Artist’s work teaches more than science
Originally done as text
illustrations, work carries message of inclusion
CHRIS KELLY staff Larry Jay Patterson hopes his artwork will make principles of science accessible to a broad spectrum of children and adults. An exhibit of his work at the Red Bank Public Library will run through January. BY GLORIA STRAVELLI
Staff Writer
The mere mention of terms like "center of mass" and "kinetic energy" can conjure up memories of school days spent struggling to grasp the science of physics. But a series of drawings on exhibit at the Red Bank Public Library makes child’s play of the advanced science and presents a broader message about educational opportunity as well.
Created to illustrate a science text for inner-city schoolchildren, drawings of ethnically and racially diverse students by Eatontown artist Larry Jay Patterson speak to a larger social issue, he explained.
"The drawings in this exhibit are meant to transform learning about the science of physics into a process of discovery that all children could enjoy and appreciate," he said.
"There is a larger message," Patterson acknowledged. "That all nationalities are able to learn the same thing. In inner-city schools, sometimes you have educational disparities. This speaks to having all children from different cultures learning together. The message is, in the best vision of American society, schools and education in general, this is how it should be — all kids learning together."
Characters brought to life in Patterson’s drawings and storyboards include a child with a disability and children of Asian, African-American, European, Latino, Indian and Native American heritage, plus fantasy characters intended to make the science of physics accessible to students in grades four through six.
Working in pen and ink and pencil, Patterson created black and white and color illustrations for an audience of inner-city school children but the drawings’ clever translation of science concepts into comic art will appeal to a broad spectrum of children and adults.
A chance meeting with a former grade-school teacher at a street festival a decade ago was the genesis of the illustrations in the current exhibit, which will run through January at the library, located at 84 W. Front St.
Patterson accepted an invitation to join a project to create a book that used traditional storytelling and children’s book illustration to teach children about the science of physics.
"I came on board as the illustrator to create all the characters. We wanted it to be diverse — that was the point," he explained.
To accompany the storyline, which had students in a physics class going on a class trip and happening on a fantastical underground world, Patterson created a cast of racially and ethnically diverse students and imaginary creatures. On the trip, they encounter characters that personify the scientific principles they are studying.
Coached by an engineer who would explain the concepts to him, Patterson translated principles of physics into imaginative drawings that would interject fun into the learning process.
For example, his depiction of friction is a character with gears and tires, features that rub against surfaces and create friction. A figure representing tension and compression has springs for legs and arms that are stretched out.
"When I created some of the characters, I was trying to use parts that would actually work if put together," he explained. "I wanted somebody to see them and say, ‘That’s pretty cool. How did you put that together?’ "
Two years into the project, plans for the book were put on hold and Patterson packed up his work and tucked it away.
When he moved to Monmouth County in 1999, Patterson noticed that the local library hosted art exhibits and got approval to display the illustrations at the Eatontown Public Library.
He retrieved the drawings, matted and framed them and has since displayed them at the Ocean Township Public Library as well.
While the book project never got beyond the conceptual stage because of conflicting career demands, Patterson said he hopes displaying the works "can add up to the same joy and appreciation."
"I only hope these ideas can inspire children to pursue their talents and goals," he added. "I put a lot of work into this book. It didn’t happen and I wanted to have people see it, be inspired and motivated by it. I felt like I owed it to the work."
According to Patterson, the challenge of creating illustrations for the school text was that "while the subject is difficult, the idea was to create characters that look approachable, friendly and appropriate to children in fourth and fifth grade."
Plus, he added, he wanted to avoid stereotypes.
"I didn’t want the characters to look like they had any of the ‘issues’ sometimes associated with inner-city children," explained Patterson, who is the product of an inner-city school system.
A native of Newark, Patterson showed promise as an artist early on and was encouraged by his family and teachers to pursue his gift.
Patterson applied to Arts High School in Newark, was accepted in 1977 and majored in drawing. After a post-graduation stint in the military, he took a job in the graphic arts field and continued studying and creating art.
His work has been exhibited at galleries in New York and New Jersey including City Without Walls, Newark.
A commitment to community involvement has led to his participation in community-based art projects including "Sacred Connections," a triptych of African-American cultural and spiritual themes installed at Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, the "Tao Mural Project" in Hoboken, and "Mural Magic – A Street Celebration" in which students created a mural at the construction site of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark.
"If there is a need for an artist, I get involved," he explained. "I have always been involved in arts in the community."
Locally, he has taught a stone-carving workshop at Thompson Park Craft Center and has been a volunteer for an exhibit on dinosaurs at the Monmouth Museum in Middletown.
His own experience attending predominately black schools was positive. "I got the message that I could be whatever I wanted to be," he said.
"The drawings are saying we all have the same opportunities," he explained. "A lot of kids feel they can’t do certain things. A lot of times with peer pressure, kids end up doing things they don’t want to do. Maybe they want to learn physics but other kids tease them.
"The whole idea is to show that these students had the opportunity to come together from different groups and learn," he continued. "You would want to ideally see this in school. Good parents, good teachers, good role models can overcome the fact that public schools do not always provide children with the same opportunities."