Off the Shelf Book Club: Wilderness by Rockwell Kent

As a budding artist in the 1920s, Wharton Esherick actively looked up to the painter, printmaker, and illustrator Rockwell Kent. When Esherick was first experimenting with the medium of printmaking, he acquired a copy of Rockwell Kent’s book Wilderness (1920) to study his woodblock illustrations. Kent’s book—a twentieth century transcendentalist tale in the vein of Thoreau and Emerson—documents a seven-month adventure taken with his son to live in the remote Alaskan wilderness, and explores the isolation of wilderness, connection to nature, and ideas of self-sufficiency. During the meeting, we’ll be exploring Esherick’s copy of Wilderness, books that Esherick also illustrated, and ephemera from Esherick and Kent’s common exhibitions.

Off the Shelf: The Wharton Esherick Museum Book Club is an in-person program at the Wharton Esherick Museum. We will hold meetings every six weeks, on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:00 p.m. For each meeting we will gather in the 1956 Workshop to discuss a select text and enjoy light fare, refreshments, and community! In addition, each meeting will include a trip into the Studio to examine relevant archival and special collections material.