Sunday, August 24, 2008
the vindicator
KENT — To the centennial birth year of Ohio painter Clyde Singer, PBS 45 49 will present “Clyde Singer: An American Artist” at 10:30 p.m. Aug. 31. The documentary will be repeated at 8 p.m. Sept. 9 and 2 p.m. Sept. 13.
“Clyde Singer: An American Artist” is part of a celebration of the artist’s life and works that includes an exhibition at both the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown and the Canton Museum of Art. The exhibition opens Sept. 7.
In addition, The Kent State University Press will soon release “Clyde Singer’s America,” by M. J. Albacete, executive director of the Canton Museum of Art.
The half-hour PBS documentary features interviews by host Jody Miller with museum directors Louis A. Zona at the Butler and Albacete, and with the curator of the exhibits, Lynnda Arrasmith of the CMA. These three experts provide insight into the paintings and the man behind them. “Clyde Singer” also includes interviews with community members who knew Singer as the longtime Vindicator art columnist and assistant director of the Butler.
Funding for the program has been provided by the Mahoning County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, the Canton/Stark County Visitors’ and Convention Bureau, The Kent State University Press and William and Sharon Luntz.
Events at both the Butler and CMA will include free screenings of “Clyde Singer.”
The Butler will hold an opening reception brunch at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 7, with a screening of “Clyde Singer” at 2 p.m. The cost is $15. For more information or to make a reservation, call the Butler at (330) 743-1107, ext. 210.
At the CMA, a free opening celebration of the “Clyde Singer’s America” exhibition will begin at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 11, with a screening at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (330) 453-7666, ext. 102.
The 180-page biography “Clyde Singer’s America,” by Albacete with an essay by Nannette V. Maciejunes and Christopher S. Duckworth, includes 120 full-color reproductions of Singer’s paintings, as well as photographs of the artist at work and with his friends and family.
Born in 1908 in Malvern, Ohio, Singer studied painting in New York and settled in the Youngstown area in 1940. His painting style is associated with the American Scene, or American Regionalism, movement of the 1920s through the 1950s.
The artist, who studied under the tutelage of Thomas Hart Benton and John Steuart Curry, captured the essence of the American pageant throughout his career. Since his death in 1999, the value of his work has been steadily increasing.