Samurai heroes featured at museum

Oct. 27, 2016 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

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SPRINGFIELD – The heroes born in the Pioneer Valley – the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) – will be the subject of an exhibition at the Springfield Museums that will combine original comic book art with vintage Japanese prints and selections of ancient Japanese armor and weapons.

“Turtle Power! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Samurai Heroes” would be an opportunity for people to see some of the images and artifacts that found their way into the pop culture phenomena and be introduced to some of the museum’s collections, Julia Courtney, the curator of art for the museums, explained to Reminder Publications.

The exhibit will run from Nov. 8 through May 14, 2017. A members-only reception featuring free pizza will take place on Nov. 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. Guests are invited to dress in their best ninja outfit, but keep the weapons at home.

An interactive, Saturday morning TMNT cartoon area and activities based on samurai warriors will be offered for children and families within the exhibition gallery.

Courtney said the idea of the exhibit came during the course of discussions with Northampton-based collector Elias Derby about another issue. Derby offered the museum a loan of his TMNT original art and Courtney thought it would be a good fit with the 19th century Japanese armor and weapons collection at the George Walter Vincent Smith collection as well as the Japanese woodblock print collection at Museum of Fine Arts.

Courtney said the armor and weapons were purchased by Smith prior to 1896 when the museum first opened, some dating back to the 14th and 15th century. Springfield Attorney Raymond Bidwell gave the museums his collection of 2,000 Japanese prints in the 1960s.

She said for the exhibit, prints that have collected include images of samurai as well as some turtles. She sees the exhibit as a way for fans of the comic book heroes to see actual images and items that inspired the look and content of the TMNT. Courtney noted some of the weapons the mutated turtles will be in the exhibition.

The Turtles were created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman in 1984 for their self-published comic book and the exhibit will feature 80 original illustrations by Eastman, Laird, and more than 20 artists. The two artists were living in Northampton at the time and their company Mirage Studios was based there for many years.

Laird sold the property to Nickelodeon/Paramount in 2009 for a reported $60 million. Eastman had sold his share in the partnership years before, although he now works on the current TNMT comic book series. Since the sale, the Turtles have been the subject of a new television series as well as a successful reboot as a movie franchise.

Courtney said she has contacted both of the creators and invited them to the exhibit. She said they are both “excited about the show,” and would like to visit it if their schedules allow it. Both men now live on the West Coast.

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