FREE – Conversation: American Illustration at Cooper Hewitt

Drawing America will host Laura Fravel, Curatorial Research Assistant (American Art) at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in conversation with Allison Wucher, Director of Master Drawings New York, to discuss recent research into the American Illustration collection Cooper Hewitt. The American Illustration collection grew alongside New York’s publishing industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and many gifts came directly from artists and publishers.  Seeking to document each illustrator’s working process, the museum collected preliminary sketches in addition to finished work. Highlights include drawings by Winslow Homer, Kenyon Cox, Frederick Stuart Church, John Sloan, and Everett Shinn, as well as original illustrations by women working in the field. 

The conversation will run for30 minutes and will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A.

Laura Fravel is the Curatorial Research Assistant (American Art) in the Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design Department at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Allison Wucher is the director of Master Drawings New York (MDNY). MDNY is a yearly art event (also established in 2006) that takes place on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and comprises gallery exhibitions and events focused on drawings. Allison joined MDNY in 2016 and has since established a number of partnership events with museums and institutions such as The Met, Morgan Library, Cooper Hewitt, New-York Historical Society, and Drawing New York. Outside of MDNY, Allison runs her own art consulting firm, Silverpoint Fine Art, which focuses on projects relating to drawings, prints, and photographs.

For many of us, there will be a learning curve using ZOOM. As far as these interfaces go, it is very user-friendly. As with anything new, it takes a little time to get the hang of it. So here are a few tips:

If you can, use a desktop or laptop. They are the easiest to control, and of course, provide you with the largest image for you to draw from. If those are not available, a tablet works well. A phone works well but can be so tiny that the group aspect can get a little lost.

Try to get the best WiFi connection you can. For many us, that means being in a certain area of our home or office. It will elevate your experience, though almost everyone we worked with has had a good connection.