Hey Backers & Baseball Fans! So excited to announce that the "America At The Seams" project has been selected to be part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's 29th Annual Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball & American Culture. The conference is May 31 through June 2, 2017 in Cooperstown, NY and I've been given permission to display my United States map original artwork in the Giamatti Research Center during the conference.
Our session is Friday evening, 6/2 from 6:30pm - 7:00pm in the Bullpen Theater. I will moderate the session with an introduction to the AATS project and Ethan Bryan, the talented coffee table book writer that interviewed all 50 project participants, will follow with a 15 minute summary of the project's stories in a poem arranged similar to Casey at the Bat. The evening will conclude with a baseball movie titled Pastime (Miramax, 1991).
Want to join me? The symposium is open to the public for anyone that pays the registration fees. The 3 day fee is $185, which includes light refreshments each day, a catered dinner in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery on Thursday evening, and a three-day pass to the Hall of Fame. Per diem rates are available for those unable to attend the entire symposium ($50 for Wednesday or Friday, and $100 for Thursday which includes dinner). To register, go to www.baseballhall.org/learn/symposium. If you plan on coming, let me know! I'd love to meet my backers!
What this means: I have my work cut out for me this month! Currently, 30 of the 50 state artworks are complete, another 6 in production, and 14 states with baseballs not yet received. I'm working hard to have the entire artwork done Memorial Day for the 2 day drive from Sioux Falls, SD to Cooperstown, NY, a whopping 19 hours (1341 miles). Looking forward to having my dad along with me for the journey! Below is a picture of the AATS artwork with 22 states displayed:
22 of 50 States
Lastly, if you haven't heard, I've launched my official website presale of the AATS Book. The first 1,000 copies will be hand-signed and individually numbered by me. If you want this first-edition collectors item, you can order for only $29.95 a copy HERE. Latest estimate on book launch date is late July this summer.
Thank you!
Nathan Rueckert, Founder & Owner
Baseball Seams Co., LLC