In 2024, the Museum’s annual theme was Creating Connections; we explored what happens when pieces and parts come together. A single brush stroke on a canvas, a lone stitch in a textile, or a solitary paper shape may not mean much on their own. But when an artist makes connections, they create a work of art. When we come together, what connections can be made for the greater good?
Take a moment to look back at our top 10 favorite moments of 2024, and all the planned and unplanned connections created at The Rockwell this year.
Dog Days of Summer with William Wegman
Working with iconic photographer William Wegman was an absolute treat this year. The exhibition Experimentation & Representation was presented in two parts, at The Rockwell and at the Arnot Art Museum. At the Arnot, visitors explored Wegman’s depictions of his favorite models, a study in what it means to be human. The Rockwell Museum features more abstract photographs, experimental collaborations in which the dogs become the work of art. A special Art Hunt encouraged visitation to both Museums to earn an adorable puppy plushie!
Rockwell Members had the added treat of meeting William Wegman and his Weimaraner muse, Flo, at our sold-out Membership Appreciation Event in May. This exhibition was on view May 24 through September 3, and we were delighted to acquire two different Wegman works into the collection to commemorate this popular exhibition.
Shannah Warwick Art Lab Takeover
Summer visitors to the Art Lab embraced the synergy of magic, creativity and nature! Shannah Warwick’s Curious Apothecary invoked the power of the imagination in a family-friendly exhibition is infused with sensory projects and activities for young visitors to play and explore. Warwick’s enchanted world weaves together concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), botany and art.
Rockwell members with the Ambassador enhancement enjoyed a special felting workshop with the artist in August. Each guest learned the core skills of needle-felting and made their own Guardian of Creativity.
A Growing Collection
Beyond exhibitions, the Rockwell collection continues to grow and diversify. In August, Rockwell Ambassadors selected Pretendian by Hayden Haynes–a funny, yet thought-provoking commentary on identity. Other exciting additions include the richly textured and multi-layered print Din avec la main dans le miroir et jupe rouge, by Mickalene Thomas, Lone Ranger and Tonto with Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull by Sarah Sense, a stunning large-scale print that weaves pop culture with traditional basketry techniques, and Luminous Fissuers by artist Shazia Sikander. Selected as the annual gift from the Silver Dollar Society, this fantastic print created with hand-dyed paper will soon make an appearance in our Contemporary gallery. We will be sharing details online about these objects over the coming months.
Other new additions to our collection currently on view include Teresa Baker’s Yellow Prairie Grass and Tiffany Alfonseca’s ¿La Vida, quien entiende estas cosas? Both works feature vivid colors and unique textures and will be on exhibition in our New Acquisitions gallery this Spring.
All in all, The Rockwell acquired 24 works by 14 different artists in 2024 – of those, 83% of the works represent a diverse perspective with 7 by women artists, 8 by BIPOC artists, and 4 by LGBTQIA2S artists.
New and Experimental Programming
As always, Rockwell staff continued to collaborate on inventive public programs. A highlight was the extended collaboration with SoFLX Pride to honor National Coming Out Day – Comings & Goings was an experiential gallery tour featuring four unique performances by local artists exploring queer identity. We look forward to more collaborations with our local Pride group.
The education department also turned the dial on Family Days up to 11. In collaboration with Tri Cities Opera, the Art Lab hosted Papagayo Puppet Opera in February. In March, Rolie Polie Guacamole took over the Visions of America gallery, surrounded by squealing toddlers with noisemakers – it was an exciting sight we had never seen before in The Rockwell galleries!
We hope you also saw us out and about at community events including Juneteenth in Elmira and the Pride Festival in Corning!
Accessibility Initiatives
The Museum is committed to continuous improvement of its spaces, accommodations, messages and hospitality offerings. After an accessibility audit with full-staff involvement in March of 2024, the Museum jumped on several initiatives to improve accessibility and hospitality for our visitors. We hope you’ve had a chance to experience the EnChroma glasses now available for colorblind folks, Sensory Kits designed for young visitors sensitive to public spaces, and additions to the Artists as Activists audio tour – all free for visitors to borrow during their visit. We also installed a new bike-rack in the parking lot, and added more light-weight seating options to our galleries so visitors can take a break wherever they need to.
Some less exciting things but still important upgrades you may not even notice include updated high-contrast signage for visibility, and more visibility before and during your visit on lesser-known accommodations we offer, like free-to-borrow strollers and wheelchairs, and free diapers for caregivers.
Bigger-lift projects including an all-gender family restroom (thanks to amazing philanthropists like Mary Spurrier) and improved interior WiFi signals (think screen-readers and accessibility apps dependent on strong signal), are all in the early planning stages to begin in 2025 and beyond–stay tuned!
Leveraging National Partnerships
The Rockwell is proud to be a conduit to our corner of New York State for national resources through strong collaborative partnerships.
The Rockwell continued to leverage its Smithsonian Affiliation in a number of ways. In early 2024, Noriko Sanefuji and Dr. Richard Kurin, two Smithsonian speakers, graced the Rockwell’s Creating Connections Lecture Series. Over the summer, we once again participated as a host to two interns through the Smithsonian Affiliation Digital Learning and Engagement Internship Program. Throughout the year, The Rockwell was one of only four Smithsonian Affiliates nationwide to participate in the Smithsonian Youth Leadership Team. Three local students from the High School Learning Center (Sophie Gilbert, Grehyson Perry and Luciana Sheehan) represented our region in the program, which aims to engage youth in discussions about the history of democracy, social justice and national issues faced by teens today. The teens even traveled with Rockwell educators to Washington, DC in August.
Our continued partnership with Art Bridges featured a special conceptual (and emotional) artwork loan by Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Stemming from this loan, the Art Bridges Learning & Engagement grant funding allowed for a series of summer youth group tours, updates to the Artists as Activists Audio Tour and Pride Guide, and a collaborative art program and exhibition opening reception with GATLAS (Gay at the Library After School).
A Whole Year of Stephen Towns
In 2022, The Rockwell added two exciting Stephen Towns artworks to the collection. From this connection stemmed a vision for a never-before-seen exhibition hosted at The Rockwell. To leverage the building excitement for the exhibition, Towns joined the Museum’s lecture series lineup in April to speak about the history of his work to date and what was on the horizon for Rockwell fans. From there, the Museum’s Exhibition Design Team worked closely with the artist throughout the year to bring a multi-sensory, thought-provoking exhibition to the Corning community.
Inspired by Black American History, Stephen Towns creates paintings and quilts that bring often hidden stories back into the light. In Stephen Towns’ Private Paradise: A Figurative Exploration of Black Rest and Recreation, he explores Paradise Park, a segregated park in mid-20th century Silver Springs, Florida. Connecting the photographs and the stories of those who worked, created and visited the park, Towns gives viewers a glimpse of a free space to be Black in a region with few opportunities for equality.
Friends of the museum celebrated the opening of Stephen Towns’ Private Paradise in September in style, with a gallery talk and opening reception. Since then, the exhibition has been lauded by many visitors as their favorite Rockwell exhibition in recent history – and was even picked up by Hyperallergic as one of 10 must-see exhibition in New York state.
Members can tune in for a final virtual program with Stephen Towns and writer/historian Lu Vickers to punctuate a wonderful exhibition run. Plus, A Taste of Lemonade, the quilt that Towns says really pulls the exhibition together, will be acquired into the Museum collection.
Inaugural All Staff JEDAI Day
In February, the Museum closed its doors to the public (this almost never happens) for an entire day of workshops focused on JEDAI initiatives – that stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion. The Rockwell’s full staff, including security and guest services associates, came together for a number of activities, including a building-wide accessibility audit and a workshop on decolonizing artwork labels.
In the afternoon, we were joined by Herb Alexander, Chief Diversity Officer from Cayuga Health System, who facilitated a discussion and presentation on Implicit Bias and the ways it appears in our day-to-day work.
We are very grateful to have been able to set this time aside and budget for the full staff’s involvement in this important work – we look forward to making this an annual day for focused work at all level of the organization.
A Time of Transition
In February, the Museum’s director Brian Lee Whisenhunt announced his departure and new position to lead the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, OK. Lisa Gill, Director of Finance & Operations, quickly accepted the role as interim director as the Board of Trustees engaged with a national search firm to find the permanent appointment.
Throughout the year, Lisa and the Museum’s recognition team planned several fun and engaging programs called Connection Through Transition – staff took turns leading art workshops for their colleagues, from sun catchers to beaded wind chimes to tie-dye, so we could get together and get creative. While these moments were all internal, they were critical to the Rockwell team getting through what could have been a rocky transition. Instead, the team unified more than ever before!
Now, we are ready and excited to welcome a new leader to the helm, Erin M. Coe. Erin will begin at The Rockwell in January, and we know you’re all eager to embrace her into the Corning community.
And the Rest!
It’s very challenging to pick just 10 favorite things about 2024. So, in no particular, some rapid-fire gems:
Sold out TRL! Jake the Ghost-stories. MuseYUM Magic ice cream collaboration with Dippity Do Dah’s. Rockwell Paper Scissors blog posts and videos. Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy. 10th Annual Gingerbread Invitational. The Eclipse! New Alley Art Project at CCC. An enlightening lecture series. A fabulous week with Rachel Hayes!