<<<Back to Table of Contents
Holli Brown sits in a small room in the back of her home surrounded by broken china. Chips, chunks, some jagged, others with a hint that the cup or bowl was once loved. Could that have been Grandma’s china pattern? Isn’t this a slice from a souvenir plate picked up at the Alamo?
Kourtney Baldwin is a 6th grader at Maplewood Elementary in central East Austin, and like any 11-year-old, she’s armed with a cell phone, a big personality and loads of curiosity. Unlike most other kids her age, however, after school, once a week, Baldwin rushes over to see her grown-up friend – Holli Brown.
Baldwin and Brown come together in a unique working relationship, together in that little room in the back of Brown’s home. Okay, to be fair, that room is actually filled with sparkling fall sunshine, and all that broken china is in shoebox-sized tubs stacked neatly on shelves. Each one is labeled: “Limoges 1950.” “Flowers.” “Crown ‘60s.” “Garden.” Brown, you see, is an accomplished mosaic artist. “People are so emotionally attached to their dishes,” she says, so she uses those pieces to create works of art. Covering bowls, boxes and mirrors. Think of all the meals, Thanksgivings, simple bowls of ice cream. “You have the same set the whole time you were raised,” says Brown as she points to a pattern that was “very common in the 60’s.” But on this day her focus moves beyond things that are dusty or repurposed. On this day she’s says she’s part of something bigger. Brown is sharing her talent turning bits and pieces into works of art with Baldwin. The pair is taking part in what’s called the Little Artist/Big Artist program sponsored through the Cherrywood neighborhood.
There are about 10 artist and student pairings, like Brown and Baldwin, from the neighborhood’s Maplewood Elementary taking part in the Little/Big program. “A lot of these kids are coming from … households where they are not going to get a lot of introduction to art,”
explains Brown. For many of these children, mom or dad is too busy just making a living. Baldwin lives with her mom and baby brother. And so it goes, the two meet after school to create.
Brown’s own art is arranged around her studio. Vases in browns, blacks and creams, mirrors in reds and blues, a box, some jewelry. All covered in carefully selected pieces of china. She cuts plates, bowls and cups with clippers to preserve the pattern, but admits to occasionally using a hammer. On this day Brown is working on a bowl with a travel theme. Glass cutouts feature pieces of old maps and painted western scenes. On her workstation there is also a piece of wood cut in the shape of a guitar. The tiles on it are pink and blue and purple. It’s Baldwin’s. Her first try at mosaic art.
“I picked my favorite colors,” says Baldwin. This girl who Brown describes as having a “sparkle” has trouble describing just what she gets out of the program – of course what 6th grader wouldn’t have trouble describing something so unique? Her excitement, however, is obvious. Brown says she tries to get her little artist to think about her emotions while choosing the tiles and design to cover the guitar. The neck of the instrument is in alternating pink and baby blue tiles, like frets. The base is covered in tiny cut pieces of tile to create flowers.
There is a whole lot more going on in the Cherrywood neighborhood than just gluing and grouting (Cherrywood is bounded by I-35, Airport and MLK Blvd. in central East Austin). Other Maplewood sixth graders also find themselves heading from the classroom to neighborhood art studios. Anne Marie Beard creates unique handbags in simple lines with bold textiles, and shares that craft with an aspiring little artist (www.annemariebeard.com).Christine Terrell, who herself is a mom with children at Maplewood (www.adaptivereuser.com), creates art by reusing decorative tins, turning them into graphic modern jewelry. She admits to being nervous, at first, about trying to “teach” art to an 11-year-old. “My worries evaporated,” she continues, “after about 20 minutes with my little artist … she is fearless and hungry to try new things.”
The “Little Artists” will have a chance to show their work, and auction off one item, during the Cherrywood Art Fair later this month. The fair, which is in its seventh year, will be held at Maplewood Elementary. Kourtney Baldwin will be creating a mosaic mirror for the event. Of the chance to show at the fair she says simply, “I think it’s cool.” Her art will show along side Brown's. Anne Marie Beard, Christine Terrell and their little artists will also be showing – students from Maplewood school displaying their newly acquired craft alongside neighborhood artists. Portions of the proceeds from the sale of artwork will go back to help the school.
The Little Artist/Big Artist program is perhaps the shining jewel in a “mosaic” created by an organization known as CHULA. CHULA stands for "Cherrywood Urban Landscape and Arts League." CHULA volunteers work to nourish the arts and outdoor spaces in the Cherrywood neighborhood. The December arts fair offers children a chance to share their wares – and is a fundraiser for the organization – but it is also just part of the community-wide vision. For example, the crew of artists and neighborhood folks have worked, over the past several years, on everything from bus stop beautification to picnic table pick-me-ups at Patterson Park. Not many city parks boast benches with pink and white painted faces on them. “Seeing what we could do for the kids in the art program,” says Kathleen McTee, one of CHULA’s founders, “showed us that we might be able to … cast a wider net and make an impact on the whole area of East Austin where we live.” McTee is an accomplished textile artist herself (artcloth.com). “It’s not just about having something pretty to look at,” McTee says, “or something to do with your hands.” She likens art, whether creating it or looking at it, to a good belly laugh, “it somehow relaxes your brain and your body all at once.”
Holli Brown and her little artist Kourtney Baldwin have no doubt shared a few giggles. Brown hopes that some day CHULA's belly laugh can spread – their concept of uniting artists, schools, children and neighbors to preserve the beauty of outdoor spaces through creative activities – to other parts of Austin. Like a mosaic, residents in this central East Austin neighborhood have found the pieces come together to create something beautiful.
MORE INFO
Cherrywood Art Fair
Sat., Dec. 12th – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 13th – 2 – 6 p.m.
Maplewood Elementary School
38½ Street and Maplewood Avenue