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| May 19, 2025 |
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General News: Documenting a Heart-Felt Connection to Art
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| The cameras were rolling as Wally McGuire used a young volunteer to capture elements of shape and form. |
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| Wally's animated teaching style captures his audience's attention. |
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| Louise Nevelson's sculpture City on a High Mountain. |
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| Members of the audience formed an embrace that evoked the shape of the sculpture by Henry Moore (in background). |
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| Arts educator Sandra Kay is producing the documentary because she believes that Wally's teaching style could inspire others. |
A crew of documentary filmmakers came to Cornwall this weekend to record the work of art educator Wally McGuire at Storm King Art Center. McGuire, a Cornwall-on-Hudson resident and art teacher, has developed a special tour of the sculpture park to encourage visits to make a heart-felt connection to the art work.
When he gives his presentation, McGuire draws a crowd around him. His presentation is magical and inspiring, so inspiring that it touched another art educator, Sandra Kay, to make a documentary about the techniques that Wally uses to inspire a deeper understanding of artistic expression. Armed with a good idea and no funding, Kay began asking for help, recruiting friends and friends-of-friends who helped her with some early fundraising and professional expertise. On Sunday and Monday, noted cinematographer Declan Quinn, another village resident, took time off from another film production to be one of two camera operators at Storm King Art Center.
Appreciating the Shape and Materials Used in Artistic Creation
Beneath a crisp blue October sky on Monday, Wally welcomed visitors and described how he has been coming to the art center for more than 40 years, first as an art teacher in the Monroe-Woodbury schools and later as an education consultant at the sculpture park where he has introduced thousands of people to a way of experiencing art that makes it feel both familiar and imaginative. “Art is not a big capital “A,” he said, “This is a wonderful environment to see the details of shape and materials.”
While the camera crews recorded his lecture, Wally beguiled his audience seated in front of a large black steel sculpture by the artist Louise Nevelson. First, he draped a blue cloth over a young volunteer and encouraged viewers to image what the shapes beneath revealed. He then asked them to look at the sculpture and identify the materials it was made from and to guess what the shapes in it represent. In a short time, people could see the suggestion of an elevator and building materials, images that they soon learned are central to the piece entitled “City on a High Mountain.”
Art Appreciation for Future Imaginative Experiences
Moving on to a smooth black sculpture by the British artist Henry Moore, Wally recruited members of the audience to hold hands to form a group that roughly mirrored the sculpture’s shape. He ended by explaining that Moore had gone to the bomb shelters in London during World War Two where the groups of people underground provided inspiration for his work, including this piece, “Reclining Connected Forms.”
In the four decades that Wally has been showing people how they can better appreciate the large and small sculptures at Storm King Art Center, his spirit has motivated what Sandra Kay describes as “the energy and joy shared in a safe journey of discovery (that) leaves a lasting impression and a model for future imaginative experiences. “
Kaye also notes that people who want to support this documentary about Wally McGuire’s unique method of making a heart connection with art are invited to contribute to the production, which has a budget of $75,000. Please contact Sandra at Sandra Kay [email protected] for details about how you can be part of this effort.
Comments:
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This is a tremendous undertaking and all parties involved! I hope folks will consider donating to the project so that others can eventually see the film and be inspired.
posted by Karen Carroll on 10/14/10 at 11:06 AM
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