Small Shoulders/Big Dreams

Shoulders/Big Dreams a multi-media work, created to support the Norman Rockwell American Chronicles exhibition the Crocker Museum. The work focuses on Rockwell’s The Problem We All Live With, shedding light on the illustrator’s commitment to the civil rights movement, and includes original music, narration, projections and puppetry. This was created during my time as Artist in Residence at the Crocker Art Museum.

Small Shoulders/Big Dreams II: Ruby Bridges and the Four Freedoms

The arts have the power to heal. A famous Greek quote says, “We should teach our students math and science to understand the world around them, history and literature, so they don’t make the same mistakes and the arts to have a reason to live. Imagine, learning to express concepts and solve problems through artistic imagination/creation. 

I had this quote in mind when looking for support for my next piece.

The first performance piece was created as a result of a commission. Afterwards, I continued to think about Ruby Bridges and looked for a way back into telling her story. As the 75th Anniversary of the Four Freedoms loomed, I thought of presenting her story through the lens of these ideals.

The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms Speech (technically the 1941 State of the Union address), he proposed four fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy:

    1. Freedom of speech and expression

   2. Freedom of religion

   3. Freedom from want

   4. Freedom from fear

President Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech inspired a set of paintings by Norman Rockwell. The four paintings were published in The Saturday Evening Post on February 20, February 27, March 6 and March 13 in 1943. The paintings were accompanied in the magazine by matching essays on each of the Four Freedoms.

After receiving a  Creative Economy mini-grant from the Mayor’s office for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, I worked on telling her story from the perspective of how these Four Freedoms influenced Ruby’s trials and triumphs.

While researching her path, I came across Pops Peterson, a Berkshire-based artist and writer. He created, "Reinventing Rockwell," a series of artworks reimagining the “Four Freedoms,” and other mid-century illustrations, in a manner reflective of today’s times. I contacted Mr Peters and was given permission to present his images as a part of the post-performance reflection in which I engaged the audience.

I am planning to present a scaled-down version of the show with a focus on creative activities for young audiences.

Click here to see some of Pops Peterson’s inspiring creations.