Digital Magnifying Glass

First of all, thanks to everyone who attended the opening reception for our spring exhibitions and ventured to Kemper in the rain on Sunday to see William Wegman speak. We had a fantastic turnout at both events and hope to post some images from them soon as our popular Seen at the Addison feature moves from our E-Newsletter to Blog Addison.

In the meanwhile, I thought I'd point out a little-known feature on our Collections pages. Have you ever wanted to get so close to a painting that your nose almost touches it, but you don't for fear of our ever vigilant guard force catching you? Now you can get as close as you ever wanted using the Zoomable Image button.

Eleven paintings in our collection now have high resolution images available online for you to zoom into and see every brushstroke as if you were inspecting the painting with your own digital magnifying glass. Just click on any of the paintings below and click Zoomable Image under the image:

George Bellows, The Gulls, Monhegan, c. 1913, oil on panel (image above)
Thomas Eakins , Professor Henry A. Rowland, 1897, oil on canvas
Marsden Hartley, Summer, Sea, Window, Red Curtain, 1942, oil on masonite
Childe Hassam, Early Morning on the Avenue in May 1917, 1917, oil on canvas
Winslow Homer, Eight Bells, 1886, oil on canvas
Winslow Homer, The West Wind, 1891, oil on canvas
Edward Hopper, Manhattan Bridge Loop, 1928, oil on canvas
Maurice Brazil Prendergast, Sketches in Paris, c. 1892-1894, seven oil on wood panels
Frederic Remington, Moonlight, Wolf, c. 1909, oil on canvas
John Singer Sargent, Val d'Aosta: A Man Fishing, c. 1907, oil on canvas
John Sloan, Sunday, Women Drying Their Hair, 1912, oil on canvas

Though we will be adding more, we know this feature could never replace coming to the Addison and seeing the paintings up close in real life.

So if you haven't been to the museum recently, come on by. If you have been here recently, come again! We hope to see you soon!

It's that time of year again...

The Addison Education Department gears up for its busiest season of the year

On the bright, brisk morning of April 10th, fifty pairs of feet belonging to the inquisitive first grade students from Melrose's Lincoln Elementary School marched up the museum's steps and paraded into this spring's special exhibition, William Wegman: Funney/Strange, the first school group to tour this season which promises to attract extraordinary numbers of visitors.

Upon entering the galleries, spontaneous "woah!"'s and laughter erupted as the young students spied the artist's fanciful paintings and clever Polaroids of weimaraners assuming their human personae in classic Wegman fashion. Addison Education Assistant Regan Doody gathered the class before a photograph of the artist's beloved model Man Ray and soon what started as instantaneous giggles evolved into a thoughtful discussion as the students recognized the humor, imagination, and irony crafted in Wegman's works.

While April traditionally marks the start of the museum's busiest season for school group visits, the Addison Education Department works with classes like those from the Lincoln School every day throughout the year, engaging K-12 and college students from both public and private schools from as close as Andover and Lawrence, to as far as Boston and New Hampshire. Over 6,000 students tour the Addison through the Education Department each year, composing nearly one quarter of the museum's annual visitorship.




Since the formalization of the Education Department in 1993,
the Addison has offered free museum tours, classroom presentations, and professional development to area teachers and students. Through student-oriented group discussions around art works, the museum's educators aim to encourage visual and critical thinking in all learners, as well as encourage fellow educators and adminstrators to integrate art into all curriculum areas, especially language arts, history, social studies, science, and math.


If you or someone you know is interested in visiting the Addison with your students this season or in the future, please contact us! See the Education page on this website for more information.

Andover MASSterpieces: Celebrating Local Cultural Excellence

The Andover Cultural Council and the Addison Gallery are hosting a celebration entitled Andover MASSterpieces: Celebrating Local Cultural Excellence. The 2007 grant recipients, twenty-five organizations, and individuals from Andover and neighboring communities will be honored on May 3, 2007, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Addison. The evening will include a performance by the North Shore Youth Symphony ensemble, a welcome by the Addison’s Mary Stripp and R. Crosby Kemper Director Brian Allen, and remarks from grant recipients. Refreshments will be provided complements of Andover Cakes, Andover Liquors, The Cupcake Boutique, Dish, I Dream of Jeannie Cakes, and Wild Oats. The event is sponsored by Butler Bank.

The Andover Cultural Council is part of the Local Cultural Council Program (LCC), the second largest grant program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The LCC Program is the most extensive system of its kind in the nation to support arts, sciences and humanities in local communities.

Andover Cultural Council grants benefit public school arts and sciences programs, help to support public art projects, provide a showcase for local artists at town events such as Andover Days, and help to nurture new arts and established arts programs in the community including such well known programs as the Andover Chamber Music Series, the Andover Choral Society and many others.