Guitar Sales to Benefit Pollock-Krasner House

Jackson Pollock's dynamic painting style has inspired musicians in diverse genres. From minimalist composer Morton Feldman, free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman and soprano sax virtuoso Jane Ira Bloom to British rockers The Stone Roses, Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuya Ishii, and American rapper Lil Wayne, they identify with Pollock’s audacious, action-packed creativity. His process was like a performance, and his art has often been compared to music.

Now musical artists can tap directly into Pollock’s energy when they play the ultra-cool limited edition Jackson Pollock Studio Guitar or Jackson Pollock Studio Bass from Waterstone Musical Instruments of Nashville. Each instrument retails for $1,500, including a hardshell case and a certificate of authenticity. They may be ordered at pollockguitar.com. Proceeds from sales will benefit the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center.

Pollock’s studio was a converted barn, where he spread his canvas out flat and danced around it, using rhythmic gestures to apply vivid colors that often spilled over the edges onto the floor. After visiting the studio in East Hampton, New York, Waterstone president Robert Singer got the idea of using a detail of the paint-spattered floor to decorate the face of a special line of instruments. As Singer sees it, "Pollock's canvas caught the moment, but the floor documents the high point of an artist who changed the way people interpret expression. To me, that's the legacy of this project."

"Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner are iconic figures in the world of art and culture," says Singer. "Waterstone is very excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center through the production of these unique instruments." For more information, contact Singer at rjsinger@me.com.

Dedicated to "the art of performance," Waterstone has been designing top quality, highly rated electric guitars and basses with a vintage look and feel since 2002. Their full line of instruments is at modguitars.com. Among the celebrated international artists who play Waterstone guitars are Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Pat Smear (Foo Fighters), and bassists Georg Hólm (Sigur Rós), Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick), Robbie Harrington (Ronnie Dunn) and Bruce Foxton (The Jam, Stiff Little Fingers).

Hoie Foundation Awards Grant for Tour Enhancement
When the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center opens for the season next May, visitors will enjoy new and improved interpretive services made possible by a $14,700 grant from the Helen and Claus Hoie Charitable Foundation of East Hampton. We are sincerely grateful for the foundation's generosity.

The funds will enable the museum to purchase 20 light-weight, easy to use Orpheo Mini digital audio units that allow visitors maximum flexibility in navigating the historic site and temporary exhibitions, and can deliver tours in multiple languages. The Orpheo system is used at locations around the world, including El Prado in Spain, Mozarts Geburtshaus in Austria, le Château de Versailles in France, and New York's Grand Central Terminal and the Intrepid Air & Space Museum, among many others. The grant also covers the purchase of two SeePoint interactive kiosks, which are increasingly common fixtures of museum interpretation. One was recently installed at the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Using the touch screen, docent-guided and self-guided tours will be able to view examples of paintings by Pollock and Krasner that are now in major museums and private collections but were created in their studios on the Pollock-Krasner property.

In awarding the grant, Hoie Foundation trustee Judith B. Sneddon noted that "the addition of this audio / visual component will certainly enhance the educational experience of a visit to the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center."

 

Herskovic Essay Prize 2012
The third annual Herskovic Essay Prize for graduate scholarship on Abstract Expressionism has been awarded to Sarah Taylor for her paper, "The Open Lattice: The Sculpture of Ibram Lassaw in the 1950s." The committee praised her clear writing style, her close and careful analysis of the works on which she focused, and the fact that she visited the late artist's studio in Springs, not far from the Pollock-Krasner House, to study Lassaw's sculptures directly and discuss her ideas with his widow Ernestine and daughter Denise.

Sarah Taylor earned her bachelor's degree in art history and criticism from Utah State University. Her essay is adapted from her thesis for a 2012 master's degree in art history at the University of Oregon, from which she received an Outstanding Graduate Leadership Award in June. She is currently an art history instructor at Utah State, and plans to pursue a doctoral degree.

The award comprises a $1,000 cash prize and publication of the essay in a forthcoming issue of Art Criticism, a journal of the Stony Brook University Department of Art, Art History and Art Criticism. It is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Thomas and Marika Herskovic, whose New York School Press publishes lavishly illustrated books on post-World War II American art. The competition is open to students enrolled in a master's or doctoral program in Art History, American Studies, or any discipline to which Abstract Expressionism is relevant. Entries from outside the United States are welcome. The rules and deadline for the next round of submissions will be announced in Spring 2013.