LaGrange Art Museum to exhibit Creative Obscurity: The Genius Noel Rockmore October 29th, 2011- January 28th, 2012 LaGRANGE, Ga., (October 13, 2011) - An exhibit featuring the works of Noel Rockmore—a painter, draughtsman and sculptor from New Orleans—opens at LaGrange Art Museum on October 29th, representing the largest collection of Rockmore pieces ever in one show. The American artist’s work is included in major collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, New Orleans Museum of Art and other noteworthy venues while his series of Jazz portraits are on permanent display at Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Rockmore was born in New York City in 1928 and claimed to have produced more than 15,000 works of art. Best known for his portraits, he experienced a measure of fame in the 1950s but never achieved recognition as a master painter, recognition he—and many who know his work—was sure he deserved. Rockmore died in 1995. In 2006, his friend Shirley Marvin returned with her son, Rich, to storage units in New Orleans that she had not visited since Hurricane Katrina. She was 84 years old at the time and remembered she had packed away some of Rockmore’s pieces. She, Rich and his wife, Tee, were stunned to discover more than 1,200 works, all unharmed by the 2005 storm. The show, “Creative Obscurity: The Genius Noel Rockmore”, is sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Howard, the City of LaGrange, Computer Aided Instruction Institute, and the Lamar Dodd Art Center of LaGrange College. The exhibition runs October 29th, 2011 through January 28th, 2012 with openings Opening Weekend, October 28-30, at LaGrange Art Museum, the Lamar Dodd Art Center of LaGrange College and The Cochran Gallery on the Square. The three-venue exhibition is sponsored by Ralph Howard and features approximately 200 paintings, prints, sculptures, drawings and documentation on Rockmore, who many consider an undiscovered genius.  FRIDAY, Oct. 28th: The newly renovated Lamar Dodd Art Center at LaGrange College will hold a beginning at 7 PM- 9 PM on Friday October 28th. A sketchbook from 1985 will be on display alongside the paintings that were a result of those sketches that give insight into the artistic process. Original transcripts of many letters exchanged between Rockmore and his patron Shirley Marvin will also on display. The letters are quite revealing of the relationship between a talented but frustrated artist, his patron and William May, the man from LaGrange who helped Rockmore at a crucial time in his career.  SATURDAY, Oct. 29th: The LaGrange Art Museum will have a ROCKMORE Halloween Masquerade Party with dance band, wine, beer and Cajun food. This will begin at 7 PM on Saturday, October 29th. There will be a $30 per person charge for this event with proceeds going to the LaGrange Art Museum. This will certainly be a night to remember as the Museum and its massive courtyard are transformed into the kind of Party and Opening that the artist himself would have loved. Get lost in the exhibition ‘Creative Obscurity: The Genius of Noel Rockmore’, showing hundreds of works completed over four decades. Some of these works have been in storage for 40 years and many will be seen for the first time at this event which promises to be a night to remember.  SUNDAY, Oct. 30th: The Cochran Gallery on the Square in LaGrange will have an open house with refreshments and Lectures/Stories from The Marvin's beginning at 1 PM on Sunday October 30th. There is no charge for this event that will also have many Rockmore's on display. It will be the perfect wind down and reflection time on Rockmore to conclude this three day extravaganza. The Noel Rockmore Project aims to create awareness and recognition of Rockmore who, according to Rich Marvin, “was an artistic genius and an unrecognized American Master of the 20th Century.” The LaGrange show will be the second here to showcase Rockmore’s work. A smaller exhibit of his art opened in 1984 at the LaGrange Art Museum, then known as the Chattahoochee Valley Art Association.  The LaGrange Art Museum is a not-for-profit art museum dedicated to the enjoyment and understanding of the visual arts through the quality of its collections, exhibits, education programs, and community outreach initiatives. It is committed to being a vital partner in the educational and cultural life of the community it serves. Known as one of Georgia’s best regional museums, the LaGrange Art Museum collects and presents contemporary art by emerging and established artists. Housed in a former jail dating to 1892, the Museum is committed to connecting community with creativity and the role that the arts can play in our wider society. The LAM Education program develops the creativity of thousands of people each year from all backgrounds and ages. Sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Howard, the City of LaGrange, Computer Aided Instruction Institute, and the Lamar Dodd Art Center of LaGrange College. For more information, call the museum at (706) 882-3267 or visit lagrangeartmuseum.org or art@lagrangeartmuseum.org