Picturing America Gallery Opening

For Immediate Release Press Contact: Tom Shinall, TMP Director of Marketing [email protected] 770-387-2833PICTURING AMERICA – BOOTH MUSEUM’S NEWEST PERMANENT GALLERY Dedicated to fine art and documentary photographyCARTERSVILLE, GA – “Picturing America” is Booth Western Art Museum’s newest permanent exhibitiongallery, presenting American landscapes, history, and culture through fine art and documentaryphotography.Throughout the history of the West, photography has played an important role. Photography was usedduring the exploration of the West to document and publicize this relatively unknown part of the country tothose residing in the East. Many of the early important photographers worked in the West. Photographyitself benefitted from westward expansion as advancements in technology were moved forward in order toadapt to the varying conditions of the West.When asked about the Booth’s decision to create a new permanent photography gallery, MuseumExecutive Director Seth Hopkins said, “We took into consideration several factors – the response andoverall popularity of two previous Ansel Adams related exhibitions along with several other photographyrelated exhibitions, the establishment of the Booth Photography Guild, accessibility of photography (everycell phone has a camera today), the growth of photography as a career and/or hobby, and the impactphotography is having on our collection and future exhibition schedule.”In conjunction with the opening of this new gallery, Booth Museum has worked with Virginia AdamsMayhew, Ansel Adams’ granddaughter, to showcase photographs from an edition known as The MuseumSet. This set of images was a concept to meet the demand for Adams’ prints from museums andcollectors. In the early 1980s, Adams hand selected, printed, and signed his favorite photographs formembers of his family, including the 30 on view in Ansel Adams: The Masterworks.When asked about the visitor experience of this exhibition, Booth Museum Photography Curator MaryMargaret Cornwell stated, “This exhibition will allow patrons to experience a collection of Adams’ worksthat were chosen and printed by Adams’ himself, owned by a member of his family, and exhibited for thefirst time as an entire collection. I hope they are able to take away from these images the beauty andwonder that is the American West, while also understanding that photography is a fine art genre,comparable to painting, sculpture and music.” MORE

Page two, Picturing AmericaPhotography is as diverse as America and the artists who seek to master it. Some artists usephotography to capture exact replicas of what they see, while others strive to create artistic masterpieces.As the Booth Museum continues to grow its permanent photography collections, Picturing AmericaGallery will serve as a temporary exhibition space and will showcase works captured by America’sgreatest photographers. Through these images, the Booth Museum strives to depict the collectivememory of the American people, along with images of the American West.The overall goal for the Picturing America Gallery is to showcase the best of contemporary/livingphotographers as a parallel to what the Booth does in paintings and sculptures in the permanentcollection. Short-term plans include working with important photography-based collections in the Atlantaarea to produce exhibitions of Ansel Adams, Zoë Urness, Bob Kolbrener, and others considered masterphotographers of the West from the 20th century to today. In the long-term, the Booth will continue to workwith donors, collectors, and galleries to establish a permanent collection of masterworks to showcase inthe gallery.For additional information on the Picturing America Gallery or the exhibition and activities surroundingAnsel Adams at Booth Museum, contact Director of Marketing Tom Shinall, (770) 387-2833 [email protected]. Ansel Adams: The Masterworks, April 8 – November 5, 2017 in thePicturing America Gallery at Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA.About Booth Western Art MuseumBooth Western Art Museum, an Affiliate to the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000 square foot museumlocated in Cartersville, Georgia, where guests are invited to See America’s Story through contemporaryWestern artwork, a Presidential Gallery, Civil War art gallery, and Sagebrush Ranch, an interactivechildren’s gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the only museum of its kind in theSoutheast and was named the 2016 Escape to the Southeast Travel Attraction of the Year from theSoutheast Tourism Society. To learn more about Booth Western Art Museum, visitwww.boothmuseum.org.Museum DirectionsBooth Western Art Museum is located at 501 N. Museum Drive, Cartersville, GA 30120. Take I-75 to exit#288 – Main Street, Cartersville. Head West. Follow Main Street (Highway #113 / #61) into the businessdistrict – approximately 2.2 miles. Turn right on Gilmer Street, travel two blocks under the bridge and theMuseum is on the left. Free parking is available in the Tabernacle Baptist Church parking lot on GilmerStreet, across from the Museum entrance. MORE

Page three, Picturing AmericaMuseum HoursTuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Thursday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm.Sunday: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.AdmissionAdult: $12 plus tax; Senior (65+): $10 plus tax; Student (with ID): $9 plus tax; Child (12 and under): Free(accompanied by parent or guardian); Active Military Personnel (with ID): Free (½ price regular admissionfor all immediate family members of the active duty person); Booth Museum Members: Free; FirstThursday of each month: Free admission for all between 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. ###