Alice in Wonderland
Presenting at the Lewis Carroll Society of North America
You might be thinking, “But I’m nowhere near the sculpture—how will I spot the hidden surprises?” No worries! If you’re a Lewis Carroll fan, you’ll recognize half of them already. Plus, Curie has sprinkled keys throughout the book to help you on your hunt.
I’m excited to be presenting alongside Jules Oami—a Los Angeles–based content creator and the creative mind behind @fortheloveofalice_!
A Few more things
- If you’re posting on Facebook or Instagram about your Alice adventures, the book, or visits to the sculpture, please tag me!
- Got a group interested in a book signing or special event at the sculpture? Let me know! For larger gatherings, we can even reserve a table Betsy’s restaurant at Evelyn’s Park to make it extra special.
(And don’t worry—an intimate group of 10 or more is perfect!) - Want to have a group to your home or group for coffee, talking about Lewis Carroll and the book? I'm in. Let's book it.
- Do you want a zoom presentation? We can do that.
- If you’d like to review the book or know someone who might want to write a story about it, reach out—I’d absolutely love to connect!
Press Release: Discover the Secrets of “Alice and The Hidden 150”
But did you know there’s a hidden adventure waiting to be discovered within the sculpture? Acclaimed sculptor Bridgette Mongeon has masterfully concealed 150 unique objects within the sculpture—a dazzling tribute to the 150th anniversary of this beloved story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. For years, the secrets of the 150th have generated buzz, drawing families and fans into a whimsical quest for clues each time they visit Evelyn’s Park.
Many have asked Bridgette for a list, but she preferred to foster curiosity and literacy. Now, for the first time, Mongeon unveils the mystery in her captivating new book, Alice and The Hidden 150—a must-have for adventurers, art lovers, and dreamers. Dive into interactive games, jot down your discoveries, and join the whimsical Move One Place On club, a playful challenge inspired by the sculpture. Although many secrets are revealed, piecing them together remains a delightful challenge, keeping the magic alive for readers and explorers.
But the adventure doesn’t stop at the treasure hunt! Mongeon also lifts the curtain on her artistic process, showing how Alice and her friends transformed—not with mushrooms and potions, but with a dazzling fusion of traditional artistry and cutting-edge digital art.
Part treasure hunt, part artist’s journal, and part behind-the-scenes adventure, Alice and The Hidden 150 is an invitation to wonder—a journey that will spark the imaginations of readers young and old and become an unforgettable experience for the whole family.
For more information, more further photographs or to contact the sculptor for an interview please contact Bridgette through her contact form.
It’s Here! My New Book- Alice and the Hidden 150
If you’d like to host a book signing at your event or neighborhood, or to meet as a group in the park, I would be delighted to do so! Please reach out through my website’s contact form.
And here’s a little secret: I’m turning some of these hidden objects into Christmas ornaments, with one or two new designs released each year—more details on that soon! For now, the book is available on Amazon and possibly at your local retailer. If you know a small bookshop that might be interested, please ask them to carry the book and let me know—I’d love to visit and present. Happy hunting, and may your adventure be wonderfully curious!
Christmas Gifts- Ornaments of the Alice In Wonderland Hidden 150
Since 2018 with the installation of the Monumental Sculpture of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party Called Move One Place On in Evelyn’s Park, Bellaire, Texas, I have been committed to bringing the public the hidden 150. What is that? Well, I hid 150 things in the sculpture in honor of the 150th anniversary of the story written by Lewis Carroll. When I was through with the sculpture, the park asked for the list of the 150, and I said no. I wanted to encourage literacy and curiosity, just like Lewis Carroll and Alice. (Please note, if you are looking for the things, it is not just what is hidden in the sculpture, but you must point out where it is and the meaning to either myself, Lewis Carroll, or John Tenniel—the original illustrator of the stories.) Of course, if you have the Annotated Alice, that does help some. I’m sure many who love and study Lewis Carroll will know many just by looking. Another warning, looking for the 150 hidden things is addicting. Leave plenty of time when visiting.
With that in mind, slowly, I’m taking some of the hidden items, bringing them to light, and making Christmas ornaments. Making ornaments is not necessarily new. We have been doing this in past years, but their production was grueling for my studio. Enter my new 3D printers. Lewis Carroll, a mathematician, would have loved that I am creating these using the cartesian coordinates in space using math and 3D printing. I’m so stinking excited about how these 3D-printed ornaments are coming out.
Dormouse
The first 3D print was not a hidden item but is one of my favorites in the scene. It is the dormouse in the teapot. I love that he is sleeping on tea bags. Of course, tea bags would not have been used in the days of Lewis Carroll, so I have artistic license. as I do in the rest of the scene. If you get this ornament, look at the bottom of the teapot. You will see just how good this 3D printing is, as it holds my favorite saying. I 3d scanned the dormouse from the original sculpture and then modified in the computer and 3D printed it out. Each ornament is hand stained. Right now, all the ornaments are stained bronze, similar to the original sculpture. Some people have asked if other colors are available. I’m open to suggestions on this. Would you like to see all silver or all gold?
Cabinet
Working in 3D was so much fun. Morphing things became very easy, and so the cabinet in the scene of Alice falling through the hole is one of those experiments that I loved. Has she grabbed the jar yet? I did change this one a bit from what you see in the art at the park. There is something inside the open drawer.
Cards That Paint the Roses Red
I loved creating these cards for the scene, and the originals I used in the park were sculpted using some 3D-printed parts. I experimented with the faces of three people. David- 7 is a friend who also posed for the Mad Hatter’s body. I love it when friends are willing to pose in costumes. While I had him, I put a hood on his head, and he became number 7. Allison was an intern at the time. She and I combed the costume places, trying to find just the right costumes that I could use as a reference for the entire scene. Allison is confrontational number 2. Finally, my son-in-law, Bill, was the model for the number 5. His hands are raised with the attitude of, “Wait, wait, let’s all get along here.” Buy them individually or as a group.
The White Queen
There is a ton of emotion around this one. many years ago when I was first learning to sculpt digitally I created a portrait of my mother in Mudbox. When the monumental Alice sculpture project came about I had to have mom in there. Of course my family shows up in many other ways in the entire scene, but mom as the white queen was important to me.
We will go back and add the original ornaments redesigned for 3D printing and also add them to the shopping cart. If you would like any of the 2022 pieces please visit the shopping cart and place your order.
Free Webinar – Down the Rabbit Hole
the art. Join us but remember we are all mad here.
Sculptor/Author Bridgette Mongeon would like to invite you on a “curious” adventure- a free online webinar about creating her monumental sculpture titled “Move One Place On.” The bronze sculpture is of Alice In Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party.
Space for the webinar is limited, and preregistration is required. Some lucky attendees will receive gifts from the artist. October 18, 2020
In Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire, Texas, just outside of Houston, there is a monumental sculpture of the Mad Hatter Tea Party. In honor of the 150th anniversary of the story, the artist also hid 150 elements. Many have asked her for a list of the hidden 150. Those who know the stories of Alice In Wonderland will have an advantage. Mongeon will be revealing a few of the hidden elements in the webinar.
This is also a wonderful webinar for those interested in STEAM/STEM education-the interdisciplinary education incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Mongeon offers free resources on STEAM education as it pertains to Alice in Wonderland.
How was the sculpture Made?
What was the inspiration behind the sculpture?
How long did it take?
How does the artist work with technology and fine art?
Mongeon will also be sharing what is happening now with the art.
You are invited to a Zoom Webinar.
When: Oct 18, 2020 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Length: 1 1/2 hours Q and A to follow.
Topic: Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon and Alice in Wonderland Sculpture
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_q3Db8bkSTFiAz2RLH_b1MQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Welcome to Wonderland in Evelyn’s Park.
Drawings will be picked from attendees for the chance to receive—
- One of the hidden 150 objects as a Christmas Ornament. $15-20 value or
- an online class with Bridgette Mongeon $35
- A gift from Tea in Texas. $25 value teaintexas.com teablessings.com
- A $50 gift certificate provided by Betsy’s. If you have not tried their food, they are located in Evelyn’s park. Grab a meal and walk over and eat it in Wonderland at the table with Alice, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, Cheshire Cat and Dormouse.
To find out if you have won, please follow Bridgette Mongeon’s Instagram page and watch for announcement. If you visit the park and take pictures don’t forget to tag the artist. She is always looking for the most cleaver images of interactions in Wonderland.
A Famous Teapot Tells the History of Technology.
Bridgette poses with the clay of the Mad Hatter and a very famous teapot.
FROM THE ARTIST’S STUDIO
Bridgette has worked both traditionally and digitally for a long time. She has said time and again.
In my studio, Alice and her friends have gotten bigger and smaller, not with elixirs and mushrooms but with digital technology.
As an artist, she has had a foot in the digital world and another foot in the fine art field, and created a niche for herself. Her book on 3D tech in fine art was the culmination of a lot of trial and error on her part. In an interview with Women in 3D printing, she said, if she can’t get it out of the computer, it is useless to her. That is where CNC milling and 3D printing come into her studio.
When she was creating the monumental sculpture of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea party for Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire, Texas, she wanted to pay tribute to the man who started the technology. After all, it all started with a teapot. She wanted an homage to the man. It had to be at her famous tea party.
You may not know that she hid 150 things in the bronze scene of “Move One Place On.”that is at Evelyn’s park. She did this to encourage literacy. You have to know where they are in the story, as well as in the sculpture. She also hoped to encourage curiosity. Many people have begged her to release the list of 150. She is only doing this through riddle and rhyme on her social media pages. One of the 150 hidden things that she put in the sculpture was in honor of the technology she uses. Do you see it?
Teachers and Students
Here is the riddle
Tech marries clay in Wonderland,
The Hatter steps in and lends a hand.
Not from Texas, but Utah it came.
Not victorian but rather plain.
Because Sandra and Martin liked their tea,
an homage to a man you now do see.
If you don’t know, watch this video. You will learn all about the famous teapot.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIxt9guMbXo]
Author Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon
https://www.instagram.com/bridgettemongeon/
https://www.facebook.com/BridgetteMongeonSculptor/
https://twitter.com/sculptorwriter
The Making of Wonderland
A new video that shows how sculptor Bridgette Mongeon made the bronze sculpture “Move One Place On.” Also shows 3D scanning by Intertek.
Scanning in the Park- Part 1
On a sultry day in September Bridgette Mongeon started 3D scanning her sculpture of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party titled “Move One Place On.” As you will see by the previous press release, she and her team used several different types of equipment and scanning processes.
Intertek Surveying Services under the direction of Chad Rabitoy and a few different helpers jumped down the rabbit hole to Wonderland to help with this next curious adventure in Evelyn’s Park.
WHY 3D SCAN?
Mongeon created these scans for several reasons .
Digital Preservation—One reason is for digital preservation. She can save the data. If anything should happen to the art, there will be data that can be used to repair the piece. Digital preservation of cultural heritage is not new. Organizations such as Cyark have been scanning many places around the world for years.Mongeon talks about the importance of this in her book 3D Technology in Fine Art and Craft: Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting, and Milling.
Online Educational Experience and Virtual Tour—These scans can also be used together to create an online educational experience for people all over the world. Mongeon is looking for volunteer coders and gamers to assist in helping her push the technology further and she is looking forward to the collaboration experience between others. When writing about this technology in her book she would often say “You don’t know what you can do, until you know what you can do.” That is why she is excited about these collaborations. “Others know best about how we can push these tools to create an incredible adventure using their skills in technology and education. I can’t wait to find these people and see the magic happen. I have no idea where they will come from, but I’m like the white queen, ‘I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’”
The scene of “Move One Place On” lends itself to education in literature, math, technology, history, art, and engineering. “When I look at the possibilities I see a chance to reveal some of the 150 hidden things, as well as to give virtual visitors the opportunity to learn more. For example, they might click on the Mad Hatter’s hat and learn that hatters did go mad because of the mercury used in felting. Or if they hover over or click on the Mad Hatter’s teapot in the scene, it might reveal that Mongeon used the famous Newell teapot as an homage to the man who started 3D,” states Mongeon.
In Mongeon’s studio Alice and her friends don’t get big and small with mushrooms and elixirs, they so with digital technology.
Alice Shrinks- Little Replicas as limited editions.—
Mongeon will also take this digital data and modify it, and reduce it down for reproduction. The exact monumental scene will be shrunk like Alice in the story, and 3D printed as a small scene available to purchase as a limited edition bronze.
SCANNING THE ENTIRE SCENE
It was a scorching Texas day when they cleaned the sculpture and started scanning at about 1:30. The sculpture is very hot in the Texas sun. Rabitroy set up some registration balls around the scene. He used the Faro Focus
hardware / Faro Scene Software for laser scan andNCTech iSTAR 360 Camera and Kolor Panotour Pro software to scan the entire scene.Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon captured Rabitoy in his definition of this process in this facebook video.
INDIVIDUAL PIECES WITH FINE DETAIL
They used different scanners and equipment as mentioned above. Blue Light scanning must be done in the dark. Rabitoy used the GOM Tritop photogrammetry and ATOS / GOM Triple Scan III scanners using structured blue light scanning technology to capture the fine detail of each character. They had to do the blue light scanning in the dark, so it was a very long night. The team started by putting registration marks that consisted of small round stickers on Alice approximately every six inches apart. Four people worked for about an hour to accomplish this task. Then the blue light scanning began. Each scan covered about a two-foot radius. There were hundreds of scans each overlapping the other. And each area had to be scanned from multiple directions to get all of the many undercuts. Often Mongeon would stand over Rabitory’s soldier and state, “Good, it got another one of the 150 hidden objects in the scene.” Rabitory would turn the scan searching for the hidden object.
The entire scan of Alice took 9 1/2 hours. There is still much more to scan. Tthey will come back to do the other characters until the project is complete.
_____
If you are interested in jumping down the rabbit hole to create these free educational resources or for more information on purchasing the collectible 150 or the small bronze Mad Hatter scene contact the artist at www.creativesculpture.com
Follow the artist on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bridgettemongeon/
Twitter:
https://creativesculpture.com
You tube https://www.youtube.com/alicesculpture
For more information on this press release contact Jessica Brown Bridgette@creativesculpture.com
For more high resolution media images visit this google doc. You are also welcome to use the images on this page with credit.
Private Meetups At The Sculpture
It does not have to be a large audience. Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon enjoys meeting with small groups of people. She has met families, those interested in education, artists, gardeners and more. This month she presented to a small group in a neighbor’s home. She spoke about the creating of the work, the educational component and all that is being done with the art and education and then it was off to the sculpture in Evelyn’s Park to take photographs. The Sisterhood of Shalom Salaam
Contact Ms. Mongeon if you are interested in having Bridgette talk to your group.
Lectures About Alice and Education-STEAM
These last few weeks sculptor Bridgette Mongeon has been busy spreading the word about the Alice sculpture and STEAM education. (STEAM education is an interdisciplinary approach using Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. )Houston Independent School District had in-service for HISD art teachers. One week it was at the Asian Societythe following week it was at the MFA.Though her schedule was hectic and the
HISD art coordinator said she should pick one, she volunteered for both weeks. “Any time I can get teachers excited about STEAM education, and I can squeeze it into my schedule I’ll do it.” States Mongeon.
Of course a Bridgette was delighted to sign her book “3D Technology In Fine Art and Craft:Exploring 3D Printing, Scanning, Sculpting, and Milling.”