Tuesday Talks presents Lauren Zito - 11/28/23

[Kristin Short]

Tuesday Talks presents Lauren Zito, Assistant Professor in the
Communication Studies Department at SUNY Plattsburgh, speaking on "Rockwell
Kent - from Asgaard to Newfoundland - a New Journey" on *Tuesday, November
28, 2023 at 4:30pm* in the Angell College Center's Cardinal Lounge. Below
is an abstract of the presentation.

Asgaard Farms, as it is appropriately named, is nestled in the northern
part of the Adirondacks. This farm was Rockwell Kent’s studio and home, and
is now his final resting place. Thus, my beginning of this journey starts
at his end. What finally brought him to Asgaard after wandering so many far
regions for most of his life? Raised in the city, he found himself
traveling to the harshest and farthest areas over and over. What was he
looking for, putting himself through these trials?

In the spring of 2023 I made the journey to explore Newfoundland and
Labrador, and embarked on a three week road trip beginning in Maine. I
explored Gros Morne, touched (too briefly) upon Labrador, journeyed to the
northern peninsula into Raleigh, feeling the wind the Vikings may have
felt, then traveled east to Saint John’s and Brigus. My visit to the Kent
Cottage in Brigus was both a profound and mundane experience. I could feel
the history, not just from Rockwell Kent’s time, but from all of the other
occupants over the years, both artists and non-artists alike. The Kent
Cottage felt like a rich hodge-podge scrapbook that spanned eras, styles,
times, and thoughts. I was pulled into the simple, yet elegant layers of
wallpaper, both hidden and exposed, along with the notes from past visitors
scrawled on the walls marking their brief moments in the cottage. I, too,
wanted to leave my mark.

My road trip to Newfoundland left an indelible mark on me. These journeys,
writings and shooting aren’t to recreate the travels of Rockwell Kent. Like
mentioned before, it's already been documented many times, many ways. I
look to dive deeper under the visual surface, looking at the quiet forms,
patterns and dances of light that don’t always make the final cuts in a
traditional biography documentary, biopics or other “art films”.

This talk is a first look at what I experienced in Newfoundland - from the
mundane (just how many "best fish in Newfoundland" restaurants are there?)
to the more sublime (the ancient icebergs that drift on Labrador and
Newfoundland beaches to twinkle away in the sun and fade away).  I'll be
sharing my journey through photos, videos and stories, and with audience
participation, help me parse through this beautiful part of the world that
captivated not only Rockwell Kent but many before and many after him.
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