Confessions of a Curator: Remembering Camelot exhibit will mimic JFK's final resting place
CONFESSIONS OF A CURATOR: REMEMBERING CAMELOT EXHIBIT
WILL MIMIC KENNEDY’S FINAL RESTING PLACE
From glamorous to intensely serious, Jacques Lowe, John F. Kennedy’s personal photographer, captured the real-life moments of JFK’s campaign, family life and White House. Unfortunately, the negatives to Lowe’s photographs were stored in a bank vault at the World Trade Center and destroyed in the tragic events on Sept. 11, 2001.
Uber-Kennedy collector and Houston resident Frank Harvey developed a friendship with Lowe years before Lowe’s 2001 death, ordering some of his most compelling prints. Today, Harvey owns the largest private collection and some of the rarest of Lowe’s photographs and, many of which have never been viewed by the public, until now.
Remembering Camelot through the Lens of Jacques Lowe - the Private Collection of Frank Harvey will soon make its way to San Marcos for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch a glimpse into the JFK era. The most comprehensive opportunity will take place on Sat., Nov. 16 at Embassy Suites Hotel, Spa & Conference Center in San Marcos. The event will include a brilliant display of JFK photographs and artifacts, including the lead car from JFK’s 1961 inaugural parade and one of his favorite sailing vessels.
Ruth Goerger, a museum technician at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, is curating the event and, with the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination in close proximity, said she incorporated the final resting place of JFK in her exhibit design.
“I thought using the geometry from Arlington National Cemetery would be a way to subtly acknowledge the solemnness of the occasion,” Goerger said. “It’s on a square grid, so at any location you are standing in the cemetery you’ll see a line of headstones, and you’ll be able to see a very similar line in the photo display.”
Goerger says guests can expect theatricality in her design with the positioning of objects and dramatic shifts in lighting.
“I think the Kennedy’s are the only American royalty we’ve ever had,” Goerger said. “There’s just a fascination with the Kennedy’s that continues through the decades, and people continue to be fascinated with the 1960s, in particular with JFK serving as the icon for that era.”
Besides dozens of rare images and JFK memorabilia, the event will feature Kennedy-era inspired hors d’oeuvres, specialty cocktails, a unique silent auction and keynote speakers.
Proceeds from the event will benefit True Vineyard Ministries, a non-profit organization that empowers Rwandan widows that were left behind in the tragic, 100-day genocide of the 1990s. Harvey’s cousin, Diana Wiley, founded the ministry after hearing a heart-felt testimony at her church that moved her to take action.
Additionally, the following opportunity will provide a chance to view limited portions of the Remembering Camelot exhibit:
Sunday, Nov. 17 - $25
Embassy Suites Hotel, Spa & Conference Center in San Marcos
· A public viewing of the photography portion from the collection
Tickets to the full exhibit on Nov. 16 cost $250. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.RememberingCamelot.com.
