Story Bank: Color’s Garden: An Adventure with the Elements of Art
Submitted by: JaiAnn Haskins, DC Collaborative Marketing and Communications Intern November 21, 2017
Mary Hall Surface’s “Color’s Garden: An Adventure with the Elements of Art,” can be called just that, an adventure. The play is inspired by the art of legendary painter Henri Matisse.Â
Rafael Sebastian (Shape), Megan Graves (Color), and Chris Lane (Line)
The play’s stars; Line, Color, and Shape venture into the land of art, bringing the entire audience along for the ride. Audience members, children and adults alike, follow them as they re-create a number of Matisse’s famous cut-outs right in front of the viewer’s eyes.Â
Surface’s writing and direction effortlessly explain the importance of each element, paired with a beautiful chemistry between the play’s actors. The sounds of “oohs”, “aahs”, and giggling could be heard all around the East Building Auditorium of the National Gallery of Art as Line, Shape, and Color created each Matisse painting, providing comical commentary on the art’s various stages from start to finish.
Sarah Lesk- Director of the “Art Around the Corner” Program at NGA
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Mary Hall Surface
National Gallery of Art
DC Collaborative
