Provincetown Art Association & Museum (PAAM) to Present a Weekend With Walton Ford

Written by Ashley Grullemans Saturday, 02 July 2011 20:10

Provincetown, MA - The Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) and Norman Mailer Writers Colony (NMWC) announce two special events featuring the internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Walton Ford; both events are open to the public and proceeds will benefit both non-profit groups. First is a gathering and intimate dinner with the artist at the historic Norman Mailer Home on Saturday, August 15, 7:30pm. At $325, tickets include a signed copy of Ford's book, Pancha Tantra. The second event is a public presentation at PAAM on Sunday, August 16, 11am, during which this former Guggenheim Fellow discusses his creative journey and his artworks in an open forum.

At first glance, Walton Ford's large-scale, highly-detailed watercolors of animals may recall the prints of 19th century illustrators John James Audubon and Edward Lear, and others of the colonial era. But a closer look reveals a complex and disturbingly anthropomorphic universe, full of symbols, sly jokes, and allusions to the 'operatic' nature of traditional natural history themes. An enthusiast of the watercolors of John James Audubon, Ford celebrates the myth surrounding the renowned naturalist-painter while simultaneously repositioning him as an infamous anti-hero who, in reality, killed more animals than he ever painted.

The beasts and birds populating Ford's works are never mere objects, but dynamic actors in allegorical struggles: a wild turkey crushes a small parrot in its claw; a troupe of monkeys wreak havoc on a formal dinner table, an American buffalo is surrounded by bloodied white wolves. Blending depictions of natural history with political commentary, Ford's meticulous paintings satirize the history of colonialism and the continuing impact of slavery and other forms of political oppression on today's social and environmental landscape. Each painting is as much a tutorial in flora and fauna as it is as a scathing indictment of the wrongs committed by nineteenth-century industrialists or, locating the work in the present, contemporary American consumer society.

Mark Jacobson of New York Magazine writes that in Ford's,"fabulously detailed, Audubon-on-Viagra watercolors [...] all tempting fruits are attached to unseen snares, tigers are bedeviled by bees, and great auks march like lemming into flames."

Walton Ford is the recipient of several national awards and honors including a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ford's work is represented by the Paul Kasmin Gallery, NY, and has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art at Champion, and the Forum for Contemporary Art in St. Louis. After living in New York City for more than a decade, Ford relocated his studio to Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He and his family reside in upstate New York.

The Norman Mailer Writer's Colony will host a dinner event with Walton Ford at the historic Norman Mailer home in Provincetown, MA on the evening of Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 7:30pm. Only 40 tickets available to this intimate gathering. Guests will enjoy an elegant dinner in the company of the artist, and will be given a signed copy of Ford's book, Pancha Tantra, published by TASCHEN Books. Tickets: $325.00

On Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 11am, Walton Ford will offer a two-hour public presentation at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Attendees will have the opportunity to converse with the artist, ask questions, and view original artworks. Tickets: $25.00

Both events are sponsored by TASCHEN Books

Please reserve your tickets for by contacting PAAM at 508-487-1750, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or NMWC at 800-835-7853 or 508-413-3288 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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