Circus life

It's been a busy few months. With all of the traveling, deportation, web site designing, book cover illustrating and then getting married last month, there's been no time to blog! In the midst of juggling all of the above-mentioned activities and wedding planning (see the picture of the juggling clown below modeled after me), I did manage to work on a couple of exhibits as well.

The first exhibit called "Under the Big Top," was all about the circus. My life was starting to feel like a circus so when Ring Master and Lead Developer, Paul Orselli of Paul Orselli Workshop (POW!) asked me if I could create some illustrations for an exhibit about circus life, the job seemed like a perfect fit. I created a life-sized rendering of a lion for an interactive where children could attempt to throw fake meat into his mouth. Pictured to the left are three clowns I illustrated for another activity where the children could create faces using color forms. The exhibit was displayed at the Art Space for Children at the Nassau County Museum of Art on Long Island.

"With its color, daring and explosive fun, the circus has always been a theme that intrigues and inspires artists. In Under the Big Top, The Art Space for Children presents reproductions of circus art by Seurat, Leger, Prendergast, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Chagall and others, showcasing them alongside displays that will guide the museum's young visitors through explorations of circus skills, and memory games using circus characters and activities. The Clown College station includes wall panels that will assist children to master the skills involved in pantomime, juggling and creating a clownish costume. Roomboxes include miniature circus animals."

The second exhibit which was finished just in time for my nuptials was called, "Israel-land." This exhibit was created for Temple Sharray Tefila in Bedford Corners, New York. The concept was to give Temple members an interactive museum with a variety of exhibits dedicated to helping the community enhance their knowledge of and appreciation for Israel. The design team for this project consisted of Lead Developer, Paul Orselli from POW!, who worked on exhibit development with the Rabbi and staff, and DCM Fabrication who built and installed the exhibit. I designed the interpretive graphic panels (and learned a little Hebrew in the process) and together we created a model Israel experience for the Temple. Also, thanks to Paul Orselli and Jim Polk for installing the graphics for me so I wouldn't miss my wedding!