Buried Treasures
The Unseen Art of Robert Ross
Press Release
SUBJECT: Robert Ross Documentary
DATE: April 21, 2014
CONTACT: Gary Weidner, Filmmaker, (479)601-2014, gary@gw-pro.com; Richard Tiffany, Filmmaker, (479)595-8410,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Artist Robert Ross the Focus of New Documentary
FAYETTEVILLE, AR- A new documentary film about Fayetteville artist Robert Ross will premiere in September at the Fayetteville Public Library.
“Hidden Treasures: The Unseen Art of Robert Ross” explores the half-century career of the University of Arkansas professor emeritus, from his undergraduate studies at Yale in the 1950s under Joseph Albers to his hiring at Arkansas in 1967 and his subsequent influence on a large number of Arkansas artists.
In addition to teaching, Ross remained extremely productive, traveling to France each year for month-long landscape trips and painting figures in his studio on south Block Street in Fayetteville. In 1980 he was commissioned by Washington Regional Medical Center to create a 12-foot tile mural. When the hospital relocated, Ross cut the mural from the wall himself to save it from demolition. The restored mural is now owned by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.
The film includes interviews with local artists, art educators and former students, including George Dombek, Lynn Jacobs, Leilani Law, Scott Lunsford, Bootie Kling, and others.
“Hidden Treasures” was produced in association with the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism. The filmmakers will be available before and after the screening to discuss the film and answer questions.