"More than Words" Personal Letters on display at SAMA

San Antonio - Personal letters from some of the most important artists of the 19th and 20th centuries will be on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art on November 3rd, 2007 as part of the new Smithsonian traveling exhibition, “More Than Words: Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.” The exhibit will remain on view through January 13, 2008, before continuing a 10-city national tour.

The exhibition provides a unique look into the lives of key artists, including Thomas Eakins, Frida Kahlo, Marcel Duchamp, Dale Chihuly & Andy Warhol, through handwritten letters to family members, friends and business associates. “The personal letters featured in ‘More Than Words’ uncover new insights into the personalities and creative processes of some of America ’s finest artists,” said Liza Kirwin, the exhibition’s curator and curator of manuscripts at the Archives of American Art.

“In this age of modern technology, the works are designed to inspire us to communicate more thoughtfully and remind us to cherish handwritten, personal communications.” Kirwin will be speaking at SAMA in regards to the exhibition as part of the Louis A. & Frances B. Wagner lecture series on Sunday, December 9th at 3 p.m. The lecture is free with Museum admission.

“More Than Words” is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

The exhibition More than Words: Illustrated Letters form the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art invites us to reflect on the wonders of handmade communications. Dr. Liza Kirwin, More Than Words author, exhibition curator, and the curator of manuscripts at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, will discuss the selection of letters and research behind the exhibition. A reception, also open to the public, will follow.

For a complete calendar listing of exhibitions, lectures and other special events open to the public, visit SAMA’s Web site at www.samuseum.org.

Leigh Baldwin
Public Relations and Marketing
San Antonio Museum of Art
200 West Jones Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78215