lon

g Island high schoo

l students

inspired by

works on

view

at the

Heckscher returns for its eleventh year! View the

extraordinary talents of approxim

ately 80

students from across Nassau and Suffolk cou

nties.

Six Degrees of Separation

May

7 - June 15

, 200

7

Curated by Joy W

einer, D

irector of Education

and Public Program

s, and Kristina Seekam

p,

Coo

rdinator of Schoo

l and You

th Program

s, this exhibition w

ill include artw

ork of a broad

range of media, techniques, and subject m

atter dating from

the 1500s to the present. D

isplayed

in small them

atic groupings, the exhibition w

as designed to challenge our initial p

erception

s,

encouraging the view

er to draw new

, unexpected con

nection

s between traditionally very

disparate works of art.

*Museum to be Closed for Restoration*

Beginn

ing July 200

7

A m

uch-anticipated restoration

project w

ill close the Heckscher M

useum of Art’s doo

rs to the

public beginning in July 200

7. P

lease check our website www.heckscher.org for up-to-date

inform

ation. W

e know

you

will b

e excited and pleased w

hen w

e reop

en and are look

ing

forw

ard to continuing with a new

and im

proved School D

iscovery Program

as soon

as possible!

Joy W

einer

Director of Education

& Public Program

s

Kristina Seekam

p

Coo

rdinator of Schoo

l and You

th Program

s

Lucy Taylor

Coo

rdinator of Docents &

Adult Group Program

s

Craig Langlois

Coo

rdinator of Public Program

s/Museum Educator

Education Department Staff Call 631.351.3214

20

Fo

r fu

rth

er i

nfo

rmat

ion

on

ou

r u

pco

min

g ev

ents

& e

xhib

itio

ns,

ple

ase

visi

t o

ur

web

site

at http://www.heckscher.org

http://www.heckscher.org



Fut

ure

exhi

bition

s at

the

Hec

ksc

her

Mus

eum

of

Art

EXHIBITION RESOURCES: p. 6-19

MUSEUM RESOURCES: : : : p. 1-5, 20

Exhibition Summary…

….p. 6

Vocab

ulary……………..…

…...p. 7

Abou

t Adam

s & Lan

d…..p

. 8-9

Art Activities…

……….….p. 10-11

Internet Resou

rces…...p. 12-13

Images………………………....p. 14-19

Preparing for your visit………...…p. 2-3 Educator Resou

rces.….p. 5

Augu

st H

eckscher Biograp

hy...p

. 4 Future Exhibitions…

….p. 20

INSIDE

EXHIBITION & MUSEUM

RESOURCES GUIDE

Ap

ril G

orn

ick, Blue Moonlight, 2

003, oil

on li

nen, 25 x

25 in.

Art, Science,

and

Invention,

Photographs from the

Polaroid Collection

Ansel Adams

& Edwin Land:

Anse

l A

da

ms, M

oon a

nd

Half D

om

e,

Yosemite National Park, California,

1960, gela

tin silv

er print from

Pola

roid

Positive/N

ega

tive 4

x5 L

and

Film

Type

55, 19.5

x 1

5 in.

Marc

h 3

1 - Ju

ne

24, 20

07

Ansel Adams & Edwin Land: Art, Science and

Invention, Photographs from the Polaroid Collection is

org

anized a

nd sponso

red

by P

ola

roid

Corp

ora

tion. T

he e

xhib

itio

n is

circula

ted

by C

ura

torial

Ass

ista

nce T

ravelin

g E

xhib

itio

ns (C

ATE

), L

os

Angele

s.

EXHIBITION & MUSEUM

RESOURCES GUIDE

2

Please note the following

guidelines to ensure the best

experience for both you and

your students.

Materials

T

he Sch

ool Discovery Program

includes han

ds-on

activities which utilize a

variety of m

aterials provided by the Museum. W

e ask that you

rem

ind students

to pay special attention

to the proper use and care of art m

aterials. Becau

se of

the

unique

in-gallery working

environmen

t, extrem

e care must be

taken.

Students w

ill be asked

to put aw

ay and return the materials at the conclusion

of

each

project.

Arrival

T

he Museum opens promptly at 10:00 am. U

nfortunately, w

e cannot allow

grou

ps in before that tim

e. Afternoo

n sch

ool grou

ps may be required

to wait

mom

entarily w

hile morning grou

ps exit the Museum.

Conduct

T

he temptation

to

touch

artwork can

be great. It is im

portant for your

students to know

that objects in the Museum are o

rigina

l works of art that

cannot be replaced. W

e invite you

to look

and enjoy, w

ithou

t touch

ing. Also,

keep in m

ind that the Museum w

ill be op

en to the public during the program

. All visits include discu

ssion, indep

endent look

ing, and participatory activities.

Therefore we ask that you

rem

ind studen

ts to remain w

ith the grou

p at all times,

unless otherwise instructed. There shou

ld be no shou

ting, calling ou

t, or running

in the galleries.

Preparing for

You

r Sch

ool

Discovery Visit

Ansel Adams, Mount Williamson, the Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar,

California, 1945, gelatin silver print, 18-1/2 x 15-1/2 in. © 2006 The

Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

19

Ansel Adams & Edwin Land:

Art, Science, and Invention,

Photographs from the Polaroid Collection

Ansel

Adams, Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite,

c.

1967,

Polaroid PolaPan 4x5 Land Film Type 55, 4-3/8 x 3-1/2

in. ©

2006 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

18




Personal Belongings

P

lease have students leave lunch

es and all other personal belon

gings on the

bus. In the winter mon

ths, coat rack

s are available for you

r convenience.

Photography

P

hotography

in the

Museum is prohibited unless prior

permission

is ob

tained

from the Executive Director three weeks in

advance of your scheduled visit.

Restrooms and Handicapped Accessibility

R

estroo

m facilities at the Museum are located on the lower level and are only

accessed by stairs. If a student requires han

dicap

ped bathroom

facilities, these

are located in

the ad

jacent cottage building.

Nam

e Tags

N

ame tags for you

nger students are appreciated by Museum Educators.

Smoking

Smok

ing is prohibited in

all areas of the Museum.

Museum Edu

cators reserve th

e right to dism

iss a

ny group

at a

nytime from

the M

useum if they feel the grou

p presents a th

reat to

the safety of works on exhibition

.

3

4

Born in Ham

burg, German

y on

August

27,

1848,

August

Heckscher w

as to becom

e on

e of

the

foremost

capitalists

and

philan

thropists in

the United States.

Augu

st Heckscher was to fulfill the “A

merican

dream

” of

finan

cial

success

and

personal

accomplishment. Arriving

in this country, he

turned

his attention

s to industry and real estate,

becom

ing a well-respected o

perator and general

man

ager.

Tow

ard the

latter years

of his life,

Augu

st

Heckscher b

egan

the most im

portant ch

apter of

his career. As a

philan

thropist, he focu

sed on

social issues an

d ch

ild welfare. Creating

the

Heckscher Children’s Fou

ndation (now

hom

e of El

Museo del B

arrio), he sough

t to eradicate slum dwellings in N

ew Y

ork C

ity.

Heckscher established

playgrounds

in lower Man

hattan an

d purchased

Heckscher State Park in

East Islip, N

ew York.

In 1918, h

e purchased the Prime Avenue property adjoining the Historic Old First

Church in H

untington

, New

York. H

e created a park for children and adults to

enjoy. In 1919, the Heckscher M

useum of Art, a beautiful b

eaux-arts style fine arts

building, was added to the property. Heckscher’s o

riginal collection of 185

paintings and scu

lptures, including art from

the Renaissan

ce, the Hudson R

iver

Sch

ool, an

d early m

odernist American

art, filled the Museum. W

hen

the Museum

opened its doo

rs in 1920, H

eckscher dedicated

the Museum and surrou

nding park

to the people of Huntington

, especially “to the little birds that m

igrate, and to the

little children w

ho fortunately do not.”

Augu

st H

eckscher passed away on April 26

, 1941 at the age of 92. T

he Long Islander

described him

in an obituary as “perhap

s the finest benefactor that H

untington

ever had

.” Since his death, the Heckscher M

useum of Art has con

tinued to collect

artw

ork in h

is legacy, w

ith a p

erman

ent collection

now

featuring over 2,100

w

orks of art.

Penrhyn

Stanlaws, A

ugust H

eckscher, oil on

canvas, 47

½ x 34

¼ in.,

Heckscher

Museum of Art,

Augu

st Heckscher

Collection.

Who is August Heckscher? ???

17

Ansel Adams, Self-Portrait, c. 1971, Polaroid SX-70 photograph, 3-1/4 x

3 in. ©





16

Ansel Adams, Manly Beacon, Death Valley National

Monument, Califormia, 1948, gelatin silver print, 19-

1/2 x 15 in. © 2006 The Ansel Adams Publishing

Rights Trust.




5

All materials are ava

ilable for lo

an by classroo

m and

art teachers.

A $25

.00 refund

able deposit is required for a tw

o week rental.

Please c

all the Edu

cation

Departm

ent a

t 631.351.3214 for availability.

Educator Resources

Exhibition

Exhibition

Exhibition

Exhibition- ---related Slide Packets

related Slide Packets



Art H

istory Slides are availab

le for a variety of exhibitions past & present.

Archived exhibition-related art

posters are availab

le free of charge.

Free Posters

Free Posters

Free Posters

Free Posters

Eyes on Art:

Eyes on Art:

Eyes on Art:

Eyes on Art:

A Collection Interpretation Game

Th

is

new

h

and

s-o

n

cura

tori

al

gam

e u

tili

zes

coll

abo

rati

ve l

earn

ing

as s

tud

ents

in

gra

des

6 t

o 1

2 cu

rate

th

eir

ow

n e

xhib

itio

ns

usi

ng

imag

es o

f w

ork

s in

th

e M

use

um

’s P

erm

anen

t C

oll

ecti

on

! F

ull

-co

lor

lam

inat

ed c

ard

s b

rin

g ar

two

rk d

atin

g fr

om

th

e 16

th t

hro

ugh

th

e 20

th c

entu

ry t

o l

ife,

il

lum

inat

ing

the

Mu

seu

m’s

ro

le a

s an

in

terd

isci

pli

nar

y r

eso

urc

e.

Bri

ng

this

fu

n-f

ille

d

gam

e in

to

yo

ur

clas

sro

om

! G

ames

ar

e n

ow

av

aila

ble

fo

r b

orr

ow

ing.

P

leas

e ca

ll 6

31.3

51.3

214

for

loan

in

form

atio

n.

NEW!

Lea

rn m

ore

at www.heckscher.org!

Videos & DVDS

Videos & DVDS

Videos & DVDS

Videos & DVDS

A variety

of art historical

film

s are available for lo

an.

6

This exh

ibitio

n of

86 p

hoto

gra

phs

by

Am

erica

n p

hoto

gra

pher

Anse

l A

da

ms

show

case

s th

e u

ncom

mon b

ea

uty

tha

t ca

n o

ccur

thro

ugh t

he c

onju

nction o

f

scie

nce a

nd

art. H

ere

we s

ee t

he a

rtistic o

utc

om

es

of

the m

eeting o

f tw

o k

ey

figure

s:

Anse

l A

da

ms,

fam

ed

p

hoto

gra

pher,

and

Ed

win

La

nd

, sc

ientist

a

nd

found

er of th

e P

ola

roid

Corp

ora

tion.

In 1

948,

the a

rt h

isto

ria

n C

lare

nce K

enned

y,

who w

as

a c

olle

ague o

f sc

ientist

Ed

win

H

. La

nd

, in

vited

th

e p

hoto

gra

pher

Anse

l A

da

ms

to La

nd

’s fa

cto

ry in

Ca

mbrid

ge,

Ma

ssa

chuse

tts

to v

iew

the f

irst

Pola

roid

La

nd

ca

mera

s.

After

tha

t

visit, A

da

ms

enth

usiast

ica

lly w

rote

to L

and

: “I lo

ok f

orw

ard

to t

ryin

g t

he c

am

era

out…

I a

m t

rem

end

ously e

xcited

ab

out

the a

ctu

al use

in t

he f

ield

and

stu

dio

. I

thin

k

it

pro

mises

to

be

one

of

the

gre

ate

st

steps

in

the

develo

pm

ent

of

photo

gra

phy. I o

nly

hop

e it

will n

ot

be p

rese

nte

d a

s a

curiosity

. I t

hin

k t

he f

irst

pre

senta

tion should

inclu

de w

ork

by top

photo

gra

phers

and

show

a b

roa

d ra

nge

of

ap

plic

ation.”

So b

ega

n a

uniq

ue a

nd

end

uring c

olla

bora

tion b

etw

een a

rtist

and

in

vento

r th

at

show

ed

w

ha

t w

as

poss

ible

w

hen tra

ditio

n and

in

nova

tion

join

ed

togeth

er.

Ad

am

s w

as hired

by L

and

as a

consu

lta

nt to

test

new

film

s a

nd

ana

lyze

resu

lts. D

r.

Land

felt tha

t th

e a

rtist could

tell us th

ings a

bout Pola

roid

pro

ducts

fro

m a

poin

t of

vie

w tha

t w

ould

be q

uite d

iffe

rent from

tha

t of th

e c

om

pa

ny's technic

al st

aff. H

e

sense

d tha

t a

rtists

would

push

Pola

roid

film

to the lim

its

and

rep

ort b

ack e

ven the

most

m

inute

pro

ble

ms. A

da

ms’

contrib

utions

led

th

e w

ay fo

r A

rtist

Sup

port

Pro

gra

ms

tha

t th

e P

ola

roid

Corp

ora

tion c

ontinues

to this d

ay. U

ltim

ate

ly, A

da

ms

sent over 3,0

00 m

em

os to

Pola

roid

.

With A

da

ms’

encoura

gem

ent, L

and

bega

n t

o c

olle

ct

prints

fro

m p

hoto

gra

phers

such a

s Ed

wa

rd W

est

on, M

arg

are

t Bourk

e-W

hite, Im

ogen C

unnin

gha

m, a

nd

oth

er

gia

nts

in t

he f

ield

of

cre

ative p

hoto

gra

phy.

These

im

ages

form

ed

the c

ore

of

wha

t w

ould

la

ter becom

e the P

ola

roid

Colle

ctions, inclu

din

g w

ork

s cre

ate

d o

n o

r

with P

ola

roid

Ma

teria

ls b

y a

rtists

such a

s W

illia

m W

egm

an,

Oliv

ia P

ark

er, C

huck

C

lose

, D

avid

Le

vin

thal,

Lucas

Sa

ma

ras, a

nd

sc

ore

s of

oth

ers

from

th

e

United

Sta

tes a

nd

aro

und

the w

orld

.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION




Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National

Park, 1960, Gelatin silver print from Polaroid Positive/

Negative 4x5 Land Film Type 55, 19-1/2 x 15 in. ©

2006

The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.

15




14




Ansel Adams, Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson, Arizona, 1968,

Polaroid Positive/Negative 4x5 Land Film Type 55, 3-1/2 x 4-3/8 in. ©


PHOTOGRAPH– An image, especially a positive print, recorded by a

camera

and

reproduced

on

a

photosensitive

surface.

POLAROID – A brand of material for producing polarized light from

unpolarized light by dichroism, consisting typically of a stretched

sheet of colorless plastic treated with an iodine solution so as to

have long, thin, parallel chains of polymeric molecules containing

conductive iodine atoms. Also called Polaroid Camera or Polaroid

Land Camera, the first brand of instant camera, developed by

Edwin H. Land and m

arketed since 1948.

LANDSCAPE – A work of art of an outdoor scene.

FOREGROUND – The part of a landscape that is nearest or closest to

the viewer, or in the front.

BACKGROUND – The part of a landscape that is furthest from the

viewer.

MIDDLEGROUND – The part of a landscape that shows the space

between the foreground and background.

SCALE – The relative size of an object or objects.

POINT OF VIEW – The perspective, or angle, from which a subject is

shown.

MONOCHROMATIC – A work of art that uses values of one color.

CONTRAST – The difference between dark and light.

VALUE – The degree of lightness or darkness of a color.

Vocabulary Words

7




8

Anse

l A

da

ms

is a

n A

merica

n p

hoto

gra

pher

know

n fo

r his bla

ck a

nd

w

hite

photo

gra

phs

of

Ca

liforn

ia’s

Yose

mite V

alle

y.

His p

hoto

gra

phs

are

am

ong t

he

best

-know

n im

ages in

the w

orld

, havin

g b

een inclu

ded

in h

undre

ds of exh

ibitio

ns

and

public

ations w

orldw

ide.

One o

f A

da

ms’

gre

at gifts

—a

nd

indeed

his g

ift to

photo

gra

phy—

wa

s his s

ingula

r

sensitivity to

th

e p

ow

er

of

light. Th

is q

ualit

y a

llow

ed

him

to

re

vea

l b

oth

th

e

min

ute

deta

ils a

nd

the g

randio

se b

ea

uty

of

our

na

tura

l environm

ent.

Ad

am

s

said

of

his w

ork

, “M

y a

ppro

ach t

o p

hoto

gra

phy is

ba

sed

on m

y b

elie

f in

the

asp

ects

of

gra

nd

eur

and

min

utia

e a

ll a

bout

us.”

His p

hoto

gra

phs

are

wid

ely

recognized

for th

eir sup

erb

aest

hetic a

nd

technic

al q

ualit

ies.

At a

ge 1

7 h

e join

ed

the S

ierra

Clu

b, a

gro

up

ded

ica

ted

to p

rese

rvin

g the n

atu

ral

world

’s w

ond

ers

a

nd

re

sourc

es. A

da

ms

rem

ain

ed

a

m

em

ber

thro

ughout

his

lifetim

e and

se

rved

as

a directo

r. H

e b

eca

me a

n environm

enta

list, a

nd

his

photo

gra

phs

are

a record

of w

ha

t m

any o

f th

e n

ationa

l p

ark

s w

ere

lik

e b

efo

re

hum

an inte

rvention a

nd

tra

vel.

Ad

am

s w

ante

d h

is w

ork

to b

e s

een b

y m

any,

not ju

st the few

who c

ould

afford

to p

urc

ha

se it. H

e c

hose

severa

l of his im

ages

and

arra

nged

to h

ave them

printe

d a

s a

fford

ab

le p

ost

ers

and

ca

lend

ars

.

Besid

es

his o

wn a

rtistic c

ontrib

utions, A

da

ms

pla

yed

an a

dditio

nal in

tegra

l ro

le in

the a

ccep

tance o

f p

hoto

gra

phy a

s a

fin

e a

rt. T

he D

ep

artm

ent of Photo

gra

phy

at th

e M

use

um

of M

od

ern

Art in N

ew

York

wa

s fo

unded

with h

is h

elp

in 1

940. S

ix

yea

rs la

ter, h

e s

tarted t

he p

hoto

gra

phy d

ep

artm

ent

at

the S

an F

rancisco A

rt

Inst

itute

.

The p

hoto

gra

pher p

ublis

hed

his v

ery

success

ful b

ook Yosemite and the Range of

Light

in 1

979, w

hic

h h

as

since s

old

over tw

o h

und

red

thousa

nd

cop

ies.

Am

ong

his m

any honors

, A

da

ms

wa

s th

e re

cip

ient

of

thre

e G

uggenheim

fe

llow

ship

s

during his ca

reer. Th

e M

ina

rets

W

ildern

ess

in

th

e In

yo N

ationa

l Fore

st w

as

rena

med

the A

nse

l A

da

ms

Wild

ern

ess

in 1

984 in h

is h

onor. M

ount

Anse

l A

da

ms,

a

11,7

60’ p

ea

k in

the S

ierra

Nevad

a, w

as nam

ed

after him

in 1

985.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Feb

rua

ry 2

0, 1

902

— A

pri

l 22

, 19

84

Ansel Easton Adams

13




Ansel Adam

s Resources (cont’d)

BBC.com - 1976 Interview with Ansel Adam

s (audio files)

URL: h

ttp://w

ww.bbc.co

.uk/bbcfour/au

diointerviews/profilepag

es/adam

sa1.shtm

l

Ansel A

dam

s Quotes

URL: h

ttp://w

ww.brainyquote.com/quotes/au

thors/a/ansel_ad

ams.htm

l

Edwin Land Resources

Biography of Edwin Land by Victor K. M

cElheny

URL: h

ttp://books.nap

.edu/htm

l/biomem

s/elan

d.htm

l

Edwin Land & Instant Photography

URL: h

ttp://inven

tors.about.co

m/gi/dynam

ic/offsite.htm

?site=

http://w

eb.m

it.edu/

inven

t/iow/lan

d.htm

l

Edwin Land: A

Summary of Achievements

URL: h

ttp://w

ww.rowland.harvard.edu/organ

ization/lan

d/index

.php

12

Internet Resources

General Exhibition Resources

About the Exhibition - Vero Beach M

useum of Arts

U

RL: h

ttp://w

ww.polaroid.com/studio/exhibit/adam

s/index

.htm

l

The Polaroid Collection

URL: h

ttp://w

ww.polaroid.com/compan

y_info/collec

tion.jsp

The Land List - Polaroid Cam

era Catalogue & Film Index

U

RL: h

ttp://w

ww.rwhirled.com/lan

dlist/lan

dhome.htm

Ansel Adam

s Resources

PBS.org - Ansel Adam

s: A Documentary Film

U

RL: h

ttp://w

ww.pbs.org/w

gbh/amex

/ansel/

PBS.org - Teacher’s Guide to Ansel A

dam

s: A Documentary Film

U

RL: h

ttp://w

ww.pbs.org/w

gbh/amex

/ansel/tguide/index

.htm

l

Masters of Photography.com - Ansel Adam

s U

RL: h

ttp://w

ww.m

asters-of-photography.com/A

/adam

s/ad

ams.htm

l




9

Ed

win

La

nd

wa

s a

n a

ccla

imed

Am

erica

n s

cie

ntist

whose

achie

vem

ents

sp

anned

the d

iscip

lines

of

art, sc

ience, te

chnolo

gy a

nd

com

merc

e. O

ver

his lifetim

e, he

wa

s gra

nte

d o

ver

500 U

.S. p

ate

nts

, st

and

ing s

econd

only

to T

hom

as

Ed

ison. H

e

wa

s a

lso gra

nte

d th

e M

ed

al

of

Fre

ed

om

—th

e hig

hest

honor

gra

nte

d to

U.S

.

civ

ilia

ns.

Land

w

as

distinguished

fo

r his

inventions

and

contrib

utions

in

the

field

s of

pola

rize

d lig

ht, p

hoto

gra

phy,

and

colo

r visio

n.

Ded

ica

ted

to a

pp

lyin

g n

atu

ral

scie

nce to e

very

da

y life, he m

ast

ere

d the a

rt o

f giv

ing p

eople

wha

t th

ey w

ante

d

at a

price they c

ould

afford

. H

e c

onceiv

ed

and

pro

duced

the first

mod

ern

filt

ers

to p

ola

rize

lig

ht

in 1

929 a

nd

form

ed

a c

om

pa

ny t

o m

ark

et

them

for

use

in s

uch

pro

ducts

as

sungla

sses

and

gla

re-fre

e a

uto

mob

ile h

ea

dlig

hts

. H

e s

pent his e

ntire

ad

ult lif

e exp

erim

enting a

nd

in

nova

ting in

th

e field

of

op

tics, from

p

rod

ucin

g

record

ing sy

stem

s use

d b

y th

e U.S

. in

W

orld

W

ar

II to

p

rop

osing th

e “re

tinex”

theory

of hum

an c

olo

r p

erc

ep

tion.

Of

all

his accom

plis

hm

ents

, it w

as

thro

ugh La

nd

’s fo

und

ing of

the Pola

roid

Corp

ora

tion in 1

937 a

nd

invention a

nd

ma

rketing o

f in

sta

nt p

hoto

gra

phy tha

t he

wa

s fo

rever

imm

ortaliz

ed

.

His

aim

w

as

to

cre

ate

a

sy

stem

of

one-s

tep

photo

gra

phy, p

uttin

g the c

hem

istry o

f th

e d

ark

room

betw

een tw

o s

heets

of film

and

pro

ducin

g a

fin

ished

print

in 6

0 s

econd

s.

Incid

enta

lly, th

e id

ea w

as

spurred

during a

fa

mily

vaca

tion in S

anta

Fe.

His t

hre

e-y

ea

r old

da

ughte

r a

t th

e t

ime

ask

ed

her fa

ther w

hy s

he c

ould

n’t

see the p

ictu

re h

e h

ad

ta

ken rig

ht a

wa

y. T

he

firs

t Pola

roid

La

nd

ca

mera

wa

s firs

t offere

d for sa

le o

n N

ovem

ber 26, 1948 a

nd

he

continued

to im

pro

ve h

is in

vention in

the y

ears

follo

win

g.

The e

nte

rprise

he led f

or

half a

centu

ry w

as

less

a b

usiness

than a

n i

nst

itution

focuse

d o

n m

akin

g s

ignific

ant

inventions.

In 1

975,

he t

old

a p

ress

inte

rvie

wer,

“Every

sig

nific

ant

invention h

as

severa

l cha

racte

rist

ics.

By d

efinitiio

n it

must

be

sta

rtlin

g, unexp

ecte

d, a

nd

must

com

e into

a w

orld

tha

t is not

pre

pa

red

for it. If

the w

orld

were p

repa

red

for it, it w

ould

not be m

uch o

f a

n in

vention.”

By the tim

e L

and

left the P

ola

roid

corp

ora

tion in

the 1

980s, the c

om

pa

ny

gre

w to n

ea

rly 2

0,0

00 e

mplo

yees.

ABOUT THE INVENTOR

Ma

y 7,

190

9 —

Ma

rch

1,

1991

Edwin Herbert Land

8

For all of the following activities, first look carefully at various w

orks of art

from the exhibition Ansel Adams & Edwin Land: Art, Science, and Invention,

Photographs from the Polaroid Collection.

The SCIENCE of Art (Grades 2-12)

10

Art ActivitY IDEAS

Ansel Adams is, of course, not the only artist who has collaborated w

ith a

scientist/inventor. Many artists throughout history have looked to science

for collaboration and inspiration. Research such artists who have created

artwork based on a particular scientific subject and/or invention.

Suggested Activities:

�Hands-on: Have students create group presentations about the artists

and their artwork and/or create original works of art inspired by the

artists’ work.

�Interdisciplinary Connections: Work w

ith science teacher(s) in your

school or

district

to make specific connections with the science

curriculum. Develop a project based on the artwork of an artist who was

inspired by the topics currently being covered.

�Community Collaborations: Visit a science m

useum or lab and base an

art project upon the inform

ation or subject explored.

PANORAMIC POSSIBILITiES (Grades 2-12)

Ansel Adams is renowned for the grandeur achieved in his photographs of

landscapes. Discuss how he achieved this effect in his artwork through a

command of light, value, and perspective. Introduce students to the

term

“panorama” and show examples of panoramic landscapes. How is

viewing a panorama a unique visual experience?

Suggested Activities

�Hands-on: Have students select an Ansel Adams photograph of their

choice and place a reproduction of it in the center of a piece of drawing

paper/canvas cut to panoramic dimensions. Extend the landscape out in

both directions to create an imaginary panorama in the m

edia of choice.

�Technology: Have students photograph or bring in m

ultiple photographs

of a single landscape. Use Adobe Photoshop or another photo editing

program to edit/m

anipulate the photographs. Experiment with “sewing”

them together to create an original, digital panorama.

CAPTURING the EVER-Changing EnvironmenT

(Grades 6-12)

Many of Adams’ photographs serve as documentation of the ever-changing

landscape of the United States, particularly its National Parks. Discuss how

art can act as visual documentation of a changing time or place. Remind

students that before photography, artwork was the only way to create a

lasting image of a person, place, or thing. Art has the power to freeze a

time and place for eternity, therefore acting as a valuable visual resource

for people to m

ake powerful connections to the past.

Suggested Activities:

�Explore: Have students research the history of a particular site—a town,

city,

building,

or

other

locale (for

example:

their school, home,

hometown, park, or favorite vacation spot.) Then guide students in

finding a series of works of art that portray the site, thus acting as a

form

of visual documentation, over a period of time. Encourage students

to compare and contrast these w

orks of art w

ith one another and note

any changes in them. Are these changes the result of the artists

opinions, styles, or media? Are they reactions to physical changes to the

site, social or political changes, or changes in the art world? Raise open-

ended questions to encourage critical thinking such as “Can the viewer

“trust” a work of art as the “true” image of a place or time?” Students

may then present their findings in the form

of an oral presentation for

their class.

�Interdisciplinary Connections: Collaborate with the Language Arts/

English teacher(s) in your school to incorporate a writing component.

Based on their findings, have students respond to the above question in

written form

(For example: an essay, poem, or other writing exercise)

�Hands-on: Students create their own original work of art that will be a

present “documentation” of the site chosen. If possible, visit the site or

sites. Otherwise, work from photographs and other visual sources.

�Multicultural Connections: Have students research the country or

countries of their family’s heritage as the starting point for the project.

�Interdisciplinary Connections: Work with the history teacher(s) in

your school or district to research a particular site that coordinates with

the social studies curriculum.

8 11

ansel adams & edwin land: photographs from the … · this exhibition of 86 photographs by...

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