Latest News from Isobelle
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I WANTED TO mention how instrumental Ann James and Ann Haddon (Jess) have been in helping me mount this exhibition and auction. Of course, as you will see by using the Dreamscape link in the sidebar, Ann James not only made a mask for the auction, WHICH HAS BEEN REVEALED – you can find out more abut the mask and its maker by following the link to her page in the sidebar – she also whipped up a pretty snazzy mask for the ball for herself, and she unboxed and presented the masks for me at the High Tea for the Red Queen event at the Meat Market, revealing them for the first time – (that was the daytime incarnation of the Masked Ball where we launched the Last Obernewtyn Book).
But there is a backstory. Ann and Jess held onto the box of white masks for me for years before I came to fetch them. The box lived under their stairs, like Harry Potter. As the owners of Books Illustrated Ann and Jess had curated a lot of shows and they had a lot of experience raising money for charity with exhibitions, and they had a lot of valuable advice and suggestions to offer over the long period when I was finishing The Red Queen and planning the launch and mask auction. They were there for me, despite the incredible business of living their own lives and doing all the work they do all over the world.
Ann Haddon (Jess) and Ann James
They also have an intimate connection to both charities – Ann belongs to IBBY, as do many Children’s Book authors and Illustrators, and she often represents it. When she and Jess were in Munich in 2012, they made a special beeline for Schloss Blutenberg, where the International Youth Library is housed. Set up after World War 2, it was the brainchild of Jella Lepman, a Jewish woman of vision and energy, who had returned to Germany and realised the children needed more than food, medicine, clothes and shelter – they were hungry for books, links to life and culture. She appealed to other countries for books and they came in their hundreds – the beginning of the International Youth Library
“The huge collection of books from around the world is held in an underground archive,” Ann said. “The IBBY Children in Crisis Fund which the mask auction will benefit, specifically works to deliver books and skilled bibliotherapy to children in crisis.”
You can find out more about their work by following this link: http://www.ibby.org
“The Schloss is a lively museum which has celebrates children’s literature in many ways – with exhibitions, displays, and a comprehensive library.
“Upstairs, in the tower, there is a marvellous reconstruction of Binette Schroeder’s (a famous German illustrator) studio, with her dolls, toys, paintings and fantastic furniture!”
These are some photographs of the Schloss taken by Ann and Jess when they visited.
In the next post, I will feature some wonderful pictures Ann and Jess took during their visit to the Bear Sanctuary in Chengdu which is the other designated beneficiary of this auction.