Page 16-A m
Thursday, April 15, 2010 • HERITAGE NEWSPAPERS/WESTERN REGION
Children’s author addresses capacity crowd Chris Van Allsburg has penned ‘The Polar Express’ and ‘Jumanji’ By Steven Howard Heritage Newspapers
Celebrated children’s author Chris Van Allsburg spoke to a full house at the University of Michigan Museum of Art Thursday, discussing his life and career, and describing the compositional process that went into creating some of his most beloved literary achievements. Perhaps best known as author of “The Polar Express” and “Jumanji,” which both won the Caldecott Medal and were later turned into major motion pictures, Van Allsburg’s writing career has spanned more than 30 years and includes 16 picture books, as well as several other collaborations. Van Allsburg said he attended U of M as an undergraduate before moving back East to further his sculpting career. “When I graduated from the
University of Michigan, I went on to the Rhode Island School of Design,” he said, indicating he then found studio space in an old and drafty building. Van Allsburg said the industrial space was fine to sculpt in during the day because the heat was on for other tenants, but became far too cold on winter evenings when the thermostat was turned off at 5 p.m. Looking for something to do at home in the warmth, Van Allsburg said he found a more portable artistic medium. “I started drawing,” he said. Though initially he created images void of textual accompaniment, Van Allsburg said the nature of his illustrations begged viewers to ask questions of what was going on inside of them. He described the phenomenon as “narrative hooks.”
View video online
“I was fascinated how you can trigger those narrative impulses,” he said. “So, this was my first step as a writer.” Van Allsburg said his wife then sent his illustrations to a prominent publishing house. They liked them, so they sent back pre-written stories for him to illustrate. He said the subject matter of the traditional juvenile plotlines were not to his liking. “The little bunny stories didn’t do it for me,” he said, indicating his desire was to create narratives with a bit more edge. That is when he decided to create his own textual content to accompany his often irreverent and fantasy-inspired images. Van Allsburg said he asked himself a simple question: “What would I want to read when I was 8 or 9 years old?” Now, more than a quarter of a century after his writing and illustrating career began, Van Allsburg has set to work on another children’s book that chronicles the tale of Annie
Taylor, purported to be the first woman to go over Niagara Falls. Van Allsburg delighted audience members attending Thursday’s lecture with a sneak peek of illustrations for the book, saying he decided to go with nonfiction this time because fabricating stories requires a lot of effort. “I get tired of trying to make things up all the time,” he joked. Van Allsburg’s daughter, Sophia, who is a freshman at U of M and attended the lecture, said she is finding as much inspiration in Ann Arbor as her father did. “I’m welcome here. It’s a nice place to be,” she said. “I came here where he has his history, but where I can create my own history, too.” For more information on Van Allsburg and a list of his books, visit www.chrisvanallsburg.com. Steven Howard can be reached at 429-7380 or showard@heritage.com. Read his blog at http://heritageweststaffblog.blogspot.com.
Photo by Steven Howard
Chris Van Allsburg spoke at the University of Michigan Museum of Art April 8. Van Allsburg talked about the evolution of his creative process, as well as his time at U of M.
WineFest fundraiser to be held May 8 WineFest 2010, the Ann Arbor Art Center’s annual fundraiser, will be held 7 p.m. May 8 at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Complex, formerly owned by Pfizer. The space was selected because of its unusual layout, expansive windows, upscale finishes and high ceilings, which are needed to accommodate the large-scale art installation pieces that will be on display throughout the venue, according to a news release from the art center. The art installations were created under the direction of BIGthink, an art/education/ technology collaborative from Kalamazoo. The creative black-tie optional event will include an international wine tasting, a gourmet strolling supper, and first-class silent and live auctions. The honorary chairman of the event is Laurence Feraud, owner and winemaker at Domaine du Pegau, a winemaker from Chateauneuf du Pape in France. She has been chosen
by Robert Parker of Wine Advocate as a Wine Personality of the Year. In conjunction with WineFest, Feraud will also host a WineMaker Dinner at which the wines of Chateauneuf du Pape will be paired with a gourmet meal prepared by Chef Robert Underwood of Mediterrano Restaurant. The WineMaker Dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. May 6 at Mediterrano Restaurant in Ann Arbor. The WineFest event chairs are Tom Root and Toni Morrell, owners of Zingerman’s Mail Order. The honorary community chairs are Rich and Karen Brown. “It is an honor to be a part of an organization that has been focused on their mission for over 100 years. We are just a small part of helping that mission by hosting WineFest 2010,” Root said in a news release. General tickets for WineFest are $100. Patron level tickets are $200 and include a private reception with Laurence Feraud starting at 6 p.m., reserved seating, a special tast-
ing glass and an advanced preview of the auction items with a “buy it now” option. The cost of the WineMaker Dinner is $150. Funds raised by WineFest help support the programs of the Ann Arbor Art Center, a nonprofit organization dedicat-
ed to engaging the community in the education, exhibition and exploration of the visual arts. Offering studio art classes, workshops, exhibitions, sum-
mer camps, outreach programs and more, the art center is celebrating its 100th year. The center is located at 117 W. Liberty St. in downtown Ann Arbor. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.annarborartcenter.org.
The Orange County Register thought its readers might like to know about the criminal histories of workers in the state’s day-care facilities. After all, the paper’s readers were placing their own trust and their children’s well-being in the hands of those workers. But the state of California turned down a series of newspaper Freedom of Information requests to look at those histories, citing the privacy rights of the workers. It also refused access to its data base of offenses and other day-care center violations unless the newspaper paid $45,000 for the information. In the end, the Register won its fight for access to documents–which were used to track down the criminals and public court records that revealed their histories. The newspaper also built its own data base from nearly 50,000 pages of inspection and complaint reports in Orange County. These efforts allowed the Register to unveil for the state’s parents the uncomfortable truth. Throughout California, thousands of day-care workers had long criminal histories. The results of the data base analysis also showed pervasive problems of mistreatment, neglect, overcrowding and unsafe conditions. If you lived in Orange County, or any other county with day care, wouldn’t you like to know whether the adults your children come in contact with have committed crimes?
Heritage Newspapers
The nation’s newspapers are on your side in the battle to stay informed.
We are a Pre-K through 12th grade Interdenominational Christian School! New Hours 9-7 m-f 9-3 sat. starts March 1
Teaching the things that matter most! www.washtenawchristian.org
NOGGiNZ hairshop expanding our staff & hours Chelsea Village Plaza S. Main Street
(734) 429-7733 • 7200 Moon Rd. Saline, MI 48176
$200 off your first month’s tuition with this ad!
NOGGINZhairshop.com 475.7411 call or stop by
(New Students Only)
unlock free checking Get $150 and KeyBank Rewards when you open a Key Express Free Checking Account by April 30 and make one KeyBank Rewards debit card transaction plus a combination of two direct deposits and/or automated payments each of $100 or more by July 2*. Ask us how you can get an even better deal. Your small business can qualify too. KeyBank helps you unlock all sorts of possibilities.
go to key.com/cash | call 877-KEY-ONLY | visit your local branch *Free personal checking applies to Key Express Free Checking Account. Between 2/27/10 and 4/30/10, you must open a Key Express Free Checking (this is the basic banking account in NY) or a Key Advantage® Checking Account and by 7/2/10 make one KeyBank Rewards debit card transaction and a combination of two direct deposits and/or automated payments each of $100 or more to get $150. Limit one $150 gift per qualifying account. Limit one $150 gift per individual. The $150 gift will be reported on Form 1099-INT. Your $150 gift will be deposited into this account within 90 days of meeting requirements. You must have or request a KeyBank Rewards debit card and enroll in the KeyBank Rewards points program. Enroll by requesting a KeyBank Rewards debit card from the branch, by calling 877-KEY-ONLY, or through the online application on key.com. There is a $20 annual fee for the KeyBank Rewards program that will be waived for the first year. For a complete copy of the KeyBank Rewards program Terms and Conditions go to key.com/rewardsterms or stop by your local KeyBank branch. Qualifying debit card transactions include signature, MasterCard PayPass® and PIN-based purchases. ATM and over-the-counter withdrawals and deposits are excluded. Direct deposit transactions are limited to: payroll, Social Security, pension, and government benefits. Automated payments exclude Key Bill Pay, debit card automated payments, PayPal® transactions, and account-to-account balance transfers. Offer available to individuals without an existing checking account at KeyBank as of 2/26/10. Offer not available to individuals who have opened a KeyBank checking account in the last 12 months. Employees of KeyBank, its affiliates, and subsidiaries are not eligible for this offer. If you close your account within 180 days of account opening, you will be charged a $25 account early closure fee. Accounts overdrawn or closed as of 7/2/10, are not eligible for this offer. Accounts titled as Trust Accounts, Estate, Non-Individual, and No Access are excluded from eligibility. You must have a U.S. mailing address on 7/2/10 to be eligible. Offer is subject to cancellation without notice, and cannot be combined with any other offer. Other miscellaneous charges may apply. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. This card is issued by KeyBank pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated. MasterCard PayPass® and Tap N Go® are registered trademarks of MasterCard International Incorporated. KeyBank Instructions: Please use the Marketing code process. ©2010 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC.