“Auspicious Vision” - WCNY AXXESS Productions

Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, a young man with a passion for art began a journey into the uncharted waters of American Modernism. The journey of Edward Wales Root culminated with one of the most significant bequests of American Modernism to any museum in the U.S. In 1909, Root began collecting with a work by Ernest Lawson. The collection grew to include pieces by Burchfield, Davis , de Kooning, Stamos, Pollack and others. These became the cornerstone of a gift that has enhanced Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute (MWPAI), an emerging cultural center, in Utica , NY , energized the Upstate New York community, and defined Root’s life as one of vision, philanthropy ... and as one lived remarkably. the table,” says Museum of Art Director and Chief Curator, Paul D. Schweizer. WCNY AXXESS Productions filmed “Auspicious Vision” to highlight the works on display at the MWPAI in high definition. Narrated by actor, Peter Thomas (“NOVA” and “Forensic Files”).