Private Unveiling in the Park
On Thursday April 12, the park had a private unveiling of the sculpture and a dedication. The Rubenstein family, park donors and the artist were invited. Everyone was so pleased with the artwork. As Bo Rubenstein said to the artist, “You went over and above what anyone expected.”
Installation
It was an unusually cold and rainy day for the installation of Alice and her friends in Evelyn’s Park. A flatbed truck carrying the characters on an open bed trailer drove down the I-10 freeway during rush hour traffic. I’m sure a few heads turned. The entire scene weighs in at 6,000 pounds.
Police blocked off one westbound lane on the busy road of Bellaire Boulevard. A crane which was late, I hear they had it on their schedule for the following day, finally arrived and parked on the gravel road in the park where many of the food trucks park during events.
It was quite a site to see the long crane arm move over the park, pick up a 9 foot March Hare and watch him fly through the sky to his final resting place in Evelyn’s Memorial Garden. Each piece made this same flight.
The positioning of each of the characters is very important to the design. Bridgette Mongeon created each character so that they are looking at an empty space. In other words, the scene is not complete until people are at the scene and interacting with the characters. The artist worked with Deep In the Heart Art Foundry both in Bastrop and on site to make the installation perfect.
The crew from Deep in The Heart Art Foundry, the artist and the crane operators worked long hours. The installation began at 8:00 a.m. and finished up nearly 12 hours later.
Alice, her chair and the Cheshire cat are one piece. The table top and base is a second piece. There are two small benches that are on each side of the March Hare, The march Hare and his stump are a piece on their own. The Mad Hatter and his chair are one piece. There is one long bench in the front of the table, and then the book/dedication pedestal sits off to the side. That means eight major pieces needed to be installed.
Each of the pieces has stainless steel footings. Once each piece is placed, installation begins. The workers drill the concrete and then secure the threaded rod in each hole. Later the nuts will be welded onto the threaded rods.
Each of the pieces float in the area. The park plans on coming in and putting bark mulch fill with gravel under the mulch for drainage. The rest of the park has a crushed pea gravel, much to Bridgette’s dismay. This sand type component gets into the shoes of children who track it onto the sculpture. It also blows from the surrounding areas and lands on the art. This material may act like sandpaper and is a good way to scratch the surface of the art.
The welded rods used as support are taken off of the Mad Hatter’s arms. Each piece is ground smooth. Last but not least, the sploosh that comes from the Mad Hatter’s teapot must be welded to the table. The foundry welds this in place and then finishes the patina or the color to match the rest of the scene.
The only thing left is to clean off the sculpture and give it a good polish. The park screens off the sculpture and Bridgette brings a team of artists, along with gathering anyone in the park that wants to help, and together they buff out the sculpture to make it shine.
With a little maintenance of cleaning yearly and waxing the sculpture it will last a long time. The patina may darken a bit, but the work of art, now installed, will last for generations to come.
( There are some live videos of the installation on Finding Alice Sculpture on Facebook. Video Number 1, Number 2 Number 3, Number 4, and a friend says ajewish Blessing over the sculpture installation. )
Posted onApril 9, 2018CategoriesUncategorized
PRESS RELEASE- Alice in Wonderland is on Her Way Home to Houston, Texas
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon sits in the Alice Chair at Deep in The Heart Art Foundry. She and Alice are waiting for Alice to come home to Houston. Photograph by Christina Sizemore
PRESS RELEASE
150 Years ago Alice fell down a rabbit hole that sent her on a very curious adventures. Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon has been on her own journey in a rabbit hole. Hers began with concept sketches six years ago, when she was creating a sculpture of Evelyn Rubenstein for the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish community center in Houston, Texas and heard that there might be another sculpture needed for Evelyn’s Park. The Rubensteins would place the sculpture in a special memorial garden to honor Evelyn Rubenstein. They visited the famous Alice sculpture in Central Park. Jose De Creft created that Wonderland theme. George Delacorte commissioned the sculpture, and it was unveiled in 1959. The Rubensteins brought pictures to the artist. The spark of inspiration was ignited for Mongeon’s sculpture titled “Move One Place On.”
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon and her granddaughter search for the 150 things hidden in the sculpture. Photograph by Christina Sizemore
The sculpture consists of a ten-foot table with a dormouse shoved in a tea pot, just as in the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Three benches offers seating for guests, and one has a chess board in it so, be sure to bring your chest set. A nine-foot Mad Hatter flanks the 24-foot long sculpture on the left. He pushes out of his chair which is complete with arms in the shape of a lion and unicorn and feet of the chair like flamingos. The seat is unbalanced and toppling over as the Hatter stands up, gesturing to the end of the table and pouring tea. The March Hare sits on a stump at the center of the table talking to the guests to his right while dipping a watch in his tea. Alice watches on from a large overstuffed chair. The Cheshire Cat sports a “curious” beatnik look an rests on top of Alice’s chair. There is plenty of room for guests in the the coveted seat next to Alice. The artist created the sculpture so that each character interacts with an empty place, in other words, the scene is not complete until you are there.
Issa Sizemore talks with the March Hare about how her gamma created him. Photograph by Christina Sizemore
If feasting at the table and visiting with fanciful creatures is not intriguing enough Mongeon has hidden 150 things in the sculpture in honor of the 150th anniversary of the endearing story. The treasure hunt begins at the dedication plaque shaped as a storybook, balanced on a tree trunk. There is a small stump for children to step up and touch the mouse that rests on a leaf as parents read the dedication. Look at the top of the storybook and you will see the feet of a small white rabbit jumping down a hole at the top of the book. Walk around the stump, and you will see a cut away from the hole where another very small Alice is falling. This dedication plaque begins the search for the 150 hidden things.
Many have asked if there is a master list of the 150 hidden things? Only in the artists head. She will begin to reveal the hidden things through riddle and rhyme in a book and online at alicesculpture.com, the findingalicesculpture Facebook page and Instagram. She has provided a free detective notebook for families and individuals who might like to document the 150 hidden items. You can find a link to the notebook and other free printables at www.alicesculpture.com.
Move One Place On is infested with mice. That is alright they are friendly and children love them. Photograph by Christina Sizemore
Bridgette Mongeon shares with her granddaughter some of the 150 hidden items. She reminds Issa, “Be sure to check the buttons.” Photograph by Christina Sizemore
An avid reader Mongeon hopes that the scene will encourage literacy, but the educational element has gone way beyond that. The creation of “Move One Place On” was a chance to educate children and adults in STEAM. STEAM is an educational initiative that focuses on Science, Technology Engineering, Art, and Math. Mongeon, Alice, and her friends have helped to present STEAM in Wonderland to adults and children at the Bellaire Library, and at Young Women in Math and Science. Mongeon also presented it at 3D Printing World Expo, the Lewis Carroll 150th anniversary celebration, and last November art teachers all over Texas were introduced to STEAM in Wonderland at the Texas Art Educators conference where Mongeon was the keynote speaker. Mongeon is excited about creating more educational opportunities and is presently working on free curriculum for schools and homeschoolers. She thinks the author Charles Dodgson AKA Lewis Carroll, would approve. After all Dodgson was a mathematician.
Another mouse that Issa coaxes to come out and play. Photograph by Christina Sizemore
The sculpture has been completed by Deep in The Heart Art Foundry in Bastrop, Texas and installation is planned for early April. In March Mongeon traveled to Deep in the Heart for a metal check and to direct patina on the metal sculpture that weights in near 6,000 lbs. Now that the foundry has the artist’s approval, it will travel through Texas on an open bed trailer from Bastrop to Bellaire and Alice and her friends will have their final resting place in Evelyn’s memorial garden in Evelyn’s Park. Keep an eye out for Alice and the gang. You just might see them coming down the I-10 freeway.
Issa examines the arms on the Mad Hatter’s chair.
While at Deep In The Heart art foundry open house the artist visited the sculpture with her five-year-old granddaughter Issa Sizemore. The artist created the artwork in pieces and sent it to the foundry to expedite the process. Even though she created it she had never seen the entire scene altogether. Issa has watched the sculpture take shape and grew up with the design. At the open house, Issa acted as a tour guide climbing all over the sculpture and sharing the secrets of the hidden items. Guests will spend more time under the table than on top of it as the artist says there are approximately 60 things hidden under the table, including many doors to magical places.
Children and grown ups alike will fall in love with this tea party experience. Photograph by Christina Sizemore
Bellaire and Houston will now have one of the most coveted dining experiences in Texas. The curious adventure created with Mongeon’s work “Move One Place On ” will continue to intrigue and delight people of all ages.
Dedication is scheduled for April 21, 11-4
Evelyn’s Park
4400 Bellaire Boulevard
Bellaire, Texas 77401
281.946.9372
info@evelynspark.org
Growing Up With Alice
This weekend I took my daughter and granddaughter to see the sculpture at Deep in The Heart Art Foundry. Many don’t know that I have spent six years of my life creating this art. The first years were spent formulating the idea and trying to sell it to my client. My granddaughter is five. Which means she grew up with the sculpture. Pouring over photographs I can see just how apparent that is.
Wonderland Detective Books
These books are no longer available and have been replaced with Bridgette Mongeon’s Book Alice and the Hidden 150 on July 4, 2026. It is available on Amazon.
Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon has hidden 150 things in her sculpture titled “Move One Place On.” If you would like a free printable Detective book to document your findings, you can print one out by following this link. How do you find them? Reading this blog and the Facebook page will give you lots of hints. The artist will also begin to reveal the 150 hidden things through videos once the sculpture is placed. There are four things you must know when looking for the things.
#_____What is it?
#_____Where is it? ( You must visit the park, or the artist will be showing some of them in up and coming videos. )
#_____Where is it in the story?
#_____Special significance to sculptor/author/illustrator?
Get out your Alice in Wonderland books or better yet, purchase the Annotated Alice. It is what the artist used to figure out what to hide. Now that the Facebook page is being transferred to this blog you can search the posts by the category 150 Hidden things.
Foundry Open House
If you are in the Bastrop, Texas area on Friday the 23rd, be sure to stop in at the Deep In The Heart Art Foundry Open House. Alice and her friends are complete and it offers a sneak peek.
Coloring of a 24 Foot Bronze
Patina is the color put on metal through the introduction of chemical and heat. This is a massive sculpture to patina and will take a team of qualified foundry workers days . The sculpture will be a traditional bronze patina. The foundry has made me some sample plates while I was visiting. I have a variety of different texture and am known for my textures. Varied texture helps give a greater variation within a small color pallet. The key will be:
1. To work with color and the texture to make the sculpture pop.
2. To make color cohesiveness between the pieces.
3. To help bring the eye through the entire 24 foot sculpture with the use of the pieces themselves, negative space , and color.
This is VERY hard to do when I’m not there watching. Here is the beginning of notes to the foundry. We will work closely with each other to be sure everything is just right.
They have to work hard and fast as humidity and temperature will have an affect on the metal.
Posted onMarch 12, 2018CategoriesUncategorized
Capturing my expression as I see everything in metal for the first time.
I went to the foundry to check the metal. It was a very long day. It took me about 7 or 8 hours plus the 2 1/2 hour drive there and 2 1/2 hour back. I asked my friend Johnny Rojas to make a video of me seeing the sculpture for the first time. He went in before me and then shot my expression as I had seen the sculpture. Remember I have been working on this for nearly six years from concept to installation.
Do not climb?
I stood in the Alice chair once before. I know the park will most likely have a sign that says do not climb, but I could not help myself.
PRESS RELEASE- Up and Coming Sculptor Embraces The Lost Art of Mentorship
For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2018
Up and Coming Sculptor Embraces The Lost Art of Mentorship:
Tiffany Carmouche Receives a One Year Mentorship Under Master Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon.
Many thirst after someone that can help move them forward in their dreams and desires. They yearn for a guide with experience and connections that can propel them into their dreams. It is true we can learn from our mistakes, but we also can learn from the mistakes of others. The heart and time of caring professionals are restoring the lost art of mentorship. Finding such guidance may feel like an impossible task, but Tiffany Carmouche found just that—a mentor that is invested in her success. Master Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon is the individual that will encourage Tiffany’s experiential learning, incite questions, encourage debates, and challenge her while providing intellectual and emotional stimulation and accountability. Bridgette does this through her Creative Endeavors Mentorship program.
Tiffany- a Maryland artist, has been accepted into the 2018 Bridgette Mongeon- Creative Endeavors Mentorship program. She has traveled the world working with the marginalized and has begun a blossoming career as a sculptor. “I have been sculpting for years. To me to sculpt is to breath. I love honoring life and perseverance in my pieces. My favorite mediums are clay and bronze and charcoal. To me, the creation of art is such a beautiful metaphor for life,” states Tiffany.
When asked what criteria Bridgette looks for in applicants Bridgette replied, “A heart for their dreams is at the center. One can teach principles of the arts or business, but passion is another thing entirely. I have been impressed with Tiffany’s tenacity, both in her new creative endeavors and those many accomplishments that she has made along the way. After many years, you come to know which applicants truly want it. But that is only part of a mentorship program. Mutual respect is an important element as well.”
Bridgette offered Tiffany a three-month mentorship program that can renew for up to one year. Bridgette, who has mentored sculptors, writers, musicians and small business owners says it is rare that she provides such an extended mentorship opportunity, but she feels that Tiffany has the desire, direction, talent and tenacity that can make a difference in her career.
“When I heard about the opportunity to work with Bridgette I couldn’t believe it. Being an artist is a constant evolution, and we must continue to grow and challenge ourselves to reach our full potential. I love the human form and doing realistic art. I want to create monumental sculptures in bronze, and one evening, I saw her work. Beautiful. I knew the goals I had set for myself were challenging and I needed someone who had created what I wanted to create. That relationship could save me years of growing pains. I called her to see if I could intern for her to learn to scale up my sculptures in the most efficient manner. She was so encouraging, and as soon as I learned of this mentorship, I applied. We had an instant rapport, and I was amazed at how much we had in common. We are both female sculptors, writers, and motivational speakers who love to dance the bachata. I Look forward to working with her and can’t wait to push myself. I know that I will grow in the business of art and as an artist, in ways I had never imagined.
WHAT IS A CREATIVE ENDEAVORS MENTORSHIP
At the heart of Bridgette’s creativity is the desire to give back and to inspire others on their creative journey. She does this through her books, lectures, and workshops, and also acts as a personal consultant for artists, writers, musicians and those entering a small business. But for her, the Creative Endeavors Mentorship program is unique. The one-on-one interactions between mentor and mentee are like having your own personal creative or business coach. Bridgette only accepts one or two mentees into the mentorship program a year.
She based the Creative Endeavors Mentorship program on the self-directed study that she received in her progressive education that she obtained with her Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College in Vermont. It is great to have physical access to your mentee, but in the age of technology, mentees can live anywhere, and mentor and mentee communicate through the phone, skype, mail, and the internet. Many mentees feel like there is no extra work involved in a mentorship program. They are merely documenting and having accountability for their dreams and goals while being given guidance and suggestions from a professional in the field.
However, the mentorship program is serious business. Mentees enter into a contract with the artist and are, required to do extra work. They must document their expected process by creating a Statement of Purpose for each three-month term. They are also responsible for sending monthly packets to their mentor to document their progress and work. At the culmination of a term, they are reviewing their progress. Bridgette has found that the extra work of documentation is essential. “I do this without pay, and the time I’m spending mentoring is time I could spend writing and sculpting. My time is precious. I need to know the other person is serious and disciplined enough to document their dreams and progress. Plus studies have shown that goals not written down are only wishes, writing down your expectations of yourself help you to meet those expectations.”
Bridgette would like to see others become mentors. “I’d love to see this mentorship program grow. I would be delighted if other individuals, that are seasoned in the arts, volunteered their time to mentor one other person. I can think of a hand full of colleges who would be great at this, but for the last several years, it is me mentoring one or two other people a year.”
If you are interested in applying for the mentorship program, you can find the application on Bridgette’s website. She will be review new applicants April- May 2018 and September-October 2018.
ABOUT BRIDGETTE MONGEON
Bridgette Mongeon is a master sculptor who has sculpted such entertainers as B. B King, Willie Nelson, Bill Monroe, numerous sculpture of children and monumental sculptures of school mascots. Her most recent works are the monumental sculpture of Alice In Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party complete with 150 hidden elements created in honor of the 150th anniversary of the story. Evelyn’s Park, in Bellaire Texas, is the home for “Move One Place On,” with a designated spring 2018 installation. She is also creating a sculpture of Neil Armstrong – a gift from Americans that will be placed outside of Moscow in Russia, and she is working on a sculpture of a beloved Latin Jazz Singer Norma Zenteno for Houston, Texas. Mongeon is known as one of 30 most influential women in 3D Printing and the author of “3D Technology In Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting, and Milling.” She is passionate about STEAM Education, an interdisciplinary education that combines Science, Technology Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). As a speaker on motivational topics and subjects in the arts and business, she enjoys helping others achieve their goals. She is presently writing a book titled “The Zen of Business and Carving a Creative Life” which she hopes will help others to achieve success and happiness in their creative life, art, and business.