2015-644-E Arts - Susie Wilde Arts Grant

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tor_DocuSign Envelope ID:883AB84D-78B1-4D41-BOEF-BE6A942205E0 htfp://www.ebscohost.corrdnavelisf/default.php?id=398#SusieWild Best Practices: Putting Story into an Art Quilt by Julie Corsaro This interview originally appeared in the October 2009 edition of NoveList School News. To sign up for this and other newsletters, click here. Susie Wilde is a writer,teacher and children's book reviewer who collaborates with textile artist Peg Gignoux on Story Quilts. Susie shares details of their partnership focusing on how she writes a collaborative story with children that will be illustrated with vibrant fabrics during Gignoux's art workshop. JC: How did you and Peg Gignoux come to work together on story quilts? SW: I had been doing writing residencies in schools for years when I came to feel that there needed to be a visual component to complement the writing. When Peg offered me an opportunity to teach with her at the Penland Crafts School in North Carolina, I was delighted. For four days, I worked with a group of women writing a story and then,with Peg's direction,they turned the story into a quilt. It was a great experience that still serves as our model for working with children and families during two consecutive in-depth residencies in schools and libraries. JC: How do you begin the process of writing a collaborative story that will be made into an art quilt? SW:Actually,the first thing Peg and I do is meet with as many people as possible who are going to be involved in the project.We really want to get a sense of what is special about them and their institution. For instance,this summer we worked at the Kill Devils Hill Branch Library on the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the location of the Wright Brothers'first flight.Together with the library staff,we decided that wind,flying, and libraries would be central elements in their Story Quilt. JC: Does the writing come first? SW:Yes. Ever since I began collaborating with Peg, I start by writing allegorical stories that represent the children and families.When I am in residency with older kids, for instance, I like to lead this work by reading Eve Bunting's Terrible Things.This parable about the Holocaust tells what happens when animals in a forest do not stand up for each other;in the end,they all lose their freedom. I explain that we are going to write a tale like Terrible Things that may seem simple on the surface but will also have a deeper meaning to older people who read it. JC: How do you structure the writing? SW: I have a visual model I call the"Story Skeleton"that begins with the"head"or central character because I believe that character drives story.The"trunk"is the character's motivation because once you know what the protagonist wants more than anything;the narrative begins to reveal itself.The conflict and climax along with the supporting details are the"ribs"that breathe excitement into the plot:All of these elements including the resolution are built on a setting that serves the main character.We start by"dissecting"a published book and then construct our Story Quilt based on the same model. JC:Since "character drives story,"how does the group decide on a protagonist? SW:After I read a story with a strong protagonist,we break into small groups to come up with original characters.One of the rules is that they cannot"steal"the character they already know from other stories or movies. Peg selects one character from among the children's suggestions, one that she thinks will work best when translating the story into art and that they can successfully illustrate.At the beach library,for instance, Peg chose a bird that makes a nest out of words, knowing that making fantastical birds would enliven both the quilt and the participants. JC: Do you have an editing process? SW: Once we have a first draft, i teach students the essential ingredients of editing.These include creating with a large, clean manuscript that has lots of space for us to make changes, reading aloud the story,and marking changes with a red pen so that they become visual evidence of the story's changes.The story may go through as many as 25 revisions. If the quilt is going to hang in their school or library for a very long time, I want the story to be as strong as possible. 2 of 3 10/15/2009 7:51 Plv