One day, long ago, I was walking on College Ave in Berkeley and decided to get a cup of chai tea. Okay, so honestly it was about two weeks ago, but really, it sounds so much better to exaggerate. Anyway, while there I noticed that my cup sleeve had a picture of Alice in Wonderland by Camille Rose Garcia, an artist I admire. The information stated that the exhibit hosting Garcia’s work would be at the Walt Disney Family Museum, and I thought to myself, “I must attend!” However, circumstances transpired to try to keep me away. In other words, the BART strike. Alas, the exhibit would only be held until Novmeber 3rd, and I wrung my hands in hopelessness at the thought of missing it. That’s when I had an epiphany. The trans-bay bus!!!!
Getting on the bus was no small feat. Pressed by evil on all sides, my only solace my trusted companion Ryan, I thought I would faint. Translation? Everyone smelled bad, and it was packed. I would not back down! After arriving late, I was afraid I had missed my chance to escort the princess (my good, beautiful, darling friend) safely to the exhibit. Thankfully, like all good princesses, she was still waiting for us (what did Nerdgasm post? Shouldn’t sarcasm be a font?). So we finally arrived.
It was awesome. We had the good fortune and pleasant surprise of seeing the Tyrus Wong exhibit. He is the artist who did a lot of work on Bambi. Though I must admit that the movie makes me sob, so I haven’t watched it in a good 15 years, I do really admire the art and atmosphere Wong achieved in his animation. Also, for some reason I had the nickname Bambi during a part of high school (the fact that Bambi is actually male never bothered anyone), so it was a bit fun to see some of the original paintings for it. In addition, there were many other examples of his amazing art, including calligraphy, toy sculptures for his family, and his impressive work on kites. Since his retirement, he has started making kites with traditional Chinese methods, and they are pretty cool. It’s important to stay active and avoid boredom.
Then it was off to the small exhibit about Alice in Wonderland, called Down the Rabbit Hole. Awesome. Garcia’s work really grabbed my interest, as I feel it’s a bit more adult and a lot more psychedelic than what is usually portrayed. The intense ‘makeup’ that her characters wear also delights me. However, I also enjoyed seeing some work by Mary Blair in the same exhibit – a real treat.
Anyway, I’ve included some pictures below. Keep in mind that it will be much better if you just go see them for yourself, and if you can’t, look them up on the interwebs! But, this will give you a taste <3
brindalee 