The Laughing Magic Painter is a popular children's book that brings magic and laughter together. It follows the adventures of a mischievous artist who can make anything come to life with a stroke of his brush. In the story, the main character, named Leo, discovers a magical paintbrush that alters reality when he laughs while painting. This hilarious twist adds an element of surprise and excitement to Leo's artistic endeavors. Children are drawn to his infectious laughter and the unexpected outcomes of his creations. As Leo embarks on his painting escapades, he brings joy and laughter to everyone around him.
Many people like rain. It is especially nice in a hot day after the sun has been scorching you all day. It feels like some kind of salvation. It refreshes your body and mind, gives you new energy for the rest of the day. It is also nice when it rains at night. The sound of millions of falling drops helps you easily drift away to the dreamland. It brings to the room some coolness and that wonderful smell of the rain that cannot be replaced with anything.
That s how María Magdalena Campos-Pons, who grew up on a sugar plantation in Cuba, reacted to the news that she is one of this year s 20 MacArthur Fellows known as the Genius Grant. Later she drew on that experience in infusing her paintings with a subtle sense of movement, even in something as seemingly motionless as a still life.
As Leo embarks on his painting escapades, he brings joy and laughter to everyone around him. From painting a talking parrot to a barking tree, each creation is brought to life through Leo's unique laughter. The magic paintbrush not only changes the appearance of objects but also imbues them with special abilities, creating a whimsical and enchanting world that captivates young readers.
This Afro-Cuban artist says she's a 'never-sleeper.' And now a 'genius.'
The artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of this year's MacArthur fellows. Her sculptures, paintings, installations and photography are displayed in over 30 museums around the globe. When she got news of the so-called "genius grant," she says, " I was running room to room in the house, feeling a sense of terror and elation." MacArthur Foundation hide caption
toggle caption MacArthur FoundationThe artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of this year's MacArthur fellows. Her sculptures, paintings, installations and photography are displayed in over 30 museums around the globe. When she got news of the so-called "genius grant," she says, " I was running room to room in the house, feeling a sense of terror and elation."
"When I left the town of La Vega to go to art school [as a young girl], I was wearing pants and a top that my mother made me using the fabric from a used mattress cover. All I had was my luggage and a little piece of brown paper that had the address of where I was going. And I knew that I never was going to return to the town until I had a lot of good news to share. So now I am going back to La Vega — as a MacArthur Genius."
That's how María Magdalena Campos-Pons, who grew up on a sugar plantation in Cuba, reacted to the news that she is one of this year's 20 MacArthur Fellows – known as the "Genius Grant." The MacArthur Foundation calls it a "no-strings attached award" of $800,000 given to "extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential." Campos-Pons, 64, received this honor for her work as a multidisciplinary artist whose sculptures, paintings, installations, photography and more are displayed in over 30 museums around the globe.
Much of Campos-Pons' art draws inspiration from her upbringing in La Vega, where her family lived in former slave barracks and taught her the traditions, rituals and beliefs of her ancestors, Nigerian slaves brought to Cuba to work in the sugar plantation.
In one work, Constellation, Campos-Pons groups together 16 giant Polaroid photos of her dreadlocked hair and painted landscapes. They represent the many cultures that make up the African diaspora. Despite slavery, geography and the passage of time, these cultures are intertwined, and she feels very much connected to them.
After Duchamp uses photographic images to create a "visitation" of the French artist Marcel Duchamp, says Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. She says the work is conveys "the abandonment of the female body" and "the complexities of geography." Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons hide caption
toggle caption Maria Magdalena Campos-PonsIn the performance art piece Habla Lamadre, she sways through the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in a sculptural white dress while invoking Yemaya, an African deity, to "take hold of this institution and show the power of the Black body."
Campos-Pons, currently the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., talks to NPR about what she plans to do with her prize money and what she thinks about being called a "genius." This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Congratulations. How did you react when you first found out that you won the MacArthur Fellowship?
Thank you. I didn't know what to say or do. I was running room to room in the house, feeling a sense of terror and elation.
Esa Palabra Mar and this Word Waiting. Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons says this work, with its depiction of the "arresting beauty of the ocean" speaks to the "tragedy of Cuban family separations after the revolution" and "other migrations of Black and Brown people." Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons hide caption
toggle caption Maria Magdalena Campos-PonsWhat are you going to do with the prize money?
I would do a lot of good deeds in relation to my body of work. I started a program at Vanderbilt University called Engine for Art, Democracy and Justice. One of the aspirations of that program is to create a network of creative thinkers to build a more equal landscape for art — how it is acquired, collected, cared for — and who has access to what.
Are there similarities in the lives of people in the American South, where you now live, and Global South, where you are from?
We keep dreaming and producing — and we bring in an incredible amount of surprise to the human experience to overcome the complexity of life. We are a historical miracle. And this is not only restricted to the American South or the Global South, this is something you can find everywhere — in Tennessee, in Cuba, in Senegal, in the Bronx — people who maintain tradition, resilience and possibility in places in which the circumstances are difficult.
Shooting Stars for the Falling Soldiers Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons hide caption
toggle caption Maria Magdalena Campos-PonsWhat do you think about being called a 'genius'? It's kind of a big label.
Do I consider myself a genius? I need to laugh about that! I am one of those manifestations of a miracle from the Global South. I am the daughter of a father who only was educated until the third grade. He needed to cut sugarcane in the fields. A mother who only went to the sixth grade, then started making clothes for people and ironing and washing clothes.
I don't know! We need a new nomenclature for what this is.
What words would you propose?
A visionary, a dreamer, a never-sleeper, the one who stays awake all night. But I'm honored. I'll take the cap.
You grew up with a lot of people who were very in tune with their spirituality. Your mother was a priestess of Santeria, a religious tradition developed by African slaves in Cuba. And your father used plants for healing as an herbalist. How did that affect your artwork?
My father had an incredible amount of respect for nature. He would not take a little branch of a tree without knocking on it first and offering a gift, sometimes cornmeal, sometimes a penny. Only then would he take the branch — because you don't take energy from a tree without asking permission. It inspired a piece in 1994 called The Herbalist's Tools. It includes his tools, his machete and his garabato [a hooked staff used to pluck plants from the ground] to clear a path down the forest.
YouTubeAs a woman from the Global South, did you have a hard time getting recognition as an artist?
I have received letters of rejection from very important places. And then ten years later, I get letters of invitation [from these same places]. I always tell my students: recognition and fame has many layers. Be sure you are recognized, respected and cared for in your home — so you are good to the people in your house — in your neighborhood, in your town, in your state and then in your nation. But it starts at home.
What will your family and friends in La Vega think of your award?
I will go back there in December and explain to them the award. But I will have to show them something.
When I was 13, I did my first plaster-cast of an antique sculpture from the Greco-Roman empire at the provincial school in Matanzas. When I came home, I showed it to my father, and he put me on his horse — that was the mode of transportation for our family — and we went from house to house so that I could show the neighbors what he called my "monument." Here I was with something of no importance, but he already knew I was on my way to becoming an artist and he wanted me to have an audience.
So for this award, maybe what I would do is bring a copy of the letter [from the MacArthur Foundation] and frame it [to show people]. Someday I plan to have a site in the town dedicated to the history of the Campos family and the history of all the indentured, enslaved people who worked there to produce incredible wealth.
I bet you wish your parents were here to see you today.
They are. They are seeing me from the sky. They are clapping.
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
- MacArthur Fellows
- American South
- global south
- MacArthur Genius Grant
- Nigeria
- MacArthur Foundation
- art
- Cuba
- slavery
Guzik enjoyed animation, but she loved painting even more. So when a former Disney employee with whom she worked for a time encouraged her to apply to art school, she took his advice. She graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago and later studied at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Connecticut. It was while studying art in Chicago that a pivotal event changed her life. One day her beloved art instructor, Bill Parks, showed her a still-life painting. It completely blew her away. “I was about to faint, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen,” she remembers. After years of believing all the great masters were relegated to the pages of art-history books, she stared at the painting and realized: “This is by Richard Schmid, and he’s alive!”
Throughout the book, Leo encounters various challenges and learns important life lessons. Through his laughter and creativity, he discovers the power of positive thinking and how even the simplest joys can make a difference. His adventures inspire children to embrace their imagination and find joy in the world around them. The Laughing Magic Painter is more than just a children's book; it is an invitation to dream, create, and laugh without inhibition. The story serves as a reminder of the power of laughter and the magical potential within each of us. It encourages children to view the world with wonder and to find joy in the act of creation. Through Leo's laughter, children learn that happiness can be found in the simplest things, and that they have the power to bring joy to those around them. The story also highlights the importance of embracing one's unique talents and using them to make a positive impact on the world. With its vibrant illustrations and engaging storyline, The Laughing Magic Painter captures the imagination and hearts of young readers. It serves as a reminder that laughter and creativity are powerful forces that can shape our world and bring happiness to those around us. This timeless tale is sure to inspire children to unleash their inner artist, embrace their laughter, and find magic in everyday life..
Reviews for "The Laughing Magic Painter: Harnessing the Power of Positivity in Art"
1. Sarah - 1 star - I was really disappointed with the "Laughing magic painter" show. The jokes were not funny at all and the magic tricks were very basic and predictable. I expected to be entertained and amazed, but I left feeling bored and unimpressed. I wouldn't recommend this show to anyone looking for a good laugh or an enjoyable magic performance.
2. Michael - 2 stars - I attended the "Laughing magic painter" performance with high hopes, but it fell short of my expectations. The comedian's jokes were not my style and I didn't find them funny. The magic tricks were also quite lackluster and didn't leave me in awe like I had hoped. Overall, I found the show to be underwhelming and would not go see it again.
3. Jennifer - 2 stars - Unfortunately, I did not find the "Laughing magic painter" show entertaining. The comedy sketches were not humorous and the magic tricks were quite basic and unimpressive. It felt like a wasted evening and I regret spending money on tickets for this performance. I would advise others to choose a different show if they are looking for a good laugh and mind-blowing magic tricks.
4. John - 1 star - The "Laughing magic painter" show was a letdown for me. The comedian's jokes were stale and forced, and the magic tricks were nothing special. I didn't find myself laughing or being amazed throughout the entire performance. I would not recommend this show to anyone who is looking for quality entertainment and a good time. Save your money and find another show to attend.
5. Emma - 2 stars - I was expecting a fun and exciting show with lots of laughter and amazing magic tricks, but unfortunately, the "Laughing magic painter" didn't deliver. The jokes fell flat and the magic tricks were unimpressive. It felt like a mediocre performance that didn't leave a lasting impression. I would pass on this show and find something better to spend your time and money on.