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 »
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 »
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 Art Behind the Scenes: The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop is a short promotional video produced by Texas Performing Arts. In the video, curator Karen Maness welcomes visitors and introduces an exhibition featuring monumental Hollywood scenic backdrops displayed on the Bass Concert Hall stage. Although the video is More »
About the Trailer Texas Performing Arts produced Behind the Scenes: Hollywood’s Sistine Chapel to introduce an exhibition featuring monumental Hollywood scenic backdrops. The trailer invites visitors onto the Bass Concert Hall stage, where they can experience a nearly complete scenic replica of the Sistine Chapel. Although the trailer lasts only More »
About the Article Read The Spectator feature, The Forgotten Art of Hollywood Backdrops, by Mitchell Jackson. The article explores Art of the Hollywood Backdrop: Cinema’s Creative Legacy, an exhibition at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Jackson examines the artistry behind Hollywood’s hand-painted scenic backdrops and the efforts to preserve More »