National Park Celebrates Presidents Day with Photography Exhibition on George Washington’s Headquarters

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The museum at New Jersey’s Morristown National Historical Park kicks off Presidents Day with the debut solo exhibition George Washington’s Headquarters:  Photographs by Xiomáro, curated by Jude M. Pfister, D.Litt, the park’s Chief of Cultural Resources.  Admission is free and the 22 large images of the Ford Mansion, which served as Washington’s headquarters, will be on view from February 17 to December 28, 2018.  The exhibition is part of the grand opening celebration of the museum’s new “Discover History Center.”  A reception and a talk by the artist and curator will be scheduled for the spring. Free gallery talks will be given by Xiomáro at 2:00 pm on February 17, 18, and 19.

Xiomaro, in photographing the 12-room Georgian Revival Ford Mansion, used only existing window light with a sparing use of a technique called “light painting” to create images with rich color, detail, and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow.  The effect is an ethereal quality that spurs the imagination in a way that transcends visiting the actual rooms.

George Washington (and Martha) really did sleep here.  © 2018 Xiomaro.com

The exhibition of 18” x 24” photographs, printed by Morristown National Historical Park, also highlights the Ford Mansion as a residence.  “The domestic aspects are easily lost in the presence of Washington, but Xio has managed to capture the mansion’s essence as a home,” explains curator Jude M. Pfister, the park’s Chief of Cultural Resources.  Pfister is the author of several history books including the award-winning The Jacob Ford Jr. Mansion:  The Storied History of a New Jersey Home (The History Press, 2009).

The kitchen at George Washington’s headquarters.  © 2018 Xiomaro.com

The photographs were commissioned by the National Park Service as artworks, rather than mere documentation, for publication in an “accessibility” book for the Ford Mansion.  The large format book, measuring approximately 17″ x 11,” will enable physically challenged visitors to “experience” Washington’s headquarters through narrated photographs, which interpret the mansion as done on a visitor tour.

As the site of Washington’s military headquarters during the winter of 1779-80, the Ford Mansion is one of the key Revolutionary War sites in Morristown that comprise the nation’s first National Historical Park.  Washington spent several months there with his wife, Martha, his aide, Alexander Hamilton, other assistants and servants, and visitors such as Marquis de Lafayette, Philip Schuyler, and Benedict Arnold.  That winter was one of the harshest on record.  With more than 20 snowstorms, it was described by a soldier as “cold enough to cut a man in two.”

Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) is an internationally-recognized artist and speaker whose photography has been covered by CBS Eyewitness News, Newsday, and The New York Times.  His work has been widely exhibited at venues such as Harvard University and New York City’s Fraunces Tavern Museum.  Next year, Arcadia Publishing is releasing Xio’s photo book, Weir Farm National Historic Site, about Julian Alden Weir, the father of American Impressionist painting.

The photo exhibition of Washington’s headquarters celebrates Presidents Day and the grand opening of the “Discover History Center,” a new gallery of interactive exhibits offering hands-on and multi-media experiences for visitors to explore the stories of Morristown’s significant role in the American Revolution.

The museum at Morristown National Historical Park is located at 30 Washington Place, Morristown, NJ  07960, and the exhibition runs from February 17 to December 28, 2018.  For visiting hours and other information call 973-539-2016 (extension 210) or visit www.nps.gov/morr.  For a free limited edition exhibit ebook of photographs visit www.xiomaro.com.

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New Book to Spotlight Weir Farm and its Connections to Long Island

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The first book about Weir Farm National Historic Site, the only national park dedicated to American painting, will be authored by Xiomaro, a fine art photographer from Roslyn Heights, in a deal he signed with Arcadia Publishing.  The park, located in Connecticut, was the home of J. Alden Weir (1852-1919), the father of American Impressionist painting who came to prominence during three excursions to the East End of Long Island.

“Openings into the soul of the painter,” was how Xiomaro’s images were described in 2013 by Hildegard Cummings, an art expert who authored a book about Weir.  Since 2012, Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) has been creating fine art photographic collections of Weir’s house, studios, landscape and gardens under several commissions.  On Long Island, he is best known for his photographs of Sagamore Hill and Fire Island National Seashore, which have been exhibited at the Long Island Museum, the Nassau County Legislature and other public spaces.

The best of his Weir Farm photographs plus vintage snapshots will be featured in the book along with approximately 11,000 words of captions.  “It’s about the classic American story of transformation,” said Xiomaro, who – after overcoming cancer – also made a transition from being a music lawyer to an artist.  “Weir hated Impressionism, then championed it.  His property was threatened by development, then got preserved as a national park.  And the dramatic before-and-after renovations of the buildings will be seen in my images.”

William Cullen Bryant

Weir was influenced by the traditional art theory of William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), a friend of his father, whose Cedarmere home still stands in Roslyn Harbor.  Later, Weir and his artist friends adopted the radical Impressionist style, which they helped to popularize in the US through highly publicized painting excursions they took to the North and South Forks of Long Island between 1878 and 1881.  Today, Weir’s iconic works are at the Met, the Brooklyn Museum and other world-class museums.  The significance of these and other contributions to American art moved Congress to designate his home, studio and grounds as a national historic site.

J. Alden Weir

Indeed, the US Mint will be issuing a special Weir Farm quarter in 2020 under the “America the Beautiful” program.  The Mint’s website says the series “captures the breathtaking beauty of America’s natural landscapes that have inspired countless poets, adventurers, and artists.  Today, these hallowed sites are… enshrined” through the quarters designed by the Mint.  “The book will celebrate the park in time for the striking of this unique coin,” announced Xiomaro.

The worldwide deal with Arcadia Publishing will release the book as part of the Images of Modern America series, which the company website describes as uncovering “amazing aspects of American history that are all too often overlooked by standard texts” and “filled with expertly penned content and stunning full-color images.”  Arcadia, based in Charleston, South Carolina, is the leading publisher of local and regional books in the United States with a library of more than 14,000 titles.

Xiomaro is an internationally-recognized artist, writer, speaker and curator whose photography has been covered by The New York Times, CBS Eyewitness News, Newsday and News 12.  A free photo e-book about Weir Farm is available at www.xiomaro.com while supplies last.  For information about visiting Weir Farm National Historic Site, go to www.nps.gov/wefa.

Weir’s house at Weir Farm National Historic Site © 2017 Xiomaro.com

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First Book on Connecticut’s First National Park to be Authored by Xiomaro in Deal with Arcadia Publishing

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Wilton, CT:  The first book about Weir Farm National Historic Site, Connecticut’s first national park unit and the only one dedicated to American painting, will be authored by Xiomaro, the park’s Visiting Artist, in a deal he signed with Arcadia Publishing.  About 150 of Xiomaro’s photographs will be accompanied with captions that, he explains, “tells the big story of a small park.”  The 60-acre site, nestled in Wilton and Ridgefield, is where J. Alden Weir (1852-1919), the father of American Impressionist painting, lived and created iconic works now seen at the Met, the Smithsonian and other world-class museums.

“Openings into the soul of the painter,” was how Xiomaro’s images were described in 2013 by Hildegard Cummings, an art expert who authored a book about Weir.  Since 2012, Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) has been creating fine art photographic collections of Weir’s house, studios, landscape and gardens under several commissions.

The best of his photographs plus vintage snapshots will be featured in the book along with approximately 11,000 words of captions.  “It’s about the classic American story of transformation,” said Xiomaro, who – after overcoming cancer – also made a transition from being a music lawyer to an artist.  “Weir hated Impressionism, then championed it.  His property was threatened by development, then got preserved as a national park.  And the dramatic before-and-after renovations of the buildings will be seen in my images.”

The book taps into a growing trend:  “heritage tourism” – travelers visiting historic house museums and gardens – ranks only third behind shopping, according to The National Trust for Historic Preservation, in Washington, DC.  The book will also cover the women of Weir, the buildings’ decorative treatments and architecture and “the landscape where one literally steps into a painting,” revealed the artist.

“The great thing is that the book will celebrate the park in time for the striking of the special Weir Farm quarter,” announced Xiomaro.  In 2020, the park will be depicted as part of the US Mint’s “America the Beautiful” series.  The Mint’s website says the series “captures the breathtaking beauty of America’s natural landscapes that have inspired countless poets, adventurers, and artists.  Today, these hallowed sites are… enshrined” through the quarters designed by the Mint.

The worldwide deal with Arcadia Publishing will release the book as part of the Images of Modern America series, which the company website describes as uncovering “amazing aspects of American history that are all too often overlooked by standard texts” and “filled with expertly penned content and stunning full-color images.”  Arcadia, based in Charleston, South Carolina, is the leading publisher of local and regional books in the United States with a library of more than 14,000 titles.

Xiomaro is an internationally-recognized artist, writer, speaker and curator whose photography has been covered by The New York Times, CBS Eyewitness News, News 12 and The Huffington Post.  His work has been widely exhibited at venues such as Harvard University, Fruitlands Museum, the State Capitol in Hartford and Congressman Jim Himes’ Bridgeport and Stamford offices.

A free photo e-book about Weir Farm is available at www.xiomaro.com while supplies last.  For information about visiting Weir Farm National Historic Site, go to www.nps.gov/wefa.

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Father-Daughter Art Exhibited Posthumously to Raise Awareness of Borderline Personality Disorder

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New York, NY – Fountain House Gallery hosts “Empowered to Create,” a fine art group exhibit and auction in New York City presented by the advocacy group, Emotions Matter, Inc., which includes a photograph by New York artist Xiomáro together with the posthumous display of a painting by his daughter.  The one-day art show and auction, on Thursday, May 18, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, seeks to raise public awareness for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) – a complex and debilitating condition that affects 6 out of every 100 people.  Admission is free, but a $20 donation is suggested.  Emotions Matter, Inc. is a non-profit whose mission is to connect and empower those impacted by BPD to raise awareness and advocate for better mental healthcare.

Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) is an internationally recognized artist, writer and speaker whose photography has been covered by The New York Times, CBS Eyewitness News and Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.  His photography has been widely exhibited at New York City’s Fraunces Tavern Museum and African Burial Ground National Monument as well as at Harvard University and other major institutions.

In 2016, Xio’s daughter, Jessica, died from an accidental drug overdose after years of struggling with BPD, a complex and debilitating disorder of understanding and regulating one’s own emotions that leads to impulsivity, distortions of thought, identity disturbance, stormy interpersonal relationships, rage outbursts, self-harm, self-injury and suicidality.

An artist and poet, Jessica’s 30”x30” painting titled “My Iron Lung” (2015) is a metaphor for her drug use as a way of feeling normal amid chronic mental illness.  The violent imagery includes an actual rubber hose representing the lung together with the words “chain saws” and “Fight Back” appearing in the center from collaged newsprint.  The painting will be exhibited together with a 17”x25” print of a dead Blue Jay photographed by Xiomáro as part of a commission from the National Park Service.

The exhibit presents 39 two dimensional pieces from 28 artists having a personal connection to, and experience with, BPD such as individual sufferers as well as their parents, siblings, spouses and partners.

Six out of every 100 people will develop this disorder in his/her lifetime with between 50 to 80% also having a substance abuse disorder.  The impairment in functioning is as great as that due to bipolar disorder.  Yet, BPD, which is at least as prevalent, gets only one-tenth the funding of bipolar disorder from the National Institute of Mental Health, the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders.  Worse yet, BPD is not a billable diagnosis and therefore does not get covered by insurance.

Through the exhibit, Emotions Matter, Inc. seeks to empower those impacted by BPD to utilize art as a means of expression and hope, to raise public awareness of BPD through art, and to raise funds for the organization.  Artists will have the option to donate their pieces for auction.  One hundred percent of funds raised will support Emotions Matter, Inc.  Fountain House Gallery is the perfect venue for the exhibit as the gallery was founded to provide an environment for artists living and working with mental illness to pursue their creative visions and to challenge the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

The art show and auction, “Empowered to Create,” takes place on Thursday, May 18, 2017, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Fountain House Gallery, 702 Ninth Avenue (at 48th Street), New York, NY 10019, (212) 262-2756, www.fountainhousegallery.org.  Admission is free, but a $20 donation is suggested.  Click here to RSVP.  For more information about Emotions Matter, Inc. and BPD, visit www.emotionsmatterbpd.org.  A free e-book containing some of Xiomaro’s work is available at www.xiomaro.com.

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Photo Ceramics by Xiomáro on Exhibit at Weir Farm National Historic Site

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Weir’s Studio

Connecticut’s Weir Farm National Historic Site will open its 2017 season with the debut
exhibition “Photo Ceramics by Xiomáro:  An Homage to J. Alden Weir and the Tile Club,” a collection of photographs fused on black ceramic tiles by the park’s Visiting Artist, Xiomáro.  The collection of 23 photo ceramics will be on view at its Visitor Center and Museum Store from May 1 to October 31, 2017, Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Admission is free.

Weir Farm is Connecticut’s first national park unit and features the wildly eccentric home and studio of J. Alden Weir (1852-1919), the father of American Impressionist painting.  In 1877, Weir formed the Tile Club with Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase and other iconic artists for the camaraderie of creating hand-crafted decorative tiles – a Gilded Era craze sparked by displays at the 1876 Centennial celebration in Philadelphia.

Xiomaro by Sapna Dhandh-Sharma

Xiomáro, the park’s Visiting Artist since 2012, applied a modern twist to the idea.  Rather than painting on 8” square crème-white tiles as Weir did, Xio used his brush to apply adhesives and finishes to fuse photographic prints he created onto black ceramic tiles that are 4”, 6” and 12” square.  The photo ceramics have a luminous surface and the accidental effects from the flow of the stippled brushwork impart an individualized antiqued texture to each piece, all of which are for sale directly from the artist.

The solo exhibit presents four themes as an homage to Weir and the Tile Club.  For the first two themes – “Stepping Back in Time” and “Decorative Treatments” – Xio used photographs that Weir Farm commissioned him to create as well as images from when he began as the park’s Artist-in-Residence.  These themes give an overview of the park’s historic buildings and grounds as well as close-up views of stained glass, wallpaper designs and other artful details from Weir’s house and studio.

Delft tile from Weir’s dining room fireplace

The final two themes are “Long Island” and “Connecticut.”  Xio borrowed photographs from his Fire Island National Seashore collection to commemorate the Tile Club’s three famous excursions to Long Island, which helped popularize plein air painting and the Impressionist style.  As Weir and many of his contemporaries were drawn to the beauty and light of the Connecticut landscape, Xio used photographs from his collection of the New England Scenic Trail, a 215-mile hiking route that starts at Guilford, goes through the state and ends at the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.

View through the antique glass of Weir’s dining room.

Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) is an internationally-recognized artist, writer and speaker whose photography has been covered by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, CBS Eyewitness News and The Huffington Post.  His photography has been widely exhibited at Harvard University, the State Capitol in Hartford, the Bridgeport office of Congressman Jim Himes and the Mayor’s office in Stamford.

Weir Farm National Historic Site is located at 735 Nod Hill Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897.  The exhibition is at the park’s Visitor Center and Museum Store and runs from May 1 to October 31, 2017.  Admission is free.  Viewing hours are from Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  For more information call (203) 834-1896 or visit www.nps.gov/wefa.  For more information about Xiomáro and to receive a free e-book on Weir Farm, visit www.xiomaro.com.

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Harvard’s Fruitlands Museum celebrates the National Park Service with Photographs by Xiomaro

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HARVARD, MASS. – Having turned 100 years old, the National Park Service inaugurates its second century with a fine art photographic exhibit at Harvard’s Fruitlands Museum titled “Find Your Park:  National Parks in New England,” which includes several large-scale photographs by New York artist Xiomaro.  The group display is open now through March 19, 2017.

Xiomaro by Sapna Dhandh-Sharma

Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) is an internationally-recognized artist, writer and speaker whose photography has been covered by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, CBS Eyewitness News and The Huffington Post.  His photography has been widely exhibited at Harvard University, Long Island Museum, Fraunces Tavern Museum, African Burial Ground National Monument, Siena Art Institute (Italy) and by members of Congress.  Xio’s commissions for the National Park Service include the New England National Scenic Trail in Massachusetts as well as the Brookline home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Boston’s Emerald Necklace.

The exhibit, guest curated by Rebecca Migdal, was developed in partnership with Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area and with additional support from Artscope Magazine.  To showcase the beauty of New England and the important work being done to preserve and promote the national parks, Migdal selected four super-sized photographs by Xiomaro.  The images, on public display for the first time, are hung from the ceiling so that visitors can “walk through” the parks to explore their cultural, historical and natural wonders.

Two images Xio created under a commission from Boston Harbor Islands National Recreational Area show the range of historical and scenic diversity that can be encountered.  One photograph depicts a dramatically forlorn Civil War hospital on the prison grounds of Fort Warren on Georges Island – its most famous captive being the Confederate Vice President.  Another is an inviting seaside view lined with colorful Adirondack chairs against the backdrop of a newly restored World War II army chapel on Peddocks Island.

Longfellow’s entry hall

Xio’s commission for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s house, a national historic site in Cambridge, produced a pensive view of the entry hall where the world-renowned poet and abolitionist greeted dignitaries of his day.  Another commissioned photograph shows J. Alden Weir’s painting studio where he created works that are now at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford and other world-class museums.  His homestead became Weir Farm National Historic Site, Connecticut’s first national park unit and the only one in the country dedicated to American Impressionist painting.  It is also where Xio began his career as an Artist-in-Residence and continues as a Visiting Artist.

The National Park Service (NPS) officially turned 100 on August 25, 2016 and, with this exhibit, is looking ahead to the next century of stewardship and opportunities for public engagement. The NPS covers more than 84 million acres and includes 410 sites.  Fruitlands Museum, founded in 1914 by Clara Endicott Sears, takes its name from an experimental utopian community established on the site in 1843.  In addition to the exhibit, the art museum includes a collection of over 100 Hudson River School landscape paintings by artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Church.

Fruitlands Museum is located on 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, MA  01451.  The exhibit runs now until March 19, 2017.  Viewing hours and other information is posted at http://www.fruitlands.org/exhibitions or call (978) 456-3924.  A free e-book containing some of Xiomaro’s work is available at http://www.xiomaro.com.

 

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Fire Island’s Centennial Art Exhibit Features National Park Photographs by Xiomaro

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Photographs created by Long Island artist Xiomáro have been selected by the National Park Service for their Centennial Art Exhibit at the Patchogue Ferry Terminal gallery space, which welcomes visitors as they embark on their journey to Fire Island.  The exhibit is open now through September 5, 2016 with a free reception open to the public on August 25 – the day the National Park Service celebrates its 100 year anniversary.

Xiomaro (photo by Sapna Dhandh-Sharma)

Xiomáro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”) is a nationally recognized artist, writer and speaker whose photography has been covered by The New York Times, News 12 and Newsday.  His photography has been widely exhibited at Harvard University, Long Island Museum, Oyster Bay Historical Society and other major institutions.  Xio has completed several commissions for the National Park Service including Theodore Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill mansion in Oyster Bay and the High Dune Wilderness on Fire Island.

Artists from around the country are represented in this special juried group exhibit – curated by Dawn Lee, an Associate Professor and Chair of the Art Department at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue – with a variety of visual media interpreting the parks, such as drawing and painting.

Fire Island High Dune Wildnerness by Xiomaro

Included in the exhibition is Xio’s photograph of the slave cemetery at the William Floyd Estate, which attracted much media attention during Black History Month last year.  Another photograph, on view for the first time, is an image Xio created as part of a commission to artistically document Fire Island’s High Dune Wilderness, the only federally-protected wilderness in New York State and one of the smallest managed by the National Park Service.

Slave Cemetery at the William Floyd Estate by Xiomaro

The Patchogue Ferry Terminal is located on 150 West Avenue, Patchogue, NY  11772.   The exhibit runs now until September 5, 2016.  Viewing hours are Saturdays and Sundays:  9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  The public is invited to a free reception on Thursday, August 25, 6:00–8:00 pm to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the National Park Service, popularly known as “America’s Best Idea.”  For more information call:  (631) 687-4777 or FIIS_Information@nps.gov.  A free e-book containing some of Xiomáro’s work is available at www.xiomaro.com.