AUSPICIOUS VISION: EDWARD WALES ROOT AND AMERICAN MODERNISM

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 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. “Root’s life was certainly one lived with zest and purpose,” says Executive Producer Larry Goodsight. He was the son of Elihu Root, recipient of the 1912 Nobel Peace. Deaf from the age of three, Root reached out to the world in a variety of vocations and avocations. He worked as a ranch hand, a newspaper man, and a teacher. He was a noteworthy horticulturalist. “It was a time when there were extraordinary ideas about what made a dramatic picture. Root was right there putting his money on 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. The production includes interviews with artists, conservators, museum directors, curators, educators, historians, journalists, collectors, and friend and relatives of Root; historical and contemporary stills and footage; and narration by actor, Peter Thomas (“NOVA” and “Forensic Files”). “Root is one of our greatest benefactors. Few exhibitions in the Museum’s history equal the significance of this exhibit,” says Schweizer. "Auspicious Vision" was produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1957 Bequest: 227 works by 80 American artists. MWPAI began exhibiting the collection on October 14, 2007. The exhibit will remain at the Museum through February 24, 2008

The documentary will air nationally in cities where the traveling exhibit appears throughout 2008-09.

Auspicious Vision TV Promo

 Larry Goodsight, VP and Executive Producer and Pam Kennedy, Associate Producer