News from Mark Mitton

Neurologist Frank Wilson, who interviewed me for his book The Hand many years ago, has got me involved with a group of schools called Big Picture. Founded by Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor in Rhode Island in 1993, this organization is trying to change the face of education by teaching kids really practical skills. Marc Ecko, the clothing designer, is on the board of Big Picture too. His Sweat Equity Enterprises (SEE) program teaches kids the real-life skills needed to design clothes and to succeed in business, and he has them work for various companies. This past weekend we all got together in Providence to talk about education.

Frank shot this picture of Marc and myself in a conversation. Just two intense guys talking.

This past Sunday I performed in the studio of the great sculptor Alexander Calder at the family estate in Roxbury, CT. The occasion was a big barbecue party for family and friends.

This is where Calder used to design all his wonderful stabiles and mobiles. The family cleared the space out a couple of years ago for a wedding in which I also played a part (see the write-up in the New York Times), and it is now empty and clean, except for a few little remnants that have been left, such as an old telephone on the wall, and some strange hooks hanging from the ceiling. If you look at old photos of Calder at work there, you can see how it used to be absolutely filled with all his tools and all the different sculptures he’d be working on. The space still has a very special feeling and the light coming in through the windows is just beautiful.

Alexander Calder at work in 1941.

Mitton at work in the same space in 2007.

My good friend David Shiner has directed the new touring Cirque du Soleil show. David starred in Fool Moon on Broadway, and he is one of the funniest clowns I know. It turns out that he is also a very talented circus director! We went to the opening in Montreal last night and it was… amazing. The show was beautiful and THRILLING. The audience went wild! There were 4 or 5 standing ovations DURING the show. I’ve never seen anything like it! The young contortionists were incredible, the wirewalkers and the wheel-of-death guys were well… death-defying, juggler Anthony Gatto was superb, and chair-balancer Gong Li was simply breathtaking.

Here are David and two of the happy founders of Cirque du Soleil, Gilles St. Croix (L) and Guy Laliberté (R).

And here I am at the party afterwards with Serge Roy, one of the other founders.