“Now Showing: An American Century at the Movies” will run from Friday, Sept. 2, to Sunday, Oct. 16, at the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa. Drawing from Dr. Stefan P. Kruszewski's vast collection of vintage film posters, this exhibition seeks to examine the broad topics of war, race, gender, adventure, and romance as they are represented in individual films. “Now Showing” provides the viewer with a glimpse into not only how American culture shapes film, but how film embodies America.
"For the opening, we wanted to have something fun and dynamic for students," said Dr. Barbara McNulty, director of the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery. There will be an "Academy Awards" for Best Make-up, Most Authentic Costume, Most Creative Costume, Most Humorous Costume, and Best Overall Costume. A red carpet will lead to the gallery and will include music from soundtracks of movies along with refreshments and popcorn. Todd Snovel, '06, LVC director of student engagement, will MC the event. Dr. Lewis Evitts Thayne, LVC president, and Dorothy Thayne will host the opening reception Friday, Sept. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. Students are encouraged to dress as their favorite movie character.
Rebecca Worhach, '16, recent art and art history graduate, wrote the catalog that accompanies the exhibition. Two faculty members, Michael Pittari, professor of art and visual culture, and Dr. Robert Machado, assistant professor of English, wrote forewords for the catalog, which is available for $12.
The lecture, “Just Imagine: Genre and the Logic of Movie Posters” by Dr. Fabrizio Cilento, associate professor of film and digital media at Messiah College, will be held in conjunction with the exhibition on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 5 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Dr. Cilento's articles have appeared in Cinema Journal, Fast Capitalism, Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies, California Italian Studies, and Comedy Studies. In the field of digital media, he launched the collaborative project Cinemablography (www.cinemablography.org), with the goal of tracing a cinematic map of the 2000s.
The gallery is open on Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Schools and other organizations are encouraged to contact the gallery for a guided visit.
Additional information is available at www.lvc.edu/gallery or by calling 717-867-6445.