Rhythm and Hues

Not many artistic collaborators would admit to tracing their beginnings to a shopping mall. But that’s exactly where a bookstore employee discovered a group of performers using music to bring children’s books to life.

Out of that sighting at Santa Monica Place came the idea for “Concerts on Canvas,” a monthlong celebration of music, art and children’s books at Storyopolis, a Los Angeles bookstore and art gallery.

“The whole concept of seeing children’s books turned into something so sophisticated, not corny children’s stuff, was appealing to us,” says Jacquie Israel, curator of the art exhibit that opens Sunday. “That’s what we’re about--giving children a lot of credit for having an understanding of art and music.”

Storyopolis wanted to highlight the local artists among the stable of 70 it represents who have done music-related work. Pieces by more than 25 of them will line the bookstore’s walls.

With music as their common theme, the artwork comes from the pages of children’s books and from a less likely source for a children’s bookstore: pop culture. Cartoons from the New Yorker and illustrations of Courtney Love or the Beastie Boys that have appeared in Rolling Stone or Entertainment Weekly hang alongside original illustrations from children’s books.

A Range of Styles

Purposefully Highlighted

The show purposefully highlights a range of styles, from naive cartoons to finely rendered watercolors, Israel says. For example, “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House” (Harcourt Brace, 1998) features bold, graphic oil or acrylic portraits by local artist Synthia Saint James, known for designing the Kwanzaa postage stamp. “Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin!” (Simon & Schuster, 1995) showcases whimsical gouache paintings by Marjorie Priceman.

A Storyopolis exhibit is not complete without its weekend event--the performance and craft activities aimed at children 2 to 10 that try to slip in a little learning along the way. Helping to kick off the exhibit Sunday will be the Reader’s Theatre Project of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum, a 4-year-old group of professional performers that’s “one of the best-kept secrets in town,” says Candace Barrett, executive director of the Children’s Museum.

It was also Storyopolis’ great mall discovery. Reader’s Theatre chose its name to emphasize that performances are aimed at readers, not that the pieces are read, Barrett says. Each presentation combines elements of storytelling and musical theater.

Sometimes the story is sung as a lullaby, such as the heart-tugging “Mama, Do You Love Me?” (Chronicle Books, 1991) by Barbara Joose; other times, music is used to underscore the action. A narrator reads the book word for word, and all of the illustrations in the book are projected on screens over the stage. Cast members wears partial, simple costumes based on the pictures.

“One of the things we’re finding is that the best of the children’s books--and there are lots of very good ones--are quite profound,” Barrett says. “They have a very short time to lay out some very profound ideas. We have the opportunity to be quite close to the audience, and adults and kids alike respond to these stories on all kinds of different levels.”

The in-house company of the Children’s Museum only tours, and then only when funding is available. The group will appear at three of the five craft and concert hours (Sunday, March 6 and 7). The money to pay for this group and others to appear at the celebration came from Child and Parents magazines.

“We needed the underwriting to bring this to the audience,” says Dawn Heinrichs, executive vice president of Storyopolis. “They were pleased to partner with us to promote literacy and music because it is an activity they seek for their readership.”

Celebration Designated

as Part of Grammy Week

The Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences also is sponsoring “Concerts on Canvas” by designating the celebration an official event of Grammy week. (The Grammys are Wednesday night.) By lending its name to the event, the academy is showing its support for music education and outreach programs, Heinrichs says.

Surrounded by about 180 pieces of music-related art, two other groups also will perform at Storyopolis. Kid ‘n Together, a trio of siblings, plays what Israel calls “easy-listening, Grateful Dead-style music for kids” on Feb. 27. Ellaraino, a storyteller who regularly performs at the House of Blues, will appear with her percussionist March 13 to illustrate how storytelling is at the heart of rhythm and blues.

Children also will get firsthand musical experience when they make their own instruments during the hourlong workshop’s craft sessions. Rainsticks and tambourines made of cardboard and paper plates are on Sunday’s agenda. In future weeks, they’ll construct kazoos and drums.

“Making the instruments is another way to introduce children to the arts,” Israel says. “The activities stem from the show’s theme about how important music and art are in their lives--and maybe how they make the world a better place.”

BE THERE

“Concerts on Canvas” from Sunday through March 15 at Storyopolis, 116 N. Robertson Blvd., Plaza A, Los Angeles. Weekend performance and craft sessions begin Sunday at 2 p.m. Other sessions are Feb. 27, March 6 and 13 at 11:30 a.m.; March 7 at 2 p.m. $6 per child. Parking underneath building $1 with validation. Call (310) 358-2512.