Join us for an afternoon of talks by the New York creatives who brought the exhibition and book The Art of Rube Goldberg to life. The Art of Rube Goldberg is the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition since 1970 to celebrate the groundbreaking artwork of one of the most influential cartoon illustrators of the twentieth century.

Presentations will include Jennifer George’s recent work on bringing Rube Goldberg’s work into the 21st Century and Creighton Michael’s The Art (Hand) of Rube Goldberg which briefly explores the drawings of Rube Goldberg through the lens of history noting their fascinating comparisons with Renaissance masters, their parallel to the narrative traditions central in American Regionalism, and their pictorial representation of American popular humor. The conversation will be moderated by Charles Kochman.

Speakers:

Jennifer George – Legacy Director Rube Goldberg Inc.
Fashion Designer Jennifer George is Rube Goldberg’s granddaughter and oversees all aspects of her grandfather’s estate. There are books, toys, museum shows and a feature film in the works, but for 32 years the cornerstone of the Rube Goldberg IP has been the Machine Contests that bear his name. Jennifer inherited the mantle of running RGI from her father and is focused on keeping the IP thriving for generations to come.

Charles Kochman is the Editorial Director of Abrams ComicArts and editor of the #1 bestselling series Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. For more than thirty years, Kochman has edited several hundred books for all age groups, including award-winning picture books, middle-grade novels, retrospectives, monographs, graphic novels, and art book collections published by Abrams, DC Comics, MAD magazine, Bantam Books, and Putnam. A member of the National Cartoonists Society, the Society of Illustrators, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Kochman is also a recipient of the Inkpot Award, presented by Comic-Con International for achievement in comics.

Creighton Michael received his M.A. in art history from Vanderbilt University and a M.F.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. A grant recipient of a Pollack Krasner, a NYFA and Golden Foundation award, his work can be found in various collections including the Brooklyn Museum, High Museum, Metropolitan Museum, National Gallery, McNay Art Museum, Ogden Museum and The Phillips Collection. Michael has had solo exhibitions at the High Museum, Katonah Museum, The Queens Museum at Bulova Center (Hitomi Iwasaki, curator), Neuberger Museum and The Mint Museums, as well as numerous galleries and art centers both nationally and internationally. Abroad he has had solo exhibitions in Copenhagen, Montreal and Reykjavík. As an educator, Michael has been on the faculty at R.I.S.D., Pennsylvania Academy of Art, Princeton University and Hunter College. Recent exhibition credits as curatorial producer are, The Art of Rube Goldberg; Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936—Present; Mutual Muses: The Collaborative Life of James Seawright and Mimi Garrard; and opening in early 2020 at the Hofstra Museum of Art, Uncharted: American Abstraction in the Information Age.

The content of The Art of Rube Goldberg is based on the book of the same title, published by Abrams ComicArts, and includes over 75 original drawings and sketches, video stations screening Goldberg’s films and taped interviews, as well as photographs, books, magazines, and other materials. The companion book, The Art of Rube Goldberg, accompanies the exhibition.

The Art of Rube Goldberg was conceived by Creighton Michael; developed in cooperation with Heirs of Rube Goldberg, LLC, NY, NY; and curated by Max Weintraub.

These partners have been collaborating with International Arts & Artists on a national tour that began February 10, 2017, at the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, Washington. The exhibition has traveled to the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan (May 21, 2017 – August 27, 2017); the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, California (March 15, 2018 – July 8, 2018); the Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine (August 3, 2018 – September 22, 2018); the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (October 12, 2018 – January 21, 2019).

Tour organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.

The Rube Goldberg organization consists of two different companies: RGI (Rube Goldberg, Inc.), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit; and HRG (Heirs of Rube Goldberg), the for-profit arm. Both RGI and HRG work together to maximize the full potential of Rube Goldberg’s life’s work—a rich archive, 50,000 drawings deep—as a funding source to help endow its not-for-profit STEM and STEAM Education Initiatives.

International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs, and services to artists, arts institutions and the public. www.artsandartists.org

Image: Rube Goldberg, Rube Goldberg Inventions United States Postal Service Stamp (included on sheet of “Comic Classics” stamps), date unknown. Sheet of USPS stamps. Artwork Copyright © Rube Goldberg Inc. All Rights Reserved. RUBE GOLDBERG ® is a registered trademark of Rube Goldberg Inc. All materials used with permission. www.rubegoldberg.com

Major funding for the Queens Museum is generously provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the Lambent Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation. The official hotel sponsor of the Queens Museum is Boro New York.