Module 5: Magic Windows: Cut art and stories made by Carmen Lomas Garza

Book Summary: 


This is a beautiful book showing the cut paper artwork of Carmen Lomas Garza. She places 17 very intricate designs that are well-laid out in brilliant color backgrounds in the book, side by side with a paragraph explaining what is portrayed, in both English and Spanish.


APA Reference: 


Garza, C. L. (1999). Magic Windows. San Francisco, California: Children's Book Press. 


My Impressions: 


I loved the story of the colibrie (hummingbird) and how it crosses the wire fence to get to the cactus flowers' nectar. The legend shared notes that brave women and men who die are transformed into hummingbirds, after their death.


Professional Review: 


"In a conversational tone, an accomplished visual artist describes and showcases her masterful papel picado or cut-paper art. With bold, interconnecting lines and engaging compositions, Garza creates paper windows that depict scenes from her family life, the desert, and Mexican culture. She places seventeen papercuttings, mostly made from black paper, against vibrant backgrounds of turquoise, tangerine, lime and other tropical colors. Opposite the papel picado, text in English and Spanish explains the artistic process, providing cultural or personal information related to the papercutting. Beside a picture of hummingbirds and cactus flowers, the artist explains that hummingbirds were the souls of warriors who died in battle or women who died in childbirth. After the “Eagle with Rattlesnake,” she states, “This is the national emblem of Mexico. You can see it on the Mexican flag. . . . It was hard to figure out how to show the cactus, the mountains and the lakes, and still have it all connect.” The work ends with a color photograph of Garza’s “Ofrenda para Antonio Lomas” (offering for her grandfather, Antonio Lomas), an installation at the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Chicago. Vivid examples and simple explanations make this unusual art form intriguing and accessible. A how-to title by Garza called Making Magic Windows is also available. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 1999, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1999, Children's Book Press, 32p, $15.95. Grades 4-12."

Harrington, J. (1999). [Book review of the book Magic Windows by Carmen Lomas Garza]. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 52(9). Retrieved from Children's Literature Database via Ebscohost:  http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2378/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~dNbDac:2

Library Uses:

If I read this book aloud to a group of children, I think it would be fun to have them try and do paper cut-outs, inspired by the book's cut art. We could make cut art birds, trees, flowers, snowflakes, leaves, depending on the season.