Young Artists Go Wild at “Paper Zoo”

It’s “lions and tigers and bears, oh my!”  at “Paper Zoo,” a new children’s exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. The playful selection of photographs, drawings, and prints from artists like Rembrandt and Picasso includes a variety of creatures from the animal kingdom. The exhibit, which runs through August 19, also let children meet and sketch live animals at special events last week. The Roving Reporter met with some young artists who were perusing the exhibit.

Jeremy, 9

RR: Who was your favorite artist that you saw?

Jeremy: Pablo.

RR: Pablo…Picasso?

Jeremy: That’s what I just said. Pablo.

RR: What’s your favorite animal?

Jeremy: Snails, because they’re very enduring.

Kahleel, 9

RR: Why did you want to come to this exhibit?

Kahleel: I wanted to see animals and paintings. Maybe one of them could inspire me or something.

RR: If you had your own museum, what would you put in it?

Kahleel: Drawings, and I would put pictures of people from a long time ago, and maybe I would add detailed stuff like maybe draw a nice bird or a dog or a fish.

RR: If you were Picasso and you wanted to draw a squirrel, would you do it from memory or look at a real squirrel?

Kahleel: From a real squirrel, but people don’t really see squirrels that much. I’ve only seen them like twice.

RR: Really? They’re always in trees. I feel like they follow me.

Kahleel: I know, but I don’t live next to a forest or anything. There’s, like, five trees in my backyard. Usually I see squirrels there, and once I saw a squirrel fly to the other tree.

RR: A flying squirrel? I don’t believe you.

Kahleel: You should because I saw it, and my dad took a picture of it. He flew, and my dad showed me the picture. You kind of can’t see it because his camera was a phone one, but I saw it. So it happened.

Ryan, 7

RR: How do you think these artists knew what the animals looked like?

Ryan: I think they just think it up in their brains. I draw stuff in my brain.

RR: What kind of stuff?

Ryan: What dreams would look like.

RR: Do you like zoos?

Ryan: Yes. I like the apes. Have you seen the movie where the whole planet is filled with apes?

RR: “Planet of the Apes”?

Ryan: Yes!

Hannah, 8

RR: What was your favorite animal?

Hannah: Probably a rabbit, because they’re cute and small, and I like their tails. Especially because they’re puffy. And I have one. We have 13 pets.

RR: No, you don’t!

Hannah: Yes, we do!

RR: What kind of pets?

Hannah: Nine fish, a chinchilla, a dove, a cat, and a rabbit.

RR: A chinchilla? Whose room is the chinchilla in?

Hannah: The basement, with the rabbit.

RR: How dangerous! What if he eats it?

Hannah: He won’t. He eats pellets.

RR: Would you want your art to be in a museum one day?

Hannah: Yeah. It would be awesome to see my own work on the wall, or maybe if someone drew me. It’s cool to see someone’s perspective of me.

RR: Do you ever draw self-portraits?

Hannah: Sometimes. In art class we did. We had mirrors.

RR: Maybe that will be on a museum wall one day.

Hannah: That would be awesome. Or on the fridge!

Claire and Maeve, identical twins, 7

RR: What’s your favorite animal that you saw today?

Claire: The slug!

RR: Ew, why?

Claire: They’re slimy. Slimy stuff is cool, like snails and wet clay and snot.

RR: What else do you like to draw?

Maeve: Myself from memory.

RR: That’s cheating!

Maeve: Why?

RR: Because you guys can just look at each other!

Maeve: Oh yeah. I never thought of that.

Dian Dian, 10

RR: What kinds of animals inspire you?

Dian Dian: Lions and snakes, because lions are brave and snakes are a symbol for wisdom.

RR: Do you go to museums a lot?

Dian Dian: Yeah, but I like zoos better.

RR: Would you buy a zoo?

Dian Dian: Nope, it’s a lot of work, and I already have a lot of things to do.

RR: What do you have to do?

Dian Dian: I have a lot of homework, and I do ballet. I already get up at 7.