Van Cliburn's Testimonial for Arts Education, Music Therapy, Art Therapy

‎"I appreciate more than you will ever know that you are honoring me, but the thing that thrills me the most is that you are honoring classical music, vecause I'm only one of many. I'm only a witness and a messenger. Because I believe so much in the beauty, the construction, the architecture invisible, the importance for all generations, for young people to come that it will help their minds, develop their attitudes and give them values. That is why I'm so grateful that you have honored me in that spirit."

- Van Cliburn, Classical Pianist and Humanitarian
RIP

'Garden of Calla Lilies'  © SERANTONI Designs/2012. All rights reserved.

"Creating Art Strengthens the Immune System"

I was thrilled to hear fave cartoonist/author/educator Lynda Barry state in a recent interview, "Creating Art strengthens the immune system." As a former Art Therapy Volunteer at Chicago Rehabilitation Center and Music Therapy Volunteer at Banner Desert Medical Center (Pediatrics and Oncology), I immediately sent her an imaginary bouquet of 100 roses. Art can be the vehicle that allows us to witness little miracles in children to seniors.

A worthy mention for creatives and the open-minded can be discovered in Ivan Brunetti's 'Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice', a gem of a book praised by Barry:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0300170998/ref=rdr_ext_tmb.

Thanks to a share by artist Kate Harper, you can check out Barry's sparkling little interview with The Progressive:  http://progressive.org/lynda_barry_interview_audio.html. As a native Chicagoan, I followed Barry's work for years in The Reader. Her quirky rants, pathetic childhood musings, and observational humor can delight, annoy, and resonate at various symphonic levels. As a gifted cartoonist, writer, painter, illustrator. playwright, editor, commentator and educator -- Lynda Barry is not to be ignored.

Perfect Morning Wave
Available:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/83961392/perfect-morning-wave-cape-cod-nature
© SERANTONI Designs, All rights reserved.