Fairy tales have a special place in our childhood memories. But did you know that these beloved stories were originally written for an adult audience? Fairy Tales: From The Dark Wood to Happily Ever After is an art exhibit which explores this surprising duality. It presents a wide variety of visual responses to fairy tales — from children's book illustration to fine art; from fantasy to graphic novels. The exhibit opens Friday, October 23 at Kris Waldherr Art and Words gallery in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.
Kris Waldherr, owner and curator of the Brooklyn studio-gallery, says “This exhibit goes way beyond Disney to explore the rich complexity of fairy tales. I'm very excited to bring together such an illustrious group of artists for it." Waldherr is also an author-illustrator of many books, including Doomed Queens and The Book of Goddesses; she will have paintings from her picture books The Firebird and Rapunzel on display in the exhibit. Other artists in the exhibit include Kristina Carroll, Leela Corman, Mary Louise Geering, Lisa Hunt, Aram Kim, Amy Saidens, Carisa Swenson, and Karen Zuegner. All are Brooklyn residents except for Hunt, who lives and works in Florida.
The opening reception for Fairy Tales: From The Dark Wood to Happily Ever After takes place on Friday, October 23, 7 - 10 pm. Admission is free and children are welcome. The exhibit will be up through the holidays. Books and prints featuring art from the exhibit will also be available for sale.
Kris Waldherr Art and Words gallery is located at 1501 Newkirk Avenue, one block from the Q and B subway station. To learn more about this event and others, visit ArtandWords.com/events.html or call 347-406-5811.
About the participating artists:
Kristina Carroll (KristinaCarrollArt.com) creates paintings for fantasy and science fiction book covers. She is also an apprentice of the noted fantasy illustrator Donato Giancola.
Leela Corman (LeelaCorman.com) is a graphic novelist whose clients include Simon & Schuster, The New York Times, WNET, Bust Magazine and many others. She is currently at work on a graphic novel, Unterzakhn.
Mary Louise Geering (MaryLouiseGeering.com) received her MFA in Sculpture from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston. Recently she finished a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and has exhibited work at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, ArtStrand Gallery in Provincetown, MA and at the International Print Center in New York, NY.
Lisa Hunt (LisaHuntArt.com) is a world-renowned tarot artist who won the COVR Interactive Sideline Award for her Animals Divine Tarot. Her most recent publication is The Fairy Tale Tarot.
Aram Kim (AramKim.com) is a children's book illustrator at work on her first book, Whale in the Forest. She was born in Ohio but grew up in South Korea before returning to the United States to attend the School of Visual Arts.
Amy Saidens (AmySaidens.com) has had her illustrations published internationally. Her clients include Lucky magazine, Elle Girl, and The Wall Street Journal. The illustrations exhibited are from her book Beauty Magic.
Carisa Swenson (CarisaSwenson.com) has been creating artistic dolls since 2006 and studied with world-renowned doll artist Wendy Froud. Her work has been in several exhibitions, from the Melbourne Fringe Festival, to NYU’s acclaimed annual “Small Works Show."
Kris Waldherr (KrisWaldherr.com) is an author, illustrator, and designer whose art has been exhibited in the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She is the author-illustrator of Doomed Queens, The Lover’s Path, and The Book of Goddesses.
Karen Zuegner (KarenZuegner.com) is a fine artist who has exhibited her work in one-person shows at Dance Theater Workshop, The Knitting Factory, Virginia Center for The Creative Arts, Windows on White, International House, Long Island University and in collaborations at the Juilliard School and New York University.