We recently met with Gianni’s “team” at school: his homeroom teacher, speech therapist, occupational therapist, behavioral specialist, regular ed. teacher, his principal and a speech pathologist from the school district. Our goal was to meet to discuss Gianni’s IEP plan. We also were there to discuss how the iPad has made a difference or not in his day to day education. We are very excited to say that Gianni is officially a “tech kid”. The team had charted when the iPad was introduced into his classroom and with his lessons and there was a tremendous difference. One example would be how long it might take Gianni to get on task when doing a lesson. Before his chart was up and down and all over the place and it took up to ten minutes sometimes just to get him on task. With the iPad in use he has been on task from the moment the assignment is given and keeps him on his lesson and interested in his work until finished. Gianni has very productive school days!

In the classroom his teacher is using the app: ArtikPix for some sight words and an excellent app for speech therapy. For writing we use the app: iWrite Words which maps out how to write the letters, easy to use and is wonderfully designed. Once he stays on task and finishes he is rewarded with a bit of “play time” and he can open the app: “Pocket Pond” to play or relax. The app is excellent for both reasons. Another reward is the camera function on the iPad. Gianni loves to take photos and we have learned that he has a good visual eye. He has a nice selection of photos for things around him in his daily routine. Photos of crayons, desks, books, bins and toys. Many of his therapists who witness Gianni using the iPad remark how excited they are to see him work it with such ease.

We continue to look into new apps and have a specialist in the school district who is very knowledgeable and has been a big help directing us to websites for apps and software. One site we were made aware of was the blog: www. momswithapps.com which offer reviews and helpful recommendations. And every Friday there are special offers, including discounted and free apps.

Dear friends,
We are truly blessed to know each and every one of you who have sent us messages, pledges and donations.  We are also amazed and truly humbled by the online community of friends that responded to Gianni’s Pad. The warmth that everyone has shared has been humbling to say the least.  Trying to form the correct words of thanks has been a bit of a hurdle, but here we are by simply saying “THANK YOU”.  I know it sounds so basic, but nothing can convey how much we have not been able to stop thinking about the generosity to help us along to get Gianni equipped for a higher learning experience.
The Gianni’s Pad fundraiser was a success thanks to everyone involved.  Everyone.  Especially my closest friends Danielle, John, and Tom (and all at Century Guild) who came up with the idea and made the event happen.  Daneen and I weren’t asked to do anything in preparation… We were just asked to show up!  It was a wonderful evening with dear family and friends- which was a double blessing because we don’t get out much!  So we had a great night out celebrating our son Gianni, and our son Luca (who is the best big brother).  There was plenty of food, plenty of art to admire and plenty of laughs and hugs.
We purchased the iPad about a week after the event at the Apple store in Oak Brook and handed it over to Gianni after school the same day.  I added a couple of free apps so he can start becoming familiar with his new tablet.  Surprisingly, his favorite is the Phone Booth feature in the thermal mode with bright oranges, blues, and greens.  Gianni loves cameras and picture taking so this has been a feature that he’s been toying with- he even points it at the TV and laughs as he watches the cartoons take on these strange colorizations!

We scheduled a meeting with Gianni’s school and the educators are very excited to be integrating the tablet into his day.  We discussed goals and apps with each and every teacher and therapist that Gianni works with.  We asked then to send us a wish list of apps that we will purchase and they were grateful.  I will say that as the meeting progressed the school district director was already excited about looking into purchasing an iPad for the classroom for other students to use.

To make sure that the iPad is safe at school, the teachers said that they would make it understood that this was Gianni’s tablet only. On the day that is introduced to the classroom, Gianni will have a “show and tell” to help with the curiosity among his friends and that he will be using it during the school day. As we move forward we’ll update with his progress as well as his favorite apps that we’re using.

We can not thank you enough for the opportunity that you’ve shared with us, and we hope that you’ll subscribe to this blog so that we can share Gianni’s successes with you.  We look forward to posting updates!

Our warmest and sincere thank you,
Doug and Daneen

HOW TO BID IN THE SILENT AUCTION:

PLEASE NOTE: The silent auction is being run by Century Guild, an art gallery in Chicago established in 1999 and a regular exhibitor at the International Antiques Fair at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago.  All information is strictly confidential and will not be shared with any third parties.  www.centuryguild.net

First, take a look at the amazing things that were so generously donated to help out Gianni!  This is a great opportunity for you to get some really special and important things — like original artworks — and also some things that will be well below market value — all for a good cause!  Once you’ve taken a look, calculate what you want your offer to be on which pieces, then:

Please email us at giannispad@centuryguild.net with your name and phone number, and specify a single bid for each silent auction item.

If your bid is the highest absentee bid for that item, it will be recorded as a single bid on that item’s bid sheet at the opening of the bidding on auction night- remember that a high bid will deter other bidders from considering the item you want, as there will undoubtedly be other items that are a better “deal” — so be aggressive, and remember this is for charity!  Only the highest absentee bid will be noted, if your absentee bid is not the highest it will not be written.  In the event that two bids are the same amount, the earlier emailed bid takes precedence.  You will not be contacted if you have been “out-bid,” so please submit your highest bid.  Only the highest absentee bid per item will be recorded on auction night.  The auction will close at 9:00 pm, at which time the highest bid on each bid sheet will be declared the winner.

ABSENTEE BIDS SHOULD BE SENT IN NO LATER THAN NOON ON FEBRUARY 18 TO GUARANTEE VERIFICATION.

Please note that no bid is valid unless you receive a response acknowledging the bid.

All winning bids must be settled before the end of the event by cash, check, credit card, or Paypal.

To see the complete list of 30 special items up for auction, including art by Gustav Klimt and Alphonse Mucha, autographed items from author Neil Gaiman, and contemporary original art donated by Alex Ross and Jeremy A. Bastian, click “CONTINUE READING!”

Continue reading →

"Teleporter" custom necklace by Gigi Deluxe

Our next donation comes from painter/illustrator/tattoo artist/jewelry designer Gigi DeLuxe of Gigi DeLuxe’s Baubles & Lavaliers. Specializing in quirky custom pieces that recall bygone eras, this handmade necklace features all non-nickel base metals and is embellished with vintage watch gears. The pendant falls 11 inches from its easy-to-use barrel clasp.  (Note: Unpredicatable teleportation and time-traveling abilities are available separately.)

A reminder: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15th we will post more donations as well as how you can place your bid for any of the fabulous artworks available in the auction.

Hey, friends-

Thanks so much for your emails asking how to make donations…

You can email me at THOMAS AT CENTURYGUILD DOT NET if you want to talk to me directly about making an art-related donation (we also wouldn’t turn down food and wine for the event!), or if you are willing to toss a couple coins into Gianni’s coffer, you can use this link:

CLICK TO PAYPAL!

Gianni does his best James Dean on the cover of Chicago Parent Magazine.

Thanks so much for everyone who has shared these links on Facebook, and please tell your friends- we’ll be making a major post on Wednesday with all the art and other donations, and how to bid via email and telephone. I hope that if you’re in Chicago, we’ll see you on the 18th!

CENTURY GUILD
2041 WEST CARROLL
C-220
SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 18, 2012
7 PM

With love,
Thomas Negovan

Batman, as rendered by painter/illustrator Alex Ross

Our latest donation comes courtesy of one of the most respected talents in the comic book industry: Alex Ross. His work as a painter and illustrator for the top publishers in comics helped reshape the landscape of comic book artistry and his bold and timeless style have transcended the world of comics and entered fully into pop culture’s consciousness. For many fans, Ross’s renditions of popular characters such as Superman and Batman (seen above) have defined the look of these iconic heroes. Douglas Klauba and Alex Ross are American Academy of Art alumni, and last year, Klauba was asked by Ross to collaborate on the painted origins for the series Project: Superpowers.

(Click here to see some of the Ross/Klauba collaboration pages consigned by Doug to Heritage Auctions.)

Absentee bids for this item as well as the others listed will be taken until February 18th. For information on how to place your absentee bid, contact us at giannispad@centuryguild.net.

Alphonse Mucha "Thy Kingdom Come" 1899 (From Le Pater)

Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) did what very few artists have been able to accomplish: his art established a genre. In the late 1800s, Mucha’s work as a painter, sculptor, and illustrator defined the Art Nouveau style as the world knows it.

The series Le Pater was considered by the artist to be the work that he “had put [his] soul into” (from The Sun, January 1900) and best represents his love of the decorative as well as his need to express something more epic and spiritual. Le Pater was Mucha’s interpretation of The Lord’s Prayer and features some of his finest ornamental work as well as esoteric imagery that hinted at the direction he would head in his next series, The Slav Epic. The above piece is a depiction of a portion of The Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom Come”. Printed in France and released in 1899, only 510 copies were produced.

Absentee bids will be taken for this item. For more information on the silent auction and updates, watch future posts.

Gustav Klimt "Birch Forest" 1908

Gustav Klimt turns 150 this year, and the past decade has proven that he has not only been a force to be reckoned with in the fine art world (his portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer was at one point the most expensive painting ever sold at auction, and still remains in the top 3), but his influence has permeated all realms of contemporary media.

Pictured above is a collotype lithograph from his lifetime folio Das Werk Gustav Klimts. Klimt supervised the entire production of this collection of a decade’s worth of paintings, meaning no detail was overlooked. Made in an edition of 300, each plate came debossed with a specialized gilded signet designed by Klimt on heavy wove paper with deckled edges. While the series began production in 1908, the delicate nature of collotype lithography coupled with Klimt’s own need for perfection meant that the series was not completed until 1914.

Printed in rich sepia tones, “Birch Forest” is one of a number of remarkable and haunting landscapes from Klimt, and measures 18 x 18 inches.  Absentee bids will be taken for this artwork for the silent auction. Stay tuned to the blog for more details and updates.

With Disney’s John Carter movie en route to the theaters next month-

(Note: the story of John Carter was actually slated to be the very first Disney film before the the story of a “man on Mars” was deemed by a Midwest test audience as too far-fetched…  Had the film been released, it seems likely that it would have beaten Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film) and would today bear the distinction of being the first American feature-length animated film!  Talk about a long struggle to get made- from 1936 to 2012!)

-and Tarzan celebrating his 100th anniversary in October 2012, this artwork is mere moments ahead of the curve.

From the 2012 book Under the Moons of Mars (published by Simon & Schuster) which features stories of Edgar Rice Burrough’s creation by a number of top contemporary writers, and this artwork is for the story The Ape-Man of Mars, in which Tarzan is spirited to the Red Planet… written by the legendary Peter S. Beagle (author of The Last Unicorn, and A Fine and Private Place) and I hope that you all know Jeremy’s art from Cursed Pirate Girl!

As with all Jeremy’s art, the work is impossibly detailed.  The art was created with a brush and ink on heavy paper and measures approximately 7 x 9 inches.

THIS IS JEREMY’S FIRST PUBLISHED ILLUSTRATIVE WORK.

John Carter... AND Tarzan!

We will be taking absentee bids on this for the silent auction.  Please watch future posts for details on how this will work, and please share this with your friends!

In 2005, two of my best friends welcomed their second beautiful boy into the world, who was promptly named “Gianni.”   (I was hoping for “Thomas” of course, but I’ve also heard the third time’s the charm.)   Gianni was born with Down Syndrome, and when he arrived, Gianni’s father Doug told me the medical staff didn’t share his parents excitement.

“They said he wouldn’t be able to do the things a ‘normal’ boy would do, like ride a bike.” Doug says. “Well, they were wrong about riding a bike and I’ve learned that ‘normal’ is just a box or a label that people like to use.”  Noted Media Theorist Douglas Rushkoff was speaking recently about kids with ADD, and posed: “what if some of the things we’re considering disorders are actually adaptations?“

Things unfold as they should...

That’s an even more interesting theory when you consider the experience that Doug, Gianni, and their family had a couple of months ago.  “While shopping this past Christmas we stopped in at a Barnes & Noble and saw both of our boys race up to the Nook display. I was amazed that Gianni grabbed the tablet and started ‘flipping’ pages of the book, touching images and trying to make them larger.”

Doug explained to me that even though he had never handled- or seen- an iPad, Gianni soared through the apps and pages like a seasoned pro.   And he’s not alone.   There are stories popping up all over about ‘special needs’ kids excelling with the assistance of these new tools.  I just started a sentence with “One extremely moving example” but when I went to look for the one I was thinking of on the internet, I lost nearly an hour reading more stories about amazing kids than I could even imagine.  Look up “ipad” with “autism” or “down syndrome” and you’ll see what I mean.

Which brings me to another point.

I’m really smart.

No, really.   It’s true.   I don’t like to brag, but I’m probably the smartest person sitting in this entire kitchen where I am sitting by myself.  Well, ok, you know what I mean: as smart as any of us think we are, you know?  I read a lot.  I study hard.   I try to keep myself informed.  Don’t we all think we pretty much have a grip on major points?

And… I always thought it was “Down’s Syndrome”.  But it’s not just me.   I just walked into the living room.   Melissa, all college educated and such, just spelled it for me.   “D-O-W-N-apostrophe-”   Nope.  Melissa wants me to point out that she is “really educated” unlike me and is offering to scan her degree and post it.   (I told her that  wasn’t necessary, that it actually proved my suspicion.)  So how terrible is this?   Think about it.  One of my very best friends in the world has a son, he has this syndrome, and I can’t even spell it.

What should we expect from someone without ANY personal connection?

Even less.

Can anyone reading this tell me exactly what Down Syndrome is, now that you know how to spell it?  I bet it’s not as many as Gianni and his parents would hope.

I’m sure not as smart as I thought.  By any meaning of the word.  (Sorry, Gianni.)  So I looked it up.   A beautiful little girl who was brave enough to talk about herself on the National Geographic website said “A doctor would tell you the extra chromosome causes an intellectual disability that makes it harder for me to learn things.” She also said “When I first started to work on this story, I thought maybe I shouldn’t do it. I thought you might see that I have Down syndrome, and that you wouldn’t like me.”   After reading about Down Syndrome for an hour, those two things, I think, sum it up pretty well.  You have a kid who has enough of a hard time in school with being “different” and on top of that, our school systems- no matter how generous with their time or good their intentions- aren’t totally equipped to help any kid with any kind of special need at all excel.

Gianni paints, like his Dad!

So what do I know about Gianni?  He likes ray guns.   He bounces around the room.  He laughs.   He likes sports.  He loves his family.  He rides his bike.   He likes to climb things.  He’s creative, he loves to draw, and he loves to paint.  (It’s in his genes!)   He loves to dance, loves music (those are his mom’s side!), and his dad is convinced that he’s written his first two songs on piano already.  He loves school, but he hates homework.   Sounds like a very normal kid to me!

From his Dad: “He does have difficulty in school like any child. His fine motor skills aren’t where they should be, and it can be tiring for him to write, even for a short length of time. At school he has therapies for speech, and occupational therapy. We also do private speech therapy through the local universities speech clinic.”  Doug clues me in further: “At our school district’s special resources group meeting we became aware of the many uses of an iPad for teaching children with special needs and learning disorders…”

Which leads us here: Gianni needs an iPad.

Gianni’s school is looking into apps that they’d like to use with him.  Timing is very important and this is an opportunity for Gianni to excel.   And while the economic crunches of last couple of years have hit everyone hard across the board, it hasn’t been even remotely kind to freelance illustrators like Gianni’s Dad.   And Gianni would really benefit from an iPad.   Not a little.  A lot.  He’s at the age where he can really gain leaps and bounds, more than just struggling to keep up.  And who’s to say that this isn’t a blessing in disguise?  Why was Gianni so attracted to the mechanism of the iPad?   Most adults look at them and scratch their heads, how did this kid grab one and start SOARING with it?

I just gave a TEDx talk about wax cylinders, and contrary to what that might suggest, Gianni’s story is the perfect example of why I’m not ANTI technology at all- completely the opposite.  I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a major step forward for us all- ten years ago, kids like Gianni were struggling with something we couldn’t understand- who knows what will happen now that this energy can be properly harnessed and directed forward?   I’m fascinated to find out.

It’s been said that “it takes a village” to raise a child.  Gianni’s parents need our help in this moment to catch up on the costs of raising a child with Down Syndrome, as well as position his to excel.  In return, they would love to open their hearts and home to us, and are going to maintain this blog as Gianni learns- and they learn with him.  I can’t wait to see how that unfolds…

The first step is getting the finances to buy the iPad, apps, and proper funding for Gianni’s therapy.  So on February 18th, 2012 we’re holding a celebratory event at my gallery, there will be a silent auction, maybe some music (since I can claim the honor to have been onstage for Doug and Daneen’s very first date!) and certainly a lot of good friends and love.  There will be food, and drink, and we’ll be posting silent auction items on this blog as the date approaches.   If you’re inclined to kick in a little bit for Gianni’s iPad in advance, we’re not charging any admission- or for food or drink, those are all donations as well- you can use the Paypal button at the bottom of this page, and it goes directly into Gianni’s Dad’s account, specifically towards Gianni’s progress.

Mark your calendar, and we’ll see you SOON!

CENTURY GUILD
2041 WEST CARROLL
C-220
SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 18, 2012
7 PM

With love,
Thomas Negovan

CLICK TO PAYPAL!

Gianni on the cover of Today's Chicago Parent magazine.