Read Perspective magazine’s feature, The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop: A Museum Exhibition Like No Other, written by exhibition curators Thomas A. Walsh and Karen L. Maness. The article chronicles the creation of the Boca Raton Museum of Art exhibition, which introduced museum audiences to Hollywood’s scenic artists and the More »
Read It’s Nice That’s feature, “Discover the Laborious Painting Process Behind Hollywood’s Forgotten Film Backdrops,” highlighting Art of the Hollywood Backdrop: Cinema’s Creative Legacy at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. The article introduces readers to the monumental scenic paintings that shaped Hollywood filmmaking while exploring the artists, techniques, and More »
Scenic Artist Oral History Project: A Heritage Explored and Recovered The Scenic Artist Oral History Project preserves the voices and experiences of Hollywood scenic artists. Karen L. Maness and Richard M. Isackes wrote this article for the November/December 2014 issue of Perspective. It highlights the artists, teachers, and traditions that More »
Preserving a Legacy Preserving a Legacy is a feature published in the January/February 2018 issue of Perspective: The Journal of the Art Directors Guild. Written by Thomas Walsh and Karen Maness, the article documents the creation of the Backdrop Recovery Project and the effort to preserve historic Hollywood backdrops for More »
For Hollywood Backdrops, a Happy Ending The Los Angeles Times article “For Hollywood Backdrops, a Happy Ending” by Mary McNamara tells the story of how the Art Directors Guild’s Backdrop Recovery Project saved more than 200 historic Hollywood backdrops from disposal. Production designer Tom Walsh, JC Backings president Lynne Coakley, More »
Published in the Los Angeles Times, “Preserving Films’ Illusions” follows the Art Directors Guild Backdrop Recovery Project and its mission to preserve Hollywood’s painted scenic backdrops. Journalist Mary McNamara interviews production designer Thomas A. Walsh, scenic artist and educator Karen Maness, and J.C. Backings president Lynne Coakley. Together, they explain More »
In “For Hollywood Backdrops, a Happy Ending,” Carole & Co. explores the artistry and preservation of Hollywood’s painted scenic backdrops. Using examples from films such as My Man Godfrey, the post explains how these monumental paintings helped create convincing cinematic worlds long before digital visual effects. The article highlights the More »
About the CBS Sunday Morning Feature CBS Sunday Morning explores the history of Hollywood’s hand-painted movie backdrops and the artists who created them. Correspondent John Blackstone follows the Backdrop Recovery Project, an effort to preserve these monumental paintings before they disappear. The feature includes interviews with Karen Maness, coauthor of More »