The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) is hosting a free screening of Art for Everybody: Welcome to the World of Thomas Kinkade on Saturday, June 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. The award-winning documentary peels back the layers of the façade of artist Thomas Kinkade, a complex man divided by two conflicting worlds living in one mind. The screening will be followed by a talkback with the film’s director, Miranda Yousef, moderated by The Little Theatre’s Communications Director, Scott Pukos. Admission is free for everyone, but tickets are required.
Most have seen his idyllic village scenes and gardens on everything from canvas to commemorative plates. While his work was disparaged by the elite art establishment as “kitschy,” Thomas Kinkade’s marketing ingenuity (self-promotion as the “Painter of Light”) propelled his signature style to wild popularity among American evangelicals in the 1990s. After his passing from an alcohol and drug overdose in 2012, Kinkade’s daughters made a discovery that launched an investigation into their father’s true personality – they uncovered a trove of unseen, unexpectedly dark paintings in his vault. Through the voices of skeptical critics, adoring fans, and Kinkade’s closest friends and family, the documentary digs deep to reveal the real man behind the persona.
Art for Everybody is a directorial debut for accomplished cinema editor Miranda Yousef, and it has made BBC Culture’s Top 10 Films for 2025.
Learn more and reserve tickets at https://mag.rochester.edu/event/art-for-everyone/.
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