Moonstone is where I first learned of Rudyard Kiplings “Aesops Fables” and made the monsters, of “Where the Wild Things Are”, come to life. My imagination was given a voice and movement here. I still listen to that voice. It’s alive and well inside of me. I am eternally grateful for the lessons I have learned at Moonstone and from Sandy. It has truly made me who I am today!
– James Lane (alumni and former music teacher)
Part of my night time routine with Ez is rubbing his back for a few minutes . Last night when I was rubbing Ez’s back before bed, he lifted his head up and said ‘Mommy, when you rub my back, I hear Moonstone singing.
– Laurie Leas (former parent)
Having Mr. Robin from the Moonstone Art Center bring Mr. Frank Meeink to speak at Taggart was one of the highlights of the year for our 7th and 8th graders. They were mesmerized by his presentation more than any other that I have ever witnessed. Being a very racially diverse school, his message was vital for our students to learn and his delivery was exactly on their level.
– Diane Phillips (Taggart Elementary School)
I just wanted to say again how pleased I am that Boun Lod has had a positive experience at school. This is as important to her development as the surgery for her physical wounds. Lao is a poor country, and handicapped people tend to be kept home and ‘out of sight’. Boun Lod was not allowed to go to a public school, and even the private school that we managed to get her into was very reluctant. So it’s been great for Boun Lod to go to school, to mix with “normal” kids, and to be a normal kid herself. Hopefully it’s shown her that she’s the same as the others, but that she just has some challenges. I hope this attitude will stay with her and her parents when she returns home, and that they’ll be confident enough to push for what she deserves. Given the limitations of her culture, only education will give her the ability to provide for herself, and to have a fulfilling life. I know her experience at Moonstone has reinforced that within her. The lessons that she has learned at Moonstone will serve her well for the rest of her life.
– Gordon Petersen (sponsor of scholarship student, Boun Lod P.)
I am delighted to contribute my two cents in regard to the marvelous Moonstone program. Before I was invited to participate in Martin Delany Week I had not heard of Moonstone Arts Center. Happily, I soon learned that I was participating in a program with deep historic roots in Philadelphia that continues to make a very important contribution to art, history, literary and political education for teens and adults. At a time when bookstores, public schools and gathering spots for community seem to be under siege, you are providing a valuable public service by bringing community people together to learn and share the relevance of an underappreciated historical figure like Delany to our social and political lives today. On a personal note, I was delighted that the demands of participating in a panel for students in the morning and another for grownups in the evening was not exhausting, as I feared it might be. I was also pleasantly surprised by the level of intelligence and engagement that both of our audiences displayed . The students were delightfully attentive and the evening group included knowledgeable audience members who made valuable contributions to the discussion. I don’t have a lot of suggestions to make for improving the program other than to hope that you keep it going and find ways to let even more people know about it. We need spaces like you have provided for people to hear authors and experts and learn from one another. The Internet can’t do everything. Best wishes for your continued success.
– Clarence Page (columnist and board member, Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau)
