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Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern explores Esherick’s artistic evolution during the early decades of the twentieth century, culminating in the exhibition of his work as part of the Pennsylvania Hill House at the 1940 World's Fair in New York City. Trained as an illustrator and painter, experienced in modern theater and dance, well exposed to new ideas in philosophy, politics, and literature, Esherick experimented with woodcarving and printmaking, laying the foundation for his emergence as an artist of remarkable range.
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Established in 1999, Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS), a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is a coalition of museums throughout the country that were the homes and studios of American artists. From the desert vistas of Georgia O’Keeffe’s New Mexico ranch to Winslow Homer’s studio on the rocky, windswept coast of southern Maine, the homes and studios in the network are sites of extraordinary creativity. The Wharton Esherick Museum is proud to be a founding HAHS member, and a site featured in this publication.
Guide to Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios is the first guidebook to the network, conveying each artist’s visual legacy and setting each site in the context of its architecture and landscape, which often were designed by the artists themselves. Through portraits, artwork, and site photos, discover the powerful influence of place on American greats such as Andrew Wyeth, Grant Wood, Lee Krasner, and Donald Judd, as well as lesser-known but equally creative figures who made important contributions to cultural history---multimedia artist James Castle, photographer Alice Austen, and muralist Clementine Hunter among them.
Organized by region Guide to Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios weaves the history of the sites’ architecture and landscape with the artists’ biographies and their visual legacy. The guide features portraits of the artists, examples of their artwork, site descriptions, and photographs as well as visitor information and a site map.
Guide to Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios: A Program of the National Trust for Historic PreservationBy Valerie A. Balint | Foreword by Wanda M. Corn, Preface by Donna Hassler and Katherine Malone-France
Publication date: June 2, 2020. Paperback with flaps. 256 pages. 225 Color & B+W photographs.Cover photo by Don Freeman, 2019
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Out of stockT-shirt features Wharton's woodcut illustration for D.H. Lawrence's "Reflections on the Death of a Porcupine", a collection of essays published by Centaur Press in 1926. Available as white print on light heather green t-shirt. Short sleeved. 100% cotton.
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Out of stockAvailable as black print on white. 100% cotton. Only 5 left! We will not be restocking this design in the white t-shirt!
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We’re celebrating Esherick’s printmaking with an exciting new shop item – Holzhausen Tea Towels! These tea towels bring a little piece of the Studio into your home, capturing the spirit of Esherick’s gift to his friend Hanna Weil, for whom he made a set of curtains with this dynamic repeating pattern. ‘Holzhausen’ is both the town in Germany where Hanna lived and Esherick’s title for his woodblock print depicting the view from her front porch. Screenprinted by Philadelphia-based artist and printmaker Marcus Benavides. Measures 28" x 28"
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Purchase tickets for an Experiencing Esherick tour to give as gifts to friends and family! Everyone knows someone they'd like to visit the Wharton Esherick Museum! Guest tickets are valued at $20 each (one adult admission to an Experiencing Esherick Tour) and come mailed with a brochure. » Prefer paperless? You can send gift tickets to your loved one via email! Purchase digital gift tickets here.
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This facsimile edition of a 1922 children’s book features seventy-three dynamic and whimsical woodcut illustrations—the first woodcuts that the famed American craftsman Wharton Esherick produced. A high-quality replica authorized by the Wharton Esherick Museum, this book reveals the foundation of Esherick’s direction as an artist. Edited by Museum director Paul Eisenhauer, it also features a foreword by Museum assistant curator Laura Heemer. The illustrations frame verses that introduce children to the principles of evolution, a highly controversial topic at the time: the book was published three years before the famous Scopes “Monkey” trial of 1925 that resulted in the inclusion of the teaching of evolution in public schools. Drawn by the excitement of the controversy, Esherick threw his passion into these illustrations. Afterward he would go on to carve over 300 woodcuts, leading to decorative carving, and ultimately, to Esherick’s realization that he was a sculptor rather than a painter.
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2018 edition of the Horse-Shoe Trail Guidebook with 10 full-color topographical maps. The Horse-Shoe Trail is a public trail for hiking and horseback riding. It begins in Valley Forge and continues westward for over 140 miles to its junction with the Appalachian Trail on the crest of Stony Mountain north of Hershey. This trail guide, along with a complete set of maps, is a valuable resource for planning your hike on this historic trail. The guide is 73 pages long and contains 10 fold out topographical maps showing the route of the trail.
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The Society was very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with Bob Bascom and the Wharton Esherick Society staff in the production of this special publication and celebrates the life of a truly remarkable woman, and shares some of the stories from her lifelong relationship with her beloved husband, their family, and the community.