Brian Selznick single handedly changed the way I think about books and storytelling when he published his award winning novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Like many, I was utterly charmed by the fictional Hugo Cabret, an orphan who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station. In 2008, Selznick was awarded the Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was made into the Oscar award-winning film Hugo (2011), directed by Martin Scorsese.
Selznick’s illustrations animate the imaginations of children and adults with his blending of illusion, history, and adventure. As a result, I am looking forward to the upcoming…
Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau giving away two tickets to see the March 25, 2014 evening show at the DuPont Theatre / Wilmington, DE. If you’re interested in catching Man of La Mancha at 7:30pm, then comment on their FB at https://www.facebook.com/GreaterWilmingtonCVB.
*Winner will need to pick up tickets from us before 4:30pm March 25, 2014.
An all new production complete with the Tony-award winning score and book that has inspired theatergoers since the very first note of “The Impossible Dream” was heard on opening night. Enter the mind and the world of Don Quixote as he pursues his quest for the impossible dream. Against all odds, a man sees good and innocence in a world filled with darkness and despair. This lyrical and amusing adventure is a classic tale of the triumph of a man over his own follies.
After weeks of bad weather, (rain, snow, freezing rain, winter mix, sleet) we finally had a sunny day on Friday. I decided to head over to the Delaware Art Museum, walk their Labyrinth and enjoy their sculpture garden.
Several of the sculptures in the Copeland Sculpture Garden are immensely popular in Wilmington, probably because they are so accessible. The Crying Giant by Tom Otterness is a perfect example. Children love, love, love this piece. They sit on the feet, swing around the legs; make up stories about why the giant is crying, and try to make the giant feel better. That level of interaction between artwork and its audience is hard to find.
Trickster Joe Moss, Delaware artist and Newark resident, creates art pieces equally engaging. His sculptures frequently have both a sight and sound component. Orifice II, his bright red disks, is a perfect example. The center directs the viewers gaze to a specific point, while the bowed shapes reflect sound.
Orifice II by Joe Moss Image Copyright 2013 by Gail A. Sisolak
In these two videos, made by the Delaware Division of the Arts, Moss shares some of his work and his design processes.
My personal favorite is a kinetic sculpture by George Rickey called Three Rectangles Horizontal Jointed Gyratory III. Gyratory? I love new words, so I was immediately intrigued. It only takes a few seconds for the wind to shift and the TRHJG to whirl, creating an entirely new work of art. This would make an ideal gorilla art project. I’d love to sneak in the gardens in the dead of night, and put stickers on the rectangles saying “Oz,” “Narnia” and “Neverland,” and turn the sculpture into a dancing signpost. I’ll have to Photoshop one of my photos some day, since I’d never REALLY destroy another artist’s work.
Three Rectangles Horizontal Jointed Gyratory III by George Rickey Image Copyright 2013 by Gail A. Sisolak
At least I am constant in my affection. I saw Rickey’s Two Red Lines at the Oakland Museum sometime prior to 1973, and it made a lasting impression on me. If fact, it is one of only two pieces I remember seeing.
The Delaware Art Museum is pleased to welcome the seventh annual Chinese New Year Celebration on Saturday, February 16. Presented in conjunction with Hanlin Chinese Culture Association, this festive, free celebration includes traditional Chinese art activities, artist demonstrations, a dragon art scavenger hunt, a dragon dance and Chinese yo-yo performance by the Chinese American Community Center Dance Troupe and Yo-Yo Club, and a special musical performance by Taiwanese Music Ensemble of New York. Artwork created by children from the Chinese School of Delaware to commemorate this holiday will also be on view. There is no Museum admission during Chinese New Year and all galleries will be open throughout the day from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
General A. T. A. Torbert: Wikipedia: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Brady-Handy Photograph Collection.
Alfred T. A. Torbert was the most significant Civil War hero from Delaware said Dr. Gary Wray, Professor of History at Wilmington College. Born in Georgetown in 1833, Torbert served with and was on a first name basis with legendary Civil War figures such as William Tecumseh Sherman and George Armstrong Custer.
Torbert’s father was a farmer, bank teller and part- time minister in Delaware, which meant that he was a man with both political and financial connections. As such, he had ambitions for his son and used his connections to get him into West Point, where Torbert was “noted for his horsemanship, and not so much for good grades,” said Wray.
In the Nineteenth century, classes at West Point were small, continued Wray. Everyone knew everyone else. When war clouds loomed in 1860-1861, each former student had to take sides. While the Civil War has been described as a confrontation pitting brother against brother, said Wray, military commanders regularly faced former classmates across the battlefields. They knew each others strengths and weaknesses, having studied together at West Point.
This story was first published in the News Journal under the byline of Gail A. Sisolak. All rights reserved.
Delaware played a major role in the history of African-American freedom, said Reed. Thomas Garrett organized and operated a branch of the Underground Railroad running from Seaford through Middletown and Odessa.
Harriet Tubman: Wikipedia: woodcut artist not listed; W.J. Moses, printer; stereotyped by Dennis Bro’s & Co.
Harriet Tubman conducted slaves through Delaware to freedom during the 1850’s. She was assisted by other free people of color and escaped slaves. “From 1863 to 1865, Delaware furnished 924 men to the Union Army as members of four U.S. Colored Troop Regiments,” said Reed.
The Civil War Round Table of Wilmington, Delaware, Inc, the nation’s fourth oldest civil war round table, meets to learn about and discuss these contentious times on the first Wednesday of the month from September through June. Reservations required. For information about featured speakers, visit http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6oji5/index.html .
This story was first published in the News Journal under the byline of Gail A. Sisolak. All rights reserved.
Wilmington, home to the state’s manufacturing and trading center at the junction of the Brandywine and Christiana, had woolen mills and other industrial establishments dependent on water power. “Much of the gunpowder fired by the Union military came from the E.I. Dupont & Co.’s Hagley Mills,” said Reed. Harland and Hollingsworth completed three monitors plus several gunboats, while their competitor Pusey & Jones launched an additional half-dozen gunboats.
Sketch of USS Patapsco built by Harlan & Hollingsworth: Wikipedia: Jinian {{PD-USGov-Military-Navy}}
Hagley Museum & Library: Restored Roll Mill: Wikipedia: Ukexpat
Below the canal and west of the railroad was a rural, agrarian society of farmers and water men, said Reed. Lower Delaware industries consisted of small shipyards at Milford and Milton and local grist mills.
Kent and Sussex, although geographically larger than New Castle County, were definitely rural. Subsistence farms predominated, especially in Sussex, where farmers made enough cash to pay taxes by selling native pine for building timber to be used in Philadelphia, said Reed. Delaware Bay watermen and fishing vessels home ported at Lewes in Sussex County served as the exception to the rural norm. New Castle, Seaford, Laurel and Milford were hotbeds of Confederate sympathizers.
This story was first published in the News Journal under the byline of Gail A. Sisolak. All rights reserved.
Wikipedia: DelawareArt Museum: Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898)
Those looking for light bite to start the day should check out the Thronson Café in the Delaware Museum of Art. The café and its terrace both overlook the Copeland Sculpture Garden. Assorted coffees, muffins, bagels, juices and the popular fruit parfait provide the perfect art beak in a busy day.
The Thronson Café is open Wednesday though Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Sunday noon to 3:00 p.m.
The Delaware Art Museum’s collections are predominantly drawn from late 19th and early 20th century American illustration, as well as works from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The basis of the museum’s collections is the works of Howard Pyle and his pupils, N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, and Stanley Arthurs. Starting in 1961 Helen Farr Sloan, the wife of artist John French Sloan, began donations that eventually totaled 5,000 objects.
Since the 1970s the museum has added works by modern artists, such as Jacob Lawrence, Louise Nevelson, Robert Motherwell, George Segal and Jim Dine.
The Garden Cafeteria at Winterthur is reconfigured during Sunday Brunch to create a more intimate dining space focused on food and the glories of the gardens. Diners must stroll past the dessert offerings first, tempting them to forgo other buffet items. This would be unfortunate,
Images courtesy of Winterthur
since the eclectic buffet items regularly change and include such varied options as sushi, crisp salads and fresh fruit. Boomers who visited the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair will find memorable Belgian waffles on the menu. Sparkling champagne beautifully enhances the omelets made to order.
Sunday Brunch is served from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
The Holiday Brunch menu at Winterthur offers special seasonal temptations, including Berry Muffins with Nutmeg Sugar, Sweet Cream & Currant Mini Scones with Fig & White Raisin Baked Apples and Smoked Salmon on Mini Potato Pancakes with Dill Sour Cream & Fried Capers.
Yuletide at Winterthur allows visitor to experience traditions of the past and dazzling displays in this special wintertime tour. Be transported to a 19th-century market square to see how preparations for winter festivities began, and in celebration of the exhibition Uncorked! Wine, Objects & Tradition, see the scrumptious evolution of the holiday meal from the colonial period to the early national period. Enjoy Winterthur’s unique version of a winter wonderland as you meander through a re-created woodland path offering vistas of the Winterthur Garden enveloped in snow.
Whether you are taking in the breathtakingly decorated trees, the colorful and exquisite room and food displays, or the winter wonderland of the garden, Yuletide at Winterthur is a feast for the eyes.
Eye peeping through the #5, inside view with Hugo looking out for the Invention of Hugo Cabret, 2007. Brian Selznick (born 1966). Pencil on watercolor paper, 11 x 8 inches. © 2007 by Brian Selznick. Courtesy of the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. 
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