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Authors Marketing Group
Marie
Cassidy
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the Author: 
Product: The Magic Basement (Trafford Publishing, 2006)
Contact the Author to purchase The Magic Basement 233 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); contains b&w images, color images; catalogue #05-1995; ISBN 1-4120-7084-8
Autographed Copies Available: $32.95
About the Author
Marie
Cassidy, is an art
educator who teaches at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana. She
holds a BFA and MAAE from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Marie is a member of En/Compass. These artists from several states create
group thematic shows. She has been teaching for 16 years and has curated
many art exhibits.
About the Book
The Magic Basement is a collection of stories about students at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the early 1970's when classes were held in the basement of The Art Institute museum. Creativity abounded and freedom of speech and expression were exercised without fear of ramifications.
Classes, parties, field trips, and relationships are described in a "no holds barred" fashion. Seventy-eight pages of visuals enhance the text. Many of the pictures are in color. Examples of student artwork are included along with photographs, creative notes, and doodles. Quotes from professors and artists are dispersed throughout the stories.
The
Magic
Basement is a slice of art history following the emergence of the Chicago Imagists.
The content should prove informative to artists, art historians, researchers of
popular culture, and readers who are interested in the creative process and
freedom of expression.
Figuring out Life on Brown Paper
a handful
of students ate lunch in the Foundation Workshop classroom. The SAIC cafeteria
was like the Theatre of the Absurd. The inhabitants wore unusual clothing and
exhibited bizarre behavior. We saw everything from Goodman Theatre drama
students dressed like the Three Musketeers to imaginary gunfights behind the
concession machines to a guy balancing a chair on his chin. "How would we
ever fit in?" I thought.
We would either bring our lunches or get food from the cafeteria and eat in the classroom. As we ate lunch, we discussed life.
The tables in the Foundation Workshop room were covered with brown paper right off the roll. On the paper we drew pictures and diagrams, expressed opinions, wrote poetry, and figured out life.
One of the best works of art created on the brown paper was, in my opinion, Little Richard's flying turtle. Next to it he drew a machine on wheels, which represented The School of The Art Institute. The machine was devouring an "unsuspecting victim," as Little Richard described it.
The flying turtle became a familiar icon. The image was so powerful that it inspired Little Richard to write a poem about it, which later developed into a song and was recorded on tape. This is just a small example of the art process.
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