CORNING, NY - Ansel Adams was a man of boundless energy, intelligence and ambition that became one of America's most recognized photographers.

Join Jeanne Verhulst, Associate Curator of Exhibitions (George Eastman House) and exhibition curator, at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art on Thursday July 13 as she takes a glimpse of the man behind the camera. Throughout the slide show and lecture, you will see Adams' familiar landscapes and be introduced to his less familiar portraits, abstracts and other subjects.

Inspired by the current special exhibition *Ansel Adams: A Celebration of Genius, the program will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a slide show and lecture in the Visions of the West gallery. Visitors will be encouraged to ask questions to the exhibition curator and will then proceed to the Remington and Russell Lodge for refreshments. Members are $5, and not- yet-members are $10. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 607.974.2333 or by email nicholsa@rockwellmuseum.org

Please RSVP by July 12 at Noon, as seating is limited.

While many come to know his work through widely published books, postcards, posters, and calendars, relatively few have actually seen his lushly printed original images. Inspired by the 100th anniversary of Adams's birth in 2002, the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, NY, revisited its extensive collection of Adams's work, creating a new exhibition of 150 photographs that reflects Adams's full career.

Ansel Adams: Celebration of Genius presents work from the 1920s through the 1960s, including an early 1927 portfolio (one of only fifty produced) of Parmelian prints (gelatin silver emulsion on parchment paper). This is the first time George Eastman House has included this portfolio from its collection in an exhibition. Featured are many of Adams's most famous images of the American West - Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941, Mount Williamson from Manzanar, California, ca. 1944, and Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, 1927. But prepare to discover equally stupendous, (if less well-known) images such as Mud Hills, Arizona or Water and Foam, or the wonderful abstract titled simply, Stained Wallpaper Near Alturas, Calif. Many will be surprised to see that Adams did not confine himself to landscapes, but also made portraits and other subjects as humble as fence posts into images nearly as monumental as his beloved mountain ranges.

Ansel Adams merchandise is available in the Museum Trading Post.

Ansel Adams books, postcards, posters and prints can be found in the Museums gift shop. The Trading Post offers Western and Native American items including jewelry, pottery, weavings, books and beautiful reproductions.
There is no Museum admission to shop. Members enjoy special discounts all year long.

About the Rockwell Museum of Western Art Preserved and interpreted at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art, American Western and Native American art are the focal point for engaging, dynamic exhibitions and educational events. The Museum renews exhibits several times each year, rotating its large permanent collection of art through galleries based on themes: wilderness, buffalo, horse, Indian and cowboy. Here, myths are explored and new ways of thinking about art encouraged.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art is located in the center of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State and in the heart of Corning's Gaffer District. The Museum is open to the public seven days a week; summer hours are 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
As the Museum continues to celebrate its 30th Anniversary in 2006, free admission will be offered to visitors the 30th of every month through December 2006. Membership to the Museum includes everyday yearlong free admission. For more information, please visit us online at www.rockwellmuseum.org.

(* Ansel Adams: Celebration of Genius, was organized by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film

Please contact: Beth Harvey
The Rockwell Museum of Western Art
607-974-4254