Artists bring storybook to life
Downstairs in artspace’s FUN-A- TORIUM, Elizabeth Holladay Jackson and Jeormie Journell have created the world of “Moonhaven: Lair of the Leafmen” – an interactive playground exhibit based on William Joyce’s book “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs.” In conjunction with artspace’s “’Epic’ Summer of Family Fun,” the exhibit centers around the lm “Epic” and the award-winning picture book by Joyce. The exhibit will run through July 27.
An idea brought about by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, Jackson and Journell were commissioned to create and build the whimsical exhibit.
Along with numerous other collaborators and volunteers, the duo designed the functional and usable playground that still stands as an art exhibit.
The playground is lled with swings, slides, bridges and even a clothespin seesaw to make guests feel as if they were thrown right into the story. Larger-than-life owers and brightly colored insects cover the downstairs space from wall to wall, giving children an escape into fantasy.
“It was a long process, about six to eight months of planning this out,” Jackson said. “But we built everything in about ve or six weeks. We chose the best hardware and supplies we could [for safety standards], but it’s an art exhibit rst and foremost.”
“It was fun and somewhat stressful because we wanted our vision to be appreciated by not only the public but also by William Joyce,” Journell said.
The team had to get creative to make the space feel as if it were straight from the storybook: columns covered with bubble wrap and donated fabric, repurposed sign vinyl over airshafts and a large-scale water spigot, making even the most grown patron feel like the size of a cricket.
“We wanted people to feel like they were small and have these [larger-than-life] big pieces around them,” Jackson said.
The duo was given a packet of reference material for inspiration, and with a storyline based heavily on fantasy and imagination, there was plenty to draw from.
Although the team created a mini-display for what they wanted the interactive exhibit to look like, some ideas changed along the way. However, the main components remained part of the plan.
“Overall, we stuck to our main ideas, like a bridge structure, a swing, a slide, and artspace always wanted to have a space for tables [to set up for parties],” Jackson said.
Jackson, who considers herself mostly a painter at heart, created a large-scale rendition of Joyce’s moon that is displayed on the cover of the “Leaf Men” storybook over a stage that sits in the corner of the room.
Although Journell and Jackson spearheaded the project, they both were quick to mention the numerous other artists and volunteers who lended their time, work and experience in creating the exhibit.
“Both Elizabeth and I had a hand in everything in the installation, [but] I don’t want to take credit for any one speci c piece, because it was a group effort with our assistants and volunteers really stepping up to the task at hand,” Journell said.
“The slide was donated by a board member, and [collaborators] Westin Merriott and Andy Ezell welded it together and carved [the side leaves] with a jigsaw. It was a lot of work, but it’s so rewarding now to see it being used,” Jackson said. “When we looked at a plan for a clatter bridge, Westin carved the pieces [for the steps], and he’s in the army so he knew about all these different knots. Almost all of the fabric was donated by Jeormie’s mom, who has an upholstery shop. Johnny Bicknell worked with us for a little bit and did a few of the props. He’s worked on Mardi Gras krewes and movie sets and has done a few of the murals around here. It was really cool to work with him and learn things. He taught me how to be quick and just go with the ow of things.”
– Katie Ho
‘MOONHAVEN: LAIR OF THE LEAFMEN’
WHEN: Through July 27
WHERE: artspace, 710 Texas St. artspace is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. The facility is closed Sunday and Monday. For more information, contact artspace at 673-6535.
