May 8, 2005 -- Picasso People, an original arts education program in its ninth year running, is expanding its touring area into the Southeast United States. The program, a brainchild of
Artistic Director, Carlton Peter Van Pyrz, crosses the lines of the Arts with core curriculum subjects such as history, language arts, and social studies. Putting Picasso's masterpieces
into motion absorbs the audience in the creative process and thus provides a potent, multi-dimensional learning vehicle.
The program meets three of six National Curriculum Standards for Art Education, and thus fulfills the cultural enrichment goals of both educators and parents alike. Beginning this fall,
the one-man show will be on tour in schools and museums from the Mid-Atlantic to the Florida coast.
"Picasso People was like going to a kid friendly art museum. Mr. Van Pyrz enabled the students to better understand Picasso's motivation for painting a certain way and enlightening the
students to better understand abstract art," states Carol Wellein, Art and Social Studies Teacher, St. James Academy, Monkton, MD.
"Picasso People is terrific because it makes art accessible and meaningful to children. ...through its life size images of Picasso masterpieces and sculptures, [Picasso People] helps
children connect with the history, culture, music and language that enriched Picasso and fed his artistic genius," says Thomas Caravela, Northern York County School District, Dillsburg,
PA.
Currently available to elementary and middle schools in New England and the Great Lakes region, strong positive response from art educators in more than a dozen states has prompted the
company to offer the innovative production to thousands more students in Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. In addition to hundreds of schools, a good number of the most
esteemed museums in the northeast have been host to the mobile production. These include Boston Museum of Fine Art, Detroit Institute of the Arts, and New Hampshire's Currier Museum of
Art. The creation of a satellite company will now open the market to southern museums.
Program creator, Van Pyrz -a professionally trained actor, dancer, and mime, has always been intrigued with the visual arts indeed with Picasso in particular. The early 1980's marked the
beginning of his career as director of his own musical mime troupe. As the company evolved, Van Pyrz found a niche in art education. His easy way with children brought the art form of
mime into hundreds of schools in his native state of New York. Later, he married his partner-in-mime, professionally trained ballet dancer, Deanna Marie DeMike. Together they breathed
life into the idea of a dramatic presentation illustrating the life work of Pablo Picasso.
The result A nationally acclaimed production that appeals to a young audience while satisfying school administration's academic, cultural, and budgetary goals.