Alumna’s “Escape to Narnia”
Alexandra (Gomez) Robbins ’07 hosted an art show at the most recent First Friday in Canton, her theme inspired by C. S. Lewis’s timeless series, The Chronicles of Narnia.
“I was reading the Narnia books with my kids and got inspired to do a Narnia-themed piece of glass art,” said Robbins. “I’ve always had a strong connection to the books. They really shaped the development of my theology and have organically flowed out of the things that I’ve cared about through my life.”
Robbins approached a friend who had expressed interest in commissioning her to create a custom piece and shared her idea.
“My first piece was my own creative take on the lamp post from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” said Robbins. “I designed each of the four panels to represent different facets of the story set in the world of Narnia.”
The completion of this initial piece sparked ideas for a number of other pieces, which then led Robbins to the idea of actually putting on a Narnia-themed art show, dubbed "Escape to Narnia." She reached out to Tim Carmany ’07, owner of The Hub, a local art studio in downtown Canton, who was more than happy to help facilitate her vision. The show ultimately included Robbins’s original piece as well as two others, including an actual wardrobe that, when opened, reveals a stained glass backing to represent the portal through which Lewis’s characters enter his mythical world. Also contributing to the program were a number of other local artists, including Krystian (Bender) Hall ’08, who contributed a mixed media piece.