#

Back

An Appointment With A Princess

An Appointment With A Princess

by | Dec 8, 2017 | December 2017/January 2018, Do

Christmas is a magical time, especially for children. And when we think of holiday visitors, typically Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman come to mind. But what if your child could meet more than just the Christmas icons we all know and love?

Yes, we’re talking about the fairytale characters kids adore!

This year for the holidays, try something different with Fantasy Faire Character Company, a Raleigh business offering 20-minute visits from their Ice Queen and Snow Princess, or Beauty Princess and Glass Slipper Princess. Each child receives a Christmas card, a handmade gift from the visiting princesses and plenty of holiday magic.

“My aim for the company is to provide authentic and magical experiences for the young and young of heart alike,” says Falon Perkins, the owner of Fantasy Faire Character Company, who is going into her fourth year in the industry. “It’s REAL magic for us. Most of the time, children run up to greet us with a thousand questions, genuine smiles, and the best warm hugs you could ever possibly receive.”

Occasionally, even the parents get enveloped in the magic.

“Parents love what we do,” Perkins says. “Sometimes, even they get a little starstruck around their favorite characters! We try our hardest to bring the characters to life in the most accurate way possible, and the parents really appreciate that. We are so lucky to have gotten to meet so many families and share our love of fairytales and wonder.”

While the Christmas visits are indeed something special, Perkins also highlights her yearly birthday party offerings, complete with a theatrical style entrance by the fairytale character of choice, accompanied by music and plenty of pixie dust, of course. The princess entertains her royal guests with interactive stories, dancing, themed games, sing-alongs, nail painting and more. The birthday girl (or boy) receives an honorary coronation ceremony, complete with a scroll, tiara and certificate. The princess also distributes handmade wands to each child at the party as a keepsake.

Perkins sees her business as a way to create heartwarming moments for children, carefully training her employees to emulate fairytale characters in voice, mannerisms, posing and more. Her princesses keep the magic alive.

“I’ve always had a passion for performing, and being from a small town didn’t provide me with a lot of options for a career in the industry,” says Perkins, who sees herself as a type of fairy godmother in her role as owner. “I love children and I’ve always loved princesses, so I put the two together! Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing when I opened my first company, and I had no idea if the idea would even take off.”

Lucky for the children of Raleigh, it did.

Modern Princess

Modern Princess

by | Jun 30, 2017 | Do, July 2017 / August 2017

Artist Phil America talks with fellow artist Dorian Lynde about her new show at CAM

From her first life-sized painting in Los Angeles to opening her solo museum exhibition, I have watched Dorian Lynde create “No Damsel.” It is a groundbreaking series that forces us to rethink what we know about Disney princesses and about the representations of women we show to our children. Shortly after finishing her installation of the show at CAM, I sat down with the Canadian-born artist.

For the last two years I have watched the development of this project. What has been your artistic process?

It began as outdoor wall paintings around downtown Los Angeles to re-imagine the princesses as modern women. The response was really positive, and I decided to develop the idea further. I learned that there was so much more than just altering their images and iconography.

Can you take me through the history behind the princesses?

Animated films were made up of about 500,000 hand-painted images (animation “cels”), and the process was segregated by gender at Disney Studios. Women were not hired for any creative positions. However, women were hired in the ink and paint department, which was extremely difficult. The Disney princesses had no women that were contributing to them, resulting in one-dimensional characters that mainly cooked, cleaned, sang, and got married.

The project has so many layers but what I really love is how even in its simplest form, it is a strong project. Then you go deeper and it becomes more complex.

I wanted to create a work that was easily accessible, especially to young women. The imagery is simple and easy to understand, but the more you learn, the more compelling it becomes. The exhibition at CAM is something that you can spend five minutes or five hours in, taking in the paintings, video, sketches and animation cels.

Tell me more about the animation cels.

The women in the ink and paint department spent countless hours creating them. The early Disney films would not exist without them, but their contributions have gone ignored and erased. I had to create my own as an homage to these forgotten artists.

I found that the materials needed were extremely rare—the special vinyl paint used is now made in only one place in the U.S. The process is extremely difficult and delicate.

Do you see yourself continuing to work with this medium?

Absolutely. I’ve never seen it used in a fine art context, and I love the way they look—the colors are extremely vibrant.

Lastly, what has made you the happiest about working with CAM and showing your work in Raleigh?

I love Raleigh, and CAM is an unbelievably forward-thinking museum. There’s nowhere I’d rather show
these princesses than here. Exhibiti
ons Director Eric Gaard and Executive Director Gab Smith have done
so much for both the museum
and the city and are great visionaries. “No Damsel” works well with their many youth engagement programs, and I’m so happy I got the opportunity to work with them.