“When the museum expanded in 2001, we gained additional space to exhibit our renowned collection,” says Rick Stewart, senior curator of western paintings and sculpture. “What we found was that our visitors wanted to know even more about Remington and Russell and their techniques. We hope these galleries better acquaint the public with the life and works of these two great American artists.”
The galleries feature the self-taught artists’ oil paintings, watercolors and drawings. Nearly 100 artworks are on view, and the museum plans to periodically rotate some of the works. Several interactive features comprise the galleries, including pull-out drawers with large works on paper and a computer workstation. Museum visitors may also watch a short animation that depicts the lost-wax bronze casting process utilized by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. Additional works by Remington can be viewed in the second-level paintings and sculpture galleries.
In addition to the interpretative galleries, the museum has launched a new webpage, the definitive online resource for any scholar or layperson interested in Remington, Russell and their art. Every work by the two artists in the museum’s collection (about 400 objects) is viewable online. Exhaustive timelines are provided for each artist as well, complete with hundreds of period photographs and noteworthy events and dates in their lives. The site also includes: biographies of the two artists; comprehensive bibliographies; videos of the lost-wax process of making sculpture and of curator Rick Stewart discussing several of the artists’ works; and extensive teaching resources, making the site a destination for educators everywhere.
Teachers of any grade level can integrate the online lesson plans into their classroom. The materials, designed in cooperation with administrators and teachers, meet Texas and national teaching standards in a variety of disciplines including U.S. history, language arts and visual arts. In addition to lesson plans, the site provides educators access to bibliographies, Web links and materials from The Amon Carter Museum’s Teaching Resource Center.
“By making the teaching resources available through the Web site, teachers will have free access to the many interdisciplinary ways of sharing Remington and Russell with their students,” says Head of Education Stacy Fuller. “Today’s children will be tomorrow’s adults, and we want them to understand the lasting legacy of our American heritage.”
The Remington and Russell interpretative galleries, Web site and education programs were made possible by a generous grant from the Jane and John Justin Foundation.
