Hebru Brantley CCM Sky Studio

I have to admit when I heard Thaddeus and Emily Sachs Wong announce their generous gift of an update to the art studio by artist Hebru Brantley, I was not pleased to put it mildly. The idea of huge colorful characters looming over the studio sounded intimidating and I was reminded of all the times parents wanted to paint huge brightly colored murals at Nonotuck. But I reminded myself that a children’s museum is not a classroom where children spend an entire day but a place that is meant to be stimulating.

And when I saw the space that the Hebru Brand Studio team had created I was pleasantly surprised. While the colors are bright they have a nice tone and the one large mural of Phibby is not too overwhelming.

The brighter characters and a video introduction are outside the studio.

My favorite thing about the new studio is the art we are doing in response to it which was inspired both by Hebru Brantley’s murals and the plastic wrap murals some street artists use to create temporary art.

Drawing attention to the lines of the black and white mural of Flyboy and Lil Mama above the sink, we are inviting guests to draw pictures with permanent markers including chisel tips and then to use brushes to glue them to the plastic wrapped around the newly painted posts. Color can be added using pieces of cellophane or crepe paper.

An auspicious beginning to the new studio!