A Book's Evolution

Lauren Stringer is a theatrical designer, a sculptor, an artist, an author, and an excellent presenter. Last night she enchanted the audience at her McKnight Fellowship Lecture. With eight framed original pieces of artwork from the book behind her, Lauren told of the evolution of her latest book WHEN STRAVINSKY MET NIJINSKY. Beginning with a photograph of Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky in their younger years, found in a Minnesota Orchestra program many years ago, she began wondering about the musician and dancer. Though she began the story and revisited it many times, the manuscript spent a lot of time in her hanging files. After it was accepted by a publisher in late 2011, Lauren had only a few months to paint the artwork to accompany the text. With her ever-present sense of incorporating images and backgrounds of other relevant artwork, the book includes the influences of Matisse, Picasso, and Kandinsky. Now in picture book form, it celebrates the 100th anniversary of "The Rite of Spring," the ballet that caused a riot in Paris in 1913. Take time with this book to enjoy the images and the history Lauren provides in the back matter. It is an artistic treasure.