New York City Transit Provides Artistic Expression for Children's Book Illustrators

New York City Transit seems an unlikely patron of the arts but for years they have supported various art and musical projects Think about all the musicians who perform underground and the art work and murals gracing the walls and tiles of the subway going as far back as the Great Depression.  

  

For their latest project, The Metropolitan Transit Authority's Arts for Transit program has commissioned children's book illustrators Sophie Blackall and R. Gregory Christie to each create a poster for the Big Apple's subway cars.  Each artist created his or her own story and vision to enhance the experience of New Yorkers’ underground experience. Now families can enjoy colorful banners with “rainbow-hued musicians, fish, and a cornucopia of straphangers” as they trek through The Big Apple.” Gregory Christie, the recipient of three Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards is also a subway rider. “"I wanted to create something adults, kids and teens would be interested in looking at, but would be modern and striking in a gray under dwelling."

Sophie Blackball was inspired by the sketchbooks she has filled riding the subway over the years to create a poster that features 30 New Yorkers, including two Muslim students, a fisherman, a Hassidic man, and even her own children - with her son carrying a skateboard and sporting a blue helmet, and her daughter decked out in bright yellow tights. "This was one of my dream jobs, apart from a New Yorker cover."

Now everyone can enjoy their work as you travel underground in the city, and if inspired can buy a copy of the posters at http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/posters/artcards.html

Children Design HappyDolls for Tohoku

 

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the Japan Society provided children with the opportunity to design HappyDolls for Tohoku.  Over 50 children designed and created HappyDolls and messages to send to the children in Tohoku.

The Lorax - A Movie with a Message

I always wonder why every sci-fi movie except for the Jetsons depicts the future as bleak and scary? Can’t humans create a world where peace and harmony with each other and the environment is possible? Maybe, we need a constant reminder that caring for our planet is important.  Movies like The Lorax provide that gentle reminder. Do we really want to wake up in a town like Thneedville where everything is colorful and plastic but fresh air is sold in bottles?

Everyone in Thneedville seems quite satisfied with their artificial world until one day, a young lady named Audrey decides she would love to see a real tree. Ted, her twelve-year-old admirer is not quite sure what a tree is but he is determined to grant her wish. Thus sets in motion this Dr. Seuss adventure where colorful gold fish sing, trees look like cotton candy and lots of cuddly creatures roam. Along the way we meet the Lorax, guardian of the trees, a misguided entrepreneur, corporate greed in the form of a financial wiz and a feisty grandmother.

Of course, there are lessons to learn in a Dr. Seuss sort of way with plenty of music and rhyme. Children will feel like they have jumped into a Dr. Seuss’ book, which comes alive in 3-D with all the color and characters of his special world. The Lorax will spark lots of questions and conversation so after the movie; the book, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss first written in 1971 is still available to continue the adventure.

The Adventures of Tintin wins The Golden Globe

The Adventures of Tintin won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards last week. It was the first non-Pixar film to win the award.

At last year’s Comic Con, the large comic book festival in NYC, I was surprised to see a  booth devoted to Tintin. I had to check if this was the same Tintin that I knew. I was first introduced to Tintin in a French class.  He was a character created by Herge´, a Belgian comic book artist. We were required to practice our French by reading books including children's stories and easy readers. I was curious when I found the works of Herge´ in the college library. They were hard covered comic books recounting the adventures of a young fifteen-year-old reporter who can best be described as a young Indiana Jones.  Herge´’s stories were influenced by national geographic and the intrigues of World War I.  I enjoyed following Tintin’s adventures although I later found out some of the stories had included many of the racial stereotypes that were prevalent at that time. One book in particular, Tintin in the Congo has been deemed racist and controversial. In some countries it has been banned or labeled inappropriate for children. Herge´ later admitted there was a problem with his earlier works and with maturity he would have handled the stories differently.

Tintin was never popular in the US but in Europe he was well loved. In 1983, Steven Spielberg was introduced to Tintin and contacted Herge´ to obtain the film rights.

Flash forward almost thirty years and The Adventures of Tintin has finally hit the screen. This was a story that had been put on the back burner for so long that fans of Herge´ thought it would never be made but as Spielberg explains, the timing was right today with a new technology that makes the characters look almost real. Spielberg has woven several of Herge’s stories together to introduce Tintin to a new generation.  The Tintin, he has presented is sanitized without the racial stereotypes that marred some of the books. However, there are other parts of the story that have not been cleaned up like Captain Haddock, Tintin’s confidant who has a drinking problem. His condition is handled in a humorous way on screen and later he is able to vindicate himself.

The new version of The Adventures of Tintin is a story of intrigue and redemption.  Spielberg has tried to bring to the screen that part of Tintin that was loved for generations.  For young people who do not have any historical references Tintin is a brand new character that is both likeable and exciting. Everyone loves mystery, intrigue and swashbuckling adventure. New technology also makes the characters so life-like that it is amazing to watch.  But can Tintin be redeemed from the mistakes of his creator to become a modern day heroic figure?  Other characters have been able to rise above their flawed past but only time will tell.

The Little Match Girl - Celebrating Christmas

My holidays are spent with my seven nephews and nieces ranging in age from one to nine so it can get very hectic. Sometimes we get caught up in the hustle of the holiday season, and lose our joy. This year we had a few melt downs not with the young children who were blissfully happy but the older kids.  The ones almost reaching tweens had a problem. They were not sure what they wanted but they were sure they didn't get it. Talking about gratitude did not help, they felt jaded.  Finally, I started to realize they were going through growing pains.  It is hard to give up the surprise, magic and wonderlust of childhood. So I decided to dispense with the lecture on appreciation and let them work through their feelings.  By the end of Christmas day, they were back to their golly selves.

Later when I was reading Christmas stories from an anthology, the story of The Little Match Girl kept popping up. This story by the Danish storyteller, Hans Christian Andersen is a tearjerker, the kind I avoid reading on the holidays to the kids. I remember as a child shedding a few tears reading The Little Match Girl. This time I decided to read them the story, maybe they needed to hear a story about the bitter sweetness of life. I grew up reading fairy tales by Mr. Andersen and as I recall many of his stories have a tinge of sadness, The Steadfast Soldier, The Pearl to name a few.  Forget the idea that fairy tales are sugar coated.  This is the story of a young girl left to die in the cold on Christmas night.  A good story can evoke empathy and remind us of our social responsibility.  There was complete silence while I read the story.  After the only questions they asked  were, Where were her parents? and Why didn't the families in the window invite her in?

In this age of corporate greed and personal selfishness a good story reminds us to look beyond our window and encounter a bigger truth. The younger children were happy with what they thought was a happy ending but the older children got the message. And that is the way it should be as we grow up.  So this was our story for the season.

There are many renditions of this beautiful story, a story for all seasons.  How do you handle telling children sad stories? Do you avoid them or do you think they are an opportunity for young people to express their deep feelings.

Merry Christmas!  Happy Chanukah!  Happy New Year!  Happy Kwanzaa!

Pentagram – L!brary Initiative

Classes are now back in session and some lucky students will enjoy a new library space in their school. Thanks to the Robin Hood Foundation who commissioned Pentagram, the design studio to remodel or create ten new libraries in New York City public elementary schools.  Libraries are such a magical place of learning for young children and each space was uniquely designed for that school. Pentagram has created spaces that are comfortable and say welcome. Welcome to the library where the imagination can soar and knowledge flows freely.

 

Special thanks to a link from http://www.flygirls.typepad.com/fly/page/4/

Join Will.I.Am for his TV Special "i.am First: Science is Rock and Roll"

I think all children are born super scientists but somewhere along the way the energy and enthusiasm for science is drained out of them.  Rapper, musician, producer, Will.I. Am after listening to the depressing news about the economy came to the conclusion that "America has the flu and that science is the Vitamin C that our economy needs." He became inspired when he attended A Robotic Competition.

"In order to elevate what he experienced at the 20th Annual FIRST championships in St. Louis back in April to the mainstream, he created a back-to-school TV special airing Sunday night on ABC titled “i am FIRST: Science is Rock and Roll.” The show, which features special guests including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, U2’s Bono, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Jack Black and Willow Smith, encourages students to pursue academic excellence in the sciences by showcasing FIRST competitors as the rock stars of the future.

“I was talking to a 14-year-old who was writing code and making LEGOs go 15 miles per hour,” he said. “I’m inspired by these kids, I’m inspired by programs like this and I’m doing all I can, just like I did all I could for ‘Yes We Can.’ I figured out a way to break through the noise.”

His back-to-school TV special, "i.am FIRST: Science is Rock and Roll" will air on Sunday August 14th on ABC 7pm|6pm central time.

 


Check out his blog http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william/science-education_b_920125.html