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not-xpr-art · 3 years

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Art Deep Dives #2 - The History of Fanart

Hi everyone!

This post is part of my Art Deep Dives tag, where I ramble about art-y things, often with some relation to art history in some way.

just so you know, these essays aren’t formal in anyway lol! I just do them for fun & to hopefully be interesting in some way to someone!

This week I’ll be talking about the history and importance of fanart! It’s not the entire history of fanart, just some key moments and points in it that I feel are important!

(this essay is about 2500 words long btw!)

Part 1 - What even is fanart?

I think when a lot of people hear about ‘fanart’, they often think of it as a new thing, something that came along at some point in the last century when media begun to be mass circulated around the world.

But, of course, fanart has existed long before media like Star Wars or Doctor Who were created, and even long before photography was invented, even if it wasn’t necessarily referred to as ‘fanart’ at that time since the concept of ‘intellectual property’ hadn’t been introduced at that point.

So I think at first we need to define what we even mean when we refer to ‘fanart’...

Put simply, it’s artwork made by people who are interested in something created by someone else, such as a TV show, film, book, podcast, video game etc. However, by this definition, where do original characters created by the fans as part of franchises fit into the picture? Or celebrity fanart? Or artists who use famous people’s appearances as the base for their own characters? Or what of artworks of media that have long since passed copyright laws (such as Shakespeare works, Austen works, etc)? And where do illustrations of books fit into this?

So perhaps a wider description would be, artworks made by fans of and inspired by something “belonging” to someone else (either a piece of media or... themselves). The issue of this description is that most portraiture would fit into this. So... are we about to call Thomas Gainsborough or Joshua Reynolds, two of the most famous British portrait painters of the 18th century, fanartists?

I think a lot of people in the art world would scoff at this concept, because even now the feelings surrounding fanart are pretty negative. They see it as less of a valid form of art and instead as ‘derivative’ and ‘unoriginal’. I’ve heard both non-artists and artists alike talk about fanart as ‘not real art’, and then in the next breath they’re praising portraits made by Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent Van Gogh.

I also think it’s important to note that fanart isn’t exclusively portraiture too. Often artists will draw landscapes, still life works or even abstract pieces based on their favourite media. And as previously mention, a lot of artists and writers create their own characters within a world created by another person. So, for all intents and purposes, that is a form of original art, but it is often still put down in comparison to people who make up an entirely new story and world for their characters.

Part 2 - Renaissance artists and Bible fanart!?

One of the most common defences I’ve seen for fanart is that Renaissance artists’ basically did Bible and Mythology fanart, and their artwork is considered ‘masterpieces’ so... that’s that!

Right?

Well, if we’re sticking with the definition of fanart being something based on a series of characters or concepts owned by someone else, then Religious or Mythological based art would definitely fit into this.

(Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Virgin of the Rocks’, currently being held in the National Gallery in London).

But I think it’s important to note that the art world was a very different place in Renaissance Europe. Concepts and characters didn’t belong to any one person or group of people, instead everything was a lot more homogenised. There’s a reason why when we think of figures like Jesus or the Virgin Mary, we have a very particular idea of what they look like (a very white-washed idea, I might add). The same thing goes for portrayals of figures from Greek or Roman mythology. There were often motifs associated with these deities that dated back to Antiquity, and Renaissance artists looked back to this for their inspiration. But there was no one specific point of reference for these ‘characters’ other than the Bible, which didn’t actually ‘belong’ to anyone, not even the church.

So, I think it’s valid to bring up Renaissance artists and how the modern concept of ‘originality’ in art was less important to artists or patrons, and much of the art they did was exclusively works based on something the artist did not come up with. In my first Art Deep Dive, I talked about how History paintings (which were often Religious or Mythology based) were valued for being the product of an ‘artistic genius’ and their connection to spirituality in comparison to portraits or landscapes that depicted the real contemporary world.

But do I think it was actually fanart?

... Probably not... Although I wouldn’t begrudge anyone believing it is, because in a way it does somewhat fit into the definition of fanart. Instead this was to look at how society’s relationship to art has changed drastically in the hundreds of years since that era, as has the purpose of art itself.

And I think it does bring up some interesting discussions of why we are so obsessed with ‘originality’ in art at the moment when it’s not something that was really important before, though!

Part 3 - What about portraiture?

So... What about portraiture huh?

Now, portraiture has existed for as long as art has, essentially, but it took until the Renaissance era and beyond for it to be associated with patrons. Portraiture was more than just ‘old-timey photography’, since it was linked distinctively to a sign of wealth. I mentioned Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds earlier, who were two very influential portrait artists of the 18th century, who both fed into a market of middle and upper class patrons wanting their portraits done in this era.

(This is a piece by Reynolds of the Actress Mrs Siddons as the Tragic Muse).

And in a way this makes portraiture probably the earliest example of fanart as we see it today.

Except, a part of fanart that people who do it (including myself) often bring up is how it’s connected to a sense of passion and love for something. In a way, portraits done purely as commissions for an aristocrat for profit doesn’t necessarily fit into our modern notion of fanart.

This brings us back to that darn description of fanart again. Because in our current world fanart can be defined as work of celebrities done as commissions. Except, perhaps, if you’re a known portrait painter (no one says the designer of the postage stamp did fanart of Queen Elizabeth, despite the fact that it... kind of is?).

So, why is it that a portrait of the Queen is simply a portrait, but one of Billie Eilish is ‘fanart’? Who decides these parameters? And also who decides which one is more ‘worthy’ or ‘valuable’?

Places like the National Portrait Gallery are filled with portraits of famous people from history. But it’s never referred to as the ‘National Fanart Gallery’. I think in a way this boils down to who is doing the art, who the art is of and why they’re painting it. It is funny, though, that the distinction between fanart and portraiture of famous people is so similar that it requires such detailed specifications as to which is which.

So, I think it’s clear to see that where portraiture fits in the history of fanart is a contentious one...

Part 4 - Shakespeare, Fairy Paintings and other 18th/19th Century Curiosities...

From the late 18th until the late 19th century essentially saw the birth to what we now know as ‘fanart’, in a way. The growth of middle-class audiences in the early part of the 1800′s meant that there was a new found desire for landscape, genre and portrait art. And coupled with the growth of secularism, history paintings in their traditional sense had lost appeal.

There was also the small matter of media being so much more accessible and wide spread to bigger audiences due to the industrial revolution. Books were being printed more easily and sold and a reasonable price, not to mention that a significant portion of the population could now actually read, or at the very least were given some form of education. More travel and trade (and also colonialism) also lead to an increase of new kinds of media being explored. Birth of the Gothic genre, Science Fiction, Fantasy, etc, all forms of fiction that we’re very familiar with now were only just entering the public’s consciousness at this point.

Much like now, technological advances were both a blessing and curse to the people of this era. And also like now, art was used as a way to express what was happening in the world. A great example of this is JMW Turner’s Flying ,,, which shows an old ship being transported into harbour by a steamboat, something that was very new to this era. It spoke of the new technologies overpowering the old, and the fears a lot of people had because of this.

This lead to the development of Fairy Paintings, to move to a new time of history painting that was more based on folktales and works of fiction by writers like Shakespeare, and were often used as a form of escapism. William Blake is a prominent figure in this type of painting, along with some Pre-Raphaelite painters.

This is a piece directly based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth by Henry Fuseli and is completely undoubtedly fanart in essentially every way. Many of his works, and the works of his contemporaries, were based on the works of writers like Shakespeare.

This piece, along with most of his other works, was also exhibited in the Tate Gallery way back in the early 19th century. Fanart like this was openly welcomed into galleries in this era, something that’s a far cry from my art teachers in school and college actively discouraging us from doing any kind of fanart for our projects.

The mass appeal of these kinds of art lasted well into the 20th century and even after the advent of photography, which created an entirely new kind of media to be consumed.

I actually think that a lot of this animosity towards fanart stems from a lot of fanart being born from drawing from photos as references, which is why I think artworks that are fanart from an pre-photography era are valued above artworks done now.

Part 5 - The Beginnings of Intellectual Property and Copyright Hell...

Earlier I mentioned how fanart could be defined as work done inspired by media belonging to someone else. However, this begs the question whether a single person or company can actually own such things as characters and story concepts.

Copyright as we know it today essentially originated in the 18th century. Now, I’m not going to go into all the history of copyright here (partly because it’s confusing af), but essentially throughout the 18th and 19th century all across the world, intellectual property laws were brought in for books & later extended to other media types. They basically prevented any other person or publisher being able to copy, distribute or adapt the piece of media. As many may know, copyright laws run out after a certain amount of time (I believe either between 70 or 100 years), by which time they enter the Public Domain and are free to be used in anyway by anyone.

Copyright laws can be a real detriment to fanartists, however, particularly when large companies like Disney cracking down on any small hint of one of their characters in the last few years. This feels particularly insidious to me given how most Disney films are based on old fairy-tales and legends. But in using these centuries old stories and giving them the ‘Disney flavour’, they have been able to essentially repackage the original story for their own profit. Disney of course aren’t the only company to do this, but given how Disney own basically everything media-wise now, they are the biggest perpetrator of this at the moment.

It’s important to note that to this day, copyright doesn’t extend to ideas or themes. As well as this, copyrighted media can be used by people who don’t own it either by asking for permission or via ‘fair use’. But as a lot of Youtubers would tell you, this is often something that is ignored by large companies in favour of holding monopoly over the entire thing.

This is of course not to say that copyright can’t be a good thing. I believe that artists and creators deserve to have the rights to their individual works. The issue is surrounding big conglomerate companies using copyright not as a way of protecting and supporting their in-house artists, but as a way of boosting profits.

My thoughts are that copyright laws should exist to prevent other people or companies from stealing or overtly copying/adapting a work made by someone else, not preventing a small freelance artist from selling a couple prints of a drawing from a film Disney made 20+ years ago based on a stories written hundreds of years ago.

(I know it’s not as simple as this, but you get what I mean lol)

In a big way, copyright laws were what created our modern notion of fanart, since prior to that no-one really had ownership of their works in the same way that copyright allows you. So, even thought I’ve been quite pessimistic about it, fanart really wouldn’t exist without it so... it’s not all bad lol?

Part 6 - Why is any of this important??

I realise that this is a strange question to ask at the end of this essay, but I really wanted to leave my true personal thoughts until the end in order to keep at least a vague sense of being objective through this lol...

To me, fanart is something that made me fall in love with art in the first place, particularly digital art. I was able to find communities of like minded people and make some really good friends, all because of fanart.

I’ve also spoken to other artists who say how fanart allows them to connect to their favourite shows or characters or celebrities, and a way of expressing their love for something! It’s also often a gateway for artists to get into art as children, and some have said how fanart has allowed them to be more creative in general!

Fanart is something so intrinsic to fandom culture, so much so that it has existed for as long as people have loved things (even long before the internet). And I know that a lot of public figures who receive fanart, either of themselves or of works they’ve created, often express genuine happiness of being the inspiration for someone else...

So, fanart is important to us because it’s escapism, it’s freedom, and it brings us together in such a genuine way!

I wrote this essay because I wanted to truly explore where fanart actually came from, and what I ended up discovering is that the artworld has never been clean-cut separated into ‘original art’ and ‘fanart’!

The history of fanart is messy, confusing, but one thing is very clear to me: it doesn’t just run parallel to the history of art as a lot of people assume, it is instead interwoven into the fabric of all art!

So for my fellow fanartists, keep on doing what you’re doing, because your passion and love is palpable in your work, and really isn’t that what fanart is all about anyway??

~~~

Phew... Can you believe I actually did try and keep this short lol?

Anyway, thank you for reaching the end! And a special thank you to the people over at Artfolapp (my username is dangerliesbeforeyou over there btw!) who gave me their thoughts on fanart!

As always, my ask box is open for anyone who’s interested in discussing this further, and I also have an Art Advice Tag if you need help on improving your art!

#art deep dives #fanart #history of fanart #art history #art discussion #essay #history of art #blog post #i'm just... really passionate about fanart ... can u tell lol?#i may do a follow up of this one day since this is far from everything i want to talk about #but i figured 2500 words was enough for now..

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femnet · 6 years

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I am a high school art teacher and I love my job. I particularly love it because it gives me teaching opportunities that might not come so easily in any other subject matter. On paper, my job is to teach my students the basics of artistic principle as well as a brief overview of Art History. However, what I really do is teach kids to think for themselves. Because of the subject matter of what I teach I get to cover a broad range of things from feminism to civil rights to even civil disobedience. For the last few years, theres been one lesson that is a particular favorite of mine. I introduce this lesson early on in the second semester and it combines literature, art, history, and even current events.

I begin the lesson by putting up two paintings on the board. Both paintings are entitled Judith Beheading Holofernes. I then go into a brief explanation of the literary story behind both paintings, which happens to be from the book of Judith which is included in most Catholic or Eastern Orthodox bibles.

“In the story,” I explain, “the Israelites are at war with the Assyrian army, which is being led by Holofernes. At one point, the Israelites become greatly outnumbered and are too fearful to mount an attack against the enemy camp, which is about to destroy their city.” After giving them the basis for the story, my language changes to be more casual, in order to bring the students into a story that might otherwise sound to scholarly and boring.

“Fed up, this woman Judith decides to take things into her own hands. So, one night, Judith and her handmaiden sneak into the enemy camp, flirt with Holofernes and get him so drunk that he passes out. With the help of her handmaiden, Judith them chops off the dudes head and gives it to the Israelites basically telling them ‘there I did your job for you, now will you get off your butts?’. This gives the Israelites the courage to attack and they are then able to overwhelm and destroy the enemy army.” Usually by the end of my summary, my students are commenting about the savagery or “badassery” of Judith with reverent tones, and this is when I bring them back to the paintings.

Both paintings have the same title and depict the same scene from the story. The first of the paintings was completed by the male artist Caravaggio and depicts a young, dainty, and white clad Judith beheading the gaping Holofernes. In the painting, Judith exudes innocence, she is the brightest and youngest figure, and her body language and facial expression show a great distaste for the task she is completing. Behind her stands her crone like handmaiden, almost egging her on.

The second of the paintings is by the female artist Artemisia Gentileschi. In this one, Judith is strong and determined, her sleeves pushed up to reveal heavily muscled arms as she pins down the struggling man and beheads him, her face set in a grim mask of determination. Beside her, her handmaiden of similar age and statue helps, both women looming over their enemy.

I lead my students through this description, all the while not telling them which painting was done by which artist. I let them point out the similarities and differences as we appraise the paintings and then I ask a simple question:

“Which of these paintings do you think was painted by a man, and which do you think was painted by a woman?”

Overwhelmingly, most of my classes correctly identify which one is the Gentileschi painting and which is the Caravaggio. I follow up their answer by asking them how they knew. Usually a female student shouts an explanation out, but this last year I was pleased when a typically quiet boy spoke up.

“Because a female artist would want to portray Judith as strong and tough, they aren’t going to be as worried about portraying her as innocent and dainty.”

And this is when we get to my favorite part of the lesson, the part that ties it all together. A background on Artemisia Gentileschi, a huge feminist figure in art history.

“Artemisia was a female artist during a time when a woman’s options were very limited, you could be a wife or mother, or you could be a nun, and there wasn’t much in between.” I begin. “Luckily for her, her father was a well known artist and he allowed her to be tutored by another artist name Tassi. Unfortunately while she was under the tutelage of Tassi, he sexually assaulted her while her friend and mentor was right upstairs listening to and ignoring her cries for help.” At this point I take a quick pause to look around my room and make sure that my lesson isn’t becoming a trigger to any of my students.

“Now keep in mind,” I continue, walking across my room, “This is during a time where women who were sexually assaulted were often given little to no justice, and sometimes even forced to marry their attacker. I mean think about the #metoo movement thats happening right now, some of these women have been waiting years for an opportunity to step forward and be heard and they’re met by internet trolls and called liars. And it’s 2018. So you can guess how difficult it would be for a young woman back then in an untraditional lifestyle to be heard and get justice.” I go on to explain how Artemisia and her father ended up taking Tassi to court, even though this meant that Artemisia would have to undergo torture since, in Rome at this time, a woman’s testimony was not permissible in court unless it was verified using torture. “So not only was Artemisia sexually attacked by her teacher and betrayed by her closest female friend, but she also had to undergo torture just to get justice. And then, she WON.”

Artemisia went on to become the first female artist to become a member of the prestigious Academy of Art in Florence. In an era when female artists were not easily accepted, she was famous and internationally sought after for commissions. Today, she is still considered one of the most progressive artists in history. If you look at her portfolio of work you’ll notice a trend of strong women, as well as a trend of women working together, sticking together, and helping each other, because despite the fact that her closest female friend and mentor had betrayed her at the time when Artemisia needed her most, Artemisia still understood, perhaps even better understood, the importance of women sticking together.

Three years after she won her case, Artemisia painted her version of Judith Beheading Holofernes. With this painting, she not only captured the stories of one of the leading ladies of the Bible, she also captured her own story. Because she painted herself as Judith, and her illustration of Holofernes is actually a portrait of none other than her abuser, Tassi.

I teach this lesson every year, and I love it because it sticks with my students long after we have discussed it. At times, it can be difficult to convince students the relevance and importance of school, let alone of their art class. But this is one day where it’s easy, because it’s so relevant. Not only to their own lives (because 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse at the hands of an adult), but it also shows them how they can take their experiences, good or bad, and use them as a driving force. Lastly, and I think this is why this lesson works so well, is that it broadens the subject. It’s not “just” learning how to draw or paint or create something, it’s not just teaching them yet another vocabulary word. It takes history and literature and art and modern culture and it intertwines them all together in a way that interacts with their own lives and culture.

Teaching art and its related subjects can mean walking a fine line, especially since art is a largely liberal subject with liberal leanings and I live in a conservative area. I have to steer clear of expressing my own personal political beliefs or standings because I don’t ever want to force my own views onto my students, and I have to watch any political discussions that may start in my room closely to make sure that no one is being silenced or made to feel unsafe, and even, sometimes, to correct the false information my students see daily on facebook and twitter and, most tragically, the news. I still find it important to bring these subjects like feminism, racism, and discrimination into my lessons, especially because my students live in an area where they don’t tend to get opportunities to consider any viewpoint other than the majority viewpoint. They think feminism is a bad word and means you hate men, they think “gay” is an acceptable insult, and they don’t think that racism or discrimination exist because “they can vote right? That means we’re equal”. Lessons such as the one I've described are the main way I’m able to introduce an alternative mindset and raise the idea that maybe there are other viewpoints that are worth considering.

#by Jessi #June 2018 #politics #art history #artemisia gentileschi #metoo #tw rape #feminism #teaching #art

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cacaolat-blog1 · 7 years

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This guy’s done really nice collabs with h.Naoto, Alice and the Pirates, Princess Doll and other brands :)

Q. Where do you get your inspiration from? What inspires you the most when you create your artworks? Where do you find your daily inspiration?

When drawing a personal work, I draw it based on the past memory, experience, and thought. In that sense, I think I am inspired by what I have seen in my life with my own eyes. I suddenly receive inspiration from ideas that I notice when talking to people and the landscape that I am walking and seeing outside in my daily life.

When the composition of the painting floats in my mind as the same time with the inspiration I received, it becomes a big stimulus that makes me feel,“ I want to draw!” the most.

Q. Have you / will you ever design a Lolita dress with your illustrations? It would be perfect!

I have drawn an original print illustration, and it has been released as a one piece, cut sew and so on at a Lolita brand store.

I think I will be involved with the Lolita brand in the future, and I will upload my information to social media, so please check it out.

Although I am not planning to produce Lolita clothes personally, I sell illustrations, T-shirts, etc.

Q. Is there anything you are cautious about when you draw illustrations? What type of occupation would you like to be if you are born again?

Since it is a line drawing, one line and one line I draw it carefully until I get to the end of the line. I am aware that monochrome to become a beautiful original picture that can be displayed at all times regardless of picture for work or picture for personal. Since I was thinking that I would like to be an illustrator ever since I was in a kindergarten, I have never imagined a job other than drawing a picture, but I think that I would like to have a job in which I would create something.

Q. The girls appearing in Yohsan’s work are somewhat different from the reality, and many of them seem delicate, fragile and beautiful. Also, the face you draw has characteristic eyelashes, so I want to ask if there were any products (manga and/or movies) you were influenced from!!

The first time I saw the beautiful Gothic & Lolita people in the city, I was shocked that "this beauty is an art!" And I decided to draw a picture dedicated to those Gothic & Lolita people.

Since I don’t draw eyebrows in my paint, I characterized beautiful eyelashes instead.

I draw many girls smiling in harsh circumstances that I may want to reflect my admiration in their beautiful strength.

Q. Someday, I would like you to draw my portrait with your style, is there any chance of it at an event?

I do not know if I can paint in the venue because I have no experience of painting in public, but I will practice to draw a yuru-kawa (casual cuteness) picture first (lol)

I hold a solo exhibition once or twice a year, and sometimes people come from overseas as well. I would like to plan the events that make everyone very happy in the future.

Q. The thickness of the line is different depending on the illustrations, what is the reason of the difference? Is there no particular meaning?

Wow I’m surprised you caught that. I basically use 4 different thickness pens (0.25 - 0.5) in one picture, and I sometimes casually enclose a little thicker line for the part I want to stand out. Sometimes I use different ones depending on the view of the world, and/or the purpose of using the picture.

Q. Who are you favorite artists/designers?

I like Mr. Kiyoharu as a Japanese musician, and Mr. Junji Ito as a manga creator.

Q. I would like to ask if Yoh-san has a girlfriend. He is very good looking by the way.

Thank you for your nice words...

Since I often draw love stories as a theme, I will leave it to your imagination (lol)

When I think of desperate love, it creates more motivation and attracts me. It would be painful if love always does not come true though... (haha)

Q. What kind of past life experiences had inspired your creation of illustrations?

I have more negative pictures because drawing negative experiences is more fun than drawing happy pictures. I wanted to express my own thoughts as a picture rather than using my own words.

After seeing my pictures I sometimes receive messages like "I felt like being told about myself". That makes me feel very pleased by knowing someone was able to share the feeling.

Q. How and when did you discover the Gothic Lolita aesthetic?

About 18 years ago I met people wearing Gothic & Lolita in Harajuku, I thought they were very beautiful.

Then I discovered MALICE MIZER 's music and magazine "Gothic & Lolita Bible" and I became deeply into the world of Gothic & Lolita.

Q. May you explain your "monochrome" choice? Why do you like to draw without colors?

Originally I liked still life drawings. Using pencil for still life drawing was changed to using pen, and illustration and thought were added and it became the current style of painting. I love monochrome because the contrast of black and white is very beautiful.

I would like to draw a monochrome picture that you can individually imagine in various colors on each person by the way you see it.

Q. Gothic Lolita style is inspired by old European styles such as Rococo and Victorian, are you also interested on European culture ? Which part?

I am interested in European classical music and architectural buildings in town because those look wonderful. I purchase attractive building books and look at it in a library, and when I draw pictures I play classical music as background music.

Q. What kind of Japanese food do you like?

I can’t decide which one I like since I like so much of it ... But I can say I like traditional Japanese set meals that come with rice and miso soup.

Q. What is your hobby?

I like watching movies and breeding animals. I sometimes watch multiple movies for a day, and I repeat my favorite movies while I am drawing pictures.

I clean the fish tank of my tropical fish between works to refresh myself. I also buy specialty books of plants and fish and I love the time to look at it as a photo books before going to sleep.

Q. What kind of music do you listen to?

I listen to anything but I like visual-kei music. I change the music to listen according to the picture I draw. When putting out a rough idea of a picture, I often play a movie soundtrack to be in the worldview.

Q. Please write a message to Tokyo Rebel Customers.

Everyday I stayed in a room in Tokyo and silently painted a picture alone. It is truly a pleasure to know someone is looking at my paintings and touching goods in New York City, very far away from Japan and all the way across the sea.

I am sincerely thankful to Tokyo Rebel who gave me such opportunities and wonderful experiences. I hope to draw more and more so that I can deliver my art to you through Tokyo Rebel. Thank you very much!

#yoh monochrome #art #translations

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2700fstreet · 5 years

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THEATER / 2018-2019

CARTOGRAPHY

STUDENT GUIDE

World premiere Kennedy Center co-commission Written by Christopher Myers Directed by Kaneza Schaal

Teacher and Parent Guide: Cartography

“We are in the middle of one of the largest mass migrations in human history.” —Kaneza Schaal, Cartography director

So, What’s Going On?

Inflatable rafts on the Mediterranean Sea. Dark holds of cargo trucks. Family photos wrapped carefully in a backpack that crosses border checkpoints. Cartography explores how the world is alive with movement and migration as migrants and refugees leave or flee their homes due to war, poverty, and climate change in hopes of a better life. It examines the forces that shape where we have come from, how we have moved, and where we are going.

About the Play

Caption: Photo taken by Christopher Myers at a Cartography workshop in 2017. Credit: Photo by Christopher Myers

The word “cartography” refers to the science and art of creating maps. It is an ancient practice using symbols to represent places and landscapes to help travelers and others to understand and navigate where they are and where they hope to go. Maps, both physical and conceptual, are a core theme and symbol in the play Cartography.

Cartography asks audiences to examine the history of human migration and plight of refugees. It invites us to relate their stories to our own or those of our families and our past generations. How did we get here? Why do we humans move from one place to another? What are we escaping? Or what are we moving toward?

“It’s such a gift to understand the world as one of migration as opposed to these hot points of tension and trauma,” explained playwright Christopher Myers. “We wanted to use theater to create a point of contact through which people who have experienced this kind of hardship and the people have never experienced this kind of hardship could meet and see each other.”

About the Process

The play took form after the creative team of Christopher Myers and Kaneza Schaal spent time working with young refugees and migrants from around the world. These young people had fled war, persecution, and poverty in search of a better life far from where they were born and spent their early childhoods. Some hiked overland while others arrived in lifeboats, alone or together with family members. In recent years, thousands of refugees are believed to have died in the effort.

The performance of Cartography isn’t based on a playwright’s written script in the traditional sense, nor is it a plot-driven narrative moving toward a climax and resolution. Instead, it is “devised documentary theater.” This style of play is based on factual material including interviews. A group of performers then improvise and experiment with related ideas and scenes. The writer or writers watch and listen for what works and refine it into a script.

For Cartography, this creative process revealed the actual experiences of young people, rendering their stories into short scenes, or vignettes. The play does not center on individual characters. Instead, the performers portray the range of experiences, sharing stories and acting out events.

Talking Terms

World events come at us fast, and often the information we get is incomplete or even distorted. This difficulty includes news reports about migration and refugees. Here is a glossary of key terms that can help you get the most out of Cartography as well as current news coverage.

Migration is a pattern of human or animal movement from one location or habitat to another.

Internal migration is the pattern of movement within one country—from the countryside to the city, for example.

Refugees are persons fleeing armed conflict or persecution, perhaps because of their racial or religious identity. It is often unsafe for them to return home.

Migrants choose to move to improve their lives often by relocating somewhere with more resources or opportunities.

Immigrants are people who move to another place to live. Undocumented immigrants are immigrants who settle in another country without seeking permission.

Asylum is when refugees receive official permission to stay in a country after arriving there.

Visas are official documents that allow visa holders to visit or stay in a foreign country.

Passports are government documents that prove citizenship in a specific country.

ID, short for identification, refers to papers that prove a person’s identity.L

This video explains basic definitions and concepts related to migration. “What Does It Mean to Be a Refugee.?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25bwiSikRsI

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The Creative Team

The playwright of Cartography, Christopher Myers, is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books. He travels the world, stimulated by his curiosity to experience other cultures and artistic expressions. On his website, he says, “I’ve been asking the question lately, ‘What does it mean to be an artist whose work is rooted in the experience of global cultural exchange?’”

Kaneza Schaal is a theater professional based in New York City, but who has developed creative projects worldwide. She specializes in using collaboration and multimedia to produce theatrical experiences that reflect on the interactions of cultures and the meaning of being human.

Schaal and Myers worked with young refugees and migrants for a month at the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany, and later at New York University Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. They listened and brought together stories and insights about the experience and effects of migration. “There was this young man from Syria,” Myers recalls. “I asked him what he wanted me to bring back after speaking and working together. He said, ‘I don’t want to be invisible anymore.’”

This collaboration between youth and artists grew and developed into the play Cartography. For more information about its development, see the Q & A with Christopher Myers in the Adult Guide.

What to Look and Listen for

Cartography does not follow a traditional storyline, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it consists of a series of vignettes or scenes that explore the uncertainties and aspirations of young refugees and migrants. With this in mind, check out:

Ways the scenery and props are used to create settings, from life rafts to border walls to waiting rooms.

The production’s simple set design. “I designed it so that it could be packed and moved in a hurry,” Myers says, reflecting one of the challenges faced by people constantly on the move.

How the young refugees treat and think about their possessions, from family photos to cell phones to house keys. (You’ll find a related activity below in the “Take Action” section.)

How the production uses contrasts to create and intensify moods onstage—dark and light, loud and calm, funny and serious.

During the scene in the lifeboat, how the sea behaves depending on the action and sound onstage.

At one point, a character says: “So they want a story? … We may not have much, but we have those.” Listen for how the characters use stories to make sense of what is happening to them.

Their feelings about “home,” both the places they have fled and their hopes for making a new home in a new country.

When the actors are performing as characters, and when they switch to speaking as themselves.

How the characters interact with the audience and use technology to compare and contrast family histories of migration.

Think About This…

At the heart of the play is a core question: What is the meaning of “home”? Answers vary from person to person, yet we share many common experiences across personal history and cultures. To explore this question, it may help to keep the following ideas and inquiries in mind:

Listen to the stories the characters tell, and try to see and describe the emotions, motivations, choices, and actions you observe.

Describe the expectations as well as fears these young people have about starting a new life in a new place, and what they are missing about what they have left behind.

What does “home” mean to you? Is it a house or neighborhood? Your family? List the people, things, and memories that make a place home to you.

What causes people to relocate? Often, there is a combination of “push factors” forcing people to flee a place, and “pull factors” that draw them toward another. What push and pull factors are discussed in the play? What are forces that work against the characters?

As dramatized in the play, migrations are key turning points in the stories and histories of many of our families. Where did you and your family come from—recently and in past generations? (You’ll find a related activity below in the “Take Action” section.)

What do you carry with you that connects you to your home? They can be physical like photos or metaphorical like a song or comfort food from childhood. (You’ll find a related activity below in the “Take Action” section.)

Notice the characters’ attention to “paper” and its importance in Cartography. Why are their papers so important to them?

Maps come in many forms and are used in many ways. What are ways you use maps in your life? How do the characters use maps in the play and what do maps mean to them?

Think of a move or migration you or others have made—short or long-distance—and consider what adjustments were necessary. Did it involve learning new words or languages? Making new friends? Picking up a new set of dos and don’ts? In other words, what are ways that changing places can change people?

Take Action

“My Stuff” Activity In Cartography, the characters recall the physical objects they brought with them when they left home—from underwear to a Bible to “lemons to fight sea sickness.” What objects are important to you? Tell the story to a friend of a meaningful object in your life or share a photo of it at #KCTYA and #CartographyDC.

Identity Collage What are the various elements that make you you? Collect images and words/phrases that reflect elements of your identity from magazines, catalogs, and photographs. Cut them out and glue them on card stock or cardboard. Fashion them into a collage that reflects your ideas about your identity. (Small objects like buttons, badges, and decals can also add interesting textures and ideas.)

“How to Make an Archetypal Soul Collage Card.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rJwUjrwfQ0

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If you prefer working digitally, there are free online apps for collaging, including www.photocollage.com, www.befunky.com, and https://pic-collage.com.

Migration Map “In the end, we are the sum total of the stories that have come before us,” says Myers. “It’s true of anyone.” For him, one of the stories is a grandfather who arrived from Germany in 1928. What do you know about your family history? Where did your ancestors come from and what are historical family names? What migrations—big or small—brought you to where you live now?

Research your family’s past by talking to parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. What are family stories that have been passed from one generation to the next? List meaningful towns, cities, states, and countries where “your people” came from. Plot these places on a blank world map, adding lines that trace your family’s movements to where you call home today.

For a free printout of a world map, see: https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/world-1pagemap-nolabels.pdf.

Get Your Write On

Writing is an effective way to turn random thoughts into ideas. Try this exercise and see what ideas are floating around in you.

After seeing Cartography, find a quiet time and set five minutes on a timer. Alone or with a partner, write down all the words that watching the play brought to mind, e.g. maps, cell phone, passport, borders, bombs, etc.

Use your word list to inspire an acrostic poem. An acrostic poem is a type of verse where the letters of a key word are featured. Here are two kinds—one with the word’s letter beginning each line, the other where the letters occur within the lines.

We cannot seem to help ourselves, A burning need to prove we’re right, Renders peace beyond our grasp.

They are Just words Yet Our hearts rise When we Know our humor Lifts the hEarts of others.

Create an acrostic poem based on the word “home,” and share it at #KCTYA and #CartographyDC.

H O M E

“Acrostic Poem: Examples for Kids.” English Literature Hub. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acr7nckxO5I

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Go Deeper/Learn More

“‘Refugees’ and ‘Migrants’ – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).” What is the difference between a “migrant” and “refugee”? This United Nations Q & A gives clear answers about migration and international law. http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2016/3/56e95c676/refugees-migrants-frequently-asked-questions-faqs.html

“Origins and Destinations of the World’s Migrants, 1990–2017.” Pew Research Center. Feb. 28, 2018. This interactive website lets viewers investigate recent migration patterns. http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/02/28/global-migrant-stocks/?country=US&date=2017

Video: “Watch 125,000 years of human migration in 1 minute.” World Economic Forum. Nov. 2, 2016. Think human migration is only a current event? Watch this clip to see how central it is to human history. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/watch-125000-years-of-human-migration-in-1-minute/

EXPLORE MORE

Go even deeper with the Cartography Extras.

You’re ready for Cartography.

Writer: Sean McCollum

Content Editor: Lisa Resnick

Logistics Coordination: Katherine Huseman

Producer and Program Manager: Tiffany A. Bryant

Cartography is part of the Kennedy Center's Human Journey www.kennedy-center.org/humanjourney

The Human Journey is a collaboration between The Kennedy Center, National Geographic Society, and the National Gallery of Art, which invites audiences to investigate the powerful experiences of migration, exploration, identity, and resilience through the lenses of the performing arts, science, and visual art.

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Deborah F. Rutter President

Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President Education

Bank of America is the Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences.

Additional support for Cartography is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

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