Here’s something you don’t see every day. In fact, you’ve never seen one of these before–and may never see one again! A new LCSNA member by the highly appropriate name of Ray Carpenter has created a one-of a kind scrimshaw artwork depicting the Walrus and the Carpenter–and also Lewis Carroll. You can check out images of the artwork on his Etsy page. It is not inexpensive, but presumably a collector of fine art will recognize the massive number of hours that have gone into the work’s creation. We always love to see how Lewis Carroll’s works inspire artists around the world!
The Blog of the LCSNA
Burbles
The Blog of the LCSNA
A Special Alice in Wonderland at North Carolina Stage Company This Weekend
I’ve just learned about this production, which runs only this weekend. If anyone is able to attend, please send a paragraph to tell us about it!
Here’s the press release:
“Asheville, NC – North Carolina Stage Company presents a special event production of a new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, based on the novel by Lewis Carroll and adapted by Jessica Lewis. The production is performed by students from the Professional Youth Actor Training program and are directed by teacher Michael MacCauley, a well-known professional local actor who performs regularly at NC Stage. Performances of Alice in Wonderland are June 27-30, 2013 at NC Stage’s theatre in downtown Asheville.
The students presenting Alice in Wonderland are completing a two-year training with Mr. MacCauley, and this fully-realized production is the culminating event in their training. The Professional Youth Actor Training program is designed to train young artists who are interested in a serious and deep study of the craft of acting. Students audition for the program and are provided a level of training that is modeled after undergraduate and graduate theatre programs of the highest caliber. In NC Stage’s classes students study various acting techniques, voice and speech, movement, stage combat, Alexander Technique, auditioning, improvisation, contemporary plays, and Shakespeare.
Alice in Wonderland stars Hannah Barilovits, Hannah Bruce, Kiana Crosby, Emily Haaksma, Daisy Homolka, Tess Miller, Sophie Mills, and Kelsey Sutton.
Alice in Wonderland is far more than an exhibition for family and friends: the production is the conclusion of a lengthy rehearsal process and utilizes some of the best designers in Asheville, who are generously donating their time and talent to the project. Designers include Deborah Austin – costumes, Jessica Kammerud – props, Jared Stover – sound, and Catori Swann – lights and set.
Alice in Wonderland runs June 27-30 with Thursday-Saturday performances at 7:30 and a 2:00 Sunday matinee. All performances are at North Carolina Stage Company’s theatre at 15 Stage Lane. Tickets are $10 with proceeds benefiting NC Stage’s education programming, and are available at www.ncstage.org or (828) 239-0263.”
Another Alice Slasher Film
LCSNA Member Book Signing Wednesday June 26th in NYC
The LCSNA’s own Charlie Lovett (a former president) will be in New York City to promote his recently published novel The Bookman’s Tale. Charlie will talk about, read from, and sign his book (which does contain Carrollian references) at Barnes and Noble on the Upper East Side (86th and Lexington) at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday June 26. The Bookman’s Tale is the current Barnes & Noble Recommends title, was in the New York Times Extended Bestseller List in its first week of release, and has been recommended by People Magazine, Parade Magazine, The LA Times, and many other publications. For more information, check out Charlie’s website: www.charlielovett.com. Charlie is hoping to see a great LCSNA turnout at the New York signing!
A Paper Doll To Call Your Own: Alice
Artist Sue Shanahan has added a new Alice-themed post to her child-centric blog, commonplacegrace.com. In it, Sue ponders what might have led Lewis Carroll to pen the Alice books, and also shares an image of a charming Alice paper doll that she created a few years ago as a gift for the attendees at a United Federation of Doll Clubs convention. She also includes a photo of the her niece, who modeled for the image.
You can read the post on Sue’s site, or find it in the Huffington Post’s Arts and Culture section.
Sue is also selling signed prints of the paper doll image for a modest price on her Etsy site. And if there’s a paper doll art collector among you, the original one-of-a-kind artwork is currently still available for sale directly from Ms. Shanahan for US $22.00.
Why Children’s Books Matter at NY Public Library
The New York Public Library has a new exhibit entitled The ABC of it: Why Children’s Books Matter that explores both the importance and potency of children’s literature. The exhibit draws from books over time and around the world, combining both well-known classics with lesser-known gems. Lewis Carroll’s famous “Beggar Girl” photograph of Alice Liddell is one of the items on display, and is also part of the slideshow for this NY Times article about the exhibit.
If you attend the exhibit, add a Comment to this post and tell us what you thought!
Alice at Wonder Cards Land Exhibit in Paris Suburbs
There is a new exhibit at the Issy les Moulineaux (in the suburbs of Paris) with the theme of cards and games in Lewis Carroll’s works. Stylezza.com offers an article describing the exhibit. The article has been translated into English, so the word choice is sometimes less than ideal, but you’ll get the gist of it. The article also includes a brief slideshow. To view the article, click here. If anyone is in the area and goes to the exhibit, please send us a paragraph about it!
Cool Alice Art Car for Sale
Looking for a new set of wheels? Or a nifty one-of-a-kind piece of Alice art sculpture? Or maybe both? Have a look at these images of artist Valerie Young’s new work. You can click each image to see a larger version.
This information was sent along with the pictures:
“Artist Valerie Young writes, “When I first saw the pair of plaster feet sitting on a box at our local flea market I knew immediately that I had found Alice. But what to do with “her” next? I had just finished reading Harrod Blank’s “Wild Cars” so I thought to myself maybe Alice would like a car. As you can see, I still think of Alice as a delightful childhood friend. An old rusted pedal car was next followed by two plastic pink flamingos and the Alice car was off and running–so to speak. Gathering or creating all the iconic items was great fun and soon it became, officially, “Alice, You Can Drive My Car” (apologies to the Beatles).
Valerie Young is a found-object sculptor whose work was recently part of the “Alice: Into the Looking Glass” exhibit at the Noyes Museum in Oceanville, NJ. Her work has also been shown at the Gallery at Chapin in Lawrence, NJ; the Frank J. Miele Gallery in New York; the Outsider Art Fair in New York; the Bernstein Gallery of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and Riverrun Gallery in Lambertville, NJ. She was also included in the shows: “Vision and Voice: Folk Art by Woman of the 20th Century” at the Chubb Atrium Gallery, and “Seven New Jersey Sculptors” at the Art Gallery of The College of New Jersey.
To learn more, you can contact Valerie at mvyoung@mac.com
“Email is the best way to contact me but phone is fine too: 609.466.2394.””
A Philosophical Alice Blanket
Given that we’re approaching the first day of summer, you may not be thinking about ways to keep warm. But if you have a looking-glass mindset and you’re in need of a new blanket, here’s one that might appeal to the Carrollian in you: it features Alice and the Cheshire Cat, and my favorite, famous quote about getting somewhere. Click the image to learn more.
Alice in Wonderland Meets Doctor Who
There’s a new video game out that supposedly blends elements of both Alice and Doctor Who. In fact, it’s called The Night of the Rabbit and features a Doctor-like version of the White Rabbit as the mentor figure. The animation looks quite fun. It’s available for either Mac or PC for $20 from a web site called Steam.
Here’s a promotional trailer. If anyone owns or has played it, by all means add a comment and let us all know what you think!