Activity Guide by Kate Kwasneski, Intern, Grinnell College Museum of Art
Neeny Coming, Neeny Going was written by Karen English and illustrated by Synthia Saint James. It tells the story of a little girl and her cousin, Neeny, who has come for a visit after moving away. Neeny acts differently than she used to, and looks down on the customs and habits of the island she used to live on. Karen English wrote the book to symbolize the changing culture of Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, where the characters live.
Daufuskie Island has been inhabited for thousands of years. During the slavery era, Daufuskie Island and many like it were rice plantations, and the enslaved people there developed a unique culture and identity. After the civil war, the plantation owners for the most part moved to the mainland, so Daufuskie Island and other islands like it became home to a vibrant Black culture. In the present day, rich people from the mainland are moving to Daufuskie Island and changing the culture that exists there. In Neeny Coming, Neeny Going, this is represented by Neeny’s attitude about the island.
Create
Synthia Saint James painted the pictures in this book using huge, flat blocks of one color. Today we’re going to make artwork in a similar style, but our blocks of color will be made with construction paper instead of paint. If you don’t have construction paper at home, you can use markers to draw the shapes instead of cutting them out. You could also use old magazine pages or bits of fabric.
Looking at the image above, do you notice that it has no shadows? What about the details, do the people in the image have facial features or fingers? Based on this, would you say that Synthia Saint James is focusing more on details or general shapes? What emotions does her art make you feel?
Think of an image you want to make. I decided to make a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. Plan out the shapes you will need. I needed an island, the pieces of a palm tree, the pieces of a sun, and a lot of layers of waves in the ocean.
When you cut out your shapes, it’s easier to start on a straight edge of the paper. You can trace out a shape before you cut it out, or you can freehand. In the image below, you can see me holding a tree trunk and can also see the individual shapes that make up the palm tree and the sun.
When placing your pieces, think about what order you should glue them down in. For example, I decided that my waves should go in front of my island, to show that the island was in the ocean. I glued the palm fronds in front of the tree trunk to show that the fronds went all the way around the trunk.
Here is my completed artwork! You can see the different layers and shapes in the paper.
Write
Neeny Coming, Neeny Going is about change. Neeny has changed, and so has Daufuskie Island. Write about a big change that has happened in your life. What happened, and how did it make you feel?
Listen to a Meet-the-Author recording from TeachingBooks with Synthia Saint James about illustrating Neeny Coming, Neeny Going.
Web support:
Daniel Strong
Associate Director and Curator of Exhibitions
Grinnell College Museum of Art