The Art of Exploration

Photo by Jeremy Clowe for Norman Rockwell Museum.
All rights reserved.

As I was taking photos at Norman Rockwell Museum the other day, I was surprised to come across two pieces I had seen previously in our exhibition, National Geographic: The Art of Exploration. These vibrant paintings were created and donated by Ned Seidler, a long-time illustrator for the magazine, and depict the 16th century meeting of the Moctezuma and Cortés civilizations; as well as the discovery of a Moche tomb in Sipán, near the coast of Peru. I actually used the latter illustration as the opening for a video I had created for the 2006 exhibition:

The exhibition stands as one of my favorite exhibitions the Museum has presented during my time working there, and I enjoyed the opportunity to interview several of the artists who have worked on the magazine over the years... they certainly go to great lengths for accuracy! For me the video was a turning point, where I really expanded on what I had learned from doing the short-form documentaries. It proved to me that I could produce a longer, engaging program, with an even larger collection of sources and materials (I even had a chance to tour their archives in Washington, DC, for research).

The National Geographic Museum in Washington has just opened an exhibition on the Titanic− timed to coincide with the 3D release of James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster? I've got a sinking feeling... Seriously, it's a nice museum... definitely worth the visit, and thankfully, the Society is as strong as ever.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com