Hopper Art Mystery Debuts

More than 1,000 children and their parents will enjoy the premiere of Who’s in the Hopper? An Art Mystery Adventure, by Mary Hall Surface. Preview dress rehearsals take place in Washington, D.C., at the National Gallery of Art and are part of a celebration of the work of American master artist Edward Hopper that opened at the National Gallery on September 17 and runs until January 21, 2008. According to the gallery:

This is the first comprehensive survey of Edward Hopper’s career to be seen in American museums outside New York in more than 25 years. Focusing on the period of the artist’s great achievements--from about 1925 to mid-century--the exhibition will feature such iconic paintings as Automat (1927), Drug Store (1927), Early Sunday Morning (1930), New York Movie (1939), and Nighthawks (1942).

Who’s in the Hopper? An Art Mystery Adventure was written and will be directed by Surface, a playwright best known for her work with works aimed at young audiences. Performances will take place on November 14, 15, and 16 at 10:30 a.m. Following the play, school groups will tour the Edward Hopper exhibition independently, using student activity booklets “designed to encourage closer looking.”