Creating a perfect storm of yuletide joy

What do Glitter Kittens, Rocket Puppies and Santa Calls have in common? Countless fans worldwide will know instantly that the answer is best-selling author and illustrator, William Joyce. As artistic director for the Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s Artspace since its inception, Joyce has graciously shared his childlike imagination and magical spirit again and again. This Christmas, he and SRAC are teaming up with “A Joyceful Holiday, featuring the Glitter Kittens.” This all-new interactive holiday extravaganza opens on Friday, Nov. 14, at Artspace and runs through Dec. 31, featuring a dazzling and dizzying array of events guaranteed to entice the child in all of us.

“My job is to guide Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s Artspace on shows we build or bring in, whether that is local or from far away,” says Joyce of his long-standing collaboration with SRAC. “We build shows we think people will respond to, exposing them to possibilities. We began with the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Peter Pan. J.M. Barrie created Peter Pan to entertain the kids of his good friends, then it became a stage play, then a movie; it became all these things. It does something that I admire; it appeals to people across all ages and mediums. We have taken subjects we thought would resonate with people from all walks of life.”

This upcoming holiday exhibition features Flash, Flare, Twinkle and Sparkle Tangerine, the most glimmery, glitzy, fabulous and self-absorbed kittens from “Glitter Kittens,” the latest children’s book by William Joyce. These kittens are the inspiration for events such as Creative Minds Studio, led by local artist Erica Branch, and the Crafty Kitten Cocktail Party, a holiday evening featuring candle-making, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

“I want people to walk in and get the happiest, giddiest, Christmas feeling that they can get; turbo-charged happiness,” says Joyce, who himself lights up the room when talking about this work. “We have combined three stories for a perfect storm of yuletide joy. It is so preposterous and silly. We have the world’s third smallest gnat who wants glitter tap shoes for Christmas. Santa takes this seriously, complications ensue, he calls on the Rocket Puppies, and more complications ensue.

It is an absurd combination of characters to help a gnat, and they pull it off.”

From the far reaches of Not-from-Here, Rocket Puppies blast onto the scene, spreading joy to everyone with such activities as Ice Cream Cups with the Rocket Pups, Pancakes with the Pups and Adopt a Pup with Companions of Caddo Parish Animal Shelter, and Pizza with the Pups & Story Time.

Artspace will be re-imagined as a “Glitter Kittens” Christmas with multiple events.

“I love to adjust stories to all media,” Joyce says of his books. “There is this moment where people come in and you can feel the audience getting into the story, embracing their suspension of disbelief for a period of time; watching that happen, you’ve got them. There is a lot of endorphins. It just feels terrific, the laughing, the crying, the euphoria. If it works, it feels amazing.”

Rounding out this trifecta of terrific stories is Joyce’s classic Christmas children’s book, “Santa Calls.” This beloved story is crafting a whole slew of Santa-related offerings for this exhibit, such as a cookie competition, painting ornaments, brunch with Santa and more, not to mention a festive street party featuring Krewe Barkus & Meoux.

Reflecting on his craft, William Joyce shares what keeps him motivated to work day in and day out. “It is a combination of therapy and revisiting history, making or explaining what I wish could have happened or could happen; how I wish the world can be, would be, might be. Those close to me tell me, ‘All your stories are autobiographical, whether you know it or not.’ If I’m not creating a world, I get really cranky in my daily journey.”

Fortunately for us, William Joyce continues to produce daily magic, delighting us with his unique perspective on the world. This extends to the importance of art in all our lives. “There is a famous story of Editor Ursula Nordstrom, who would walk into a classroom of first graders and ask them how many knew how to draw, and all of them would raise their hands. Each year as they got older, she would ask the same question and fewer hands would go up, until by fifth or sixth grade, only one or two hands would go up. This is very telling. We need to do the best job we can at age 5, and at 20, and at 30, to still get a bunch of hands raised. Art lightens the heart; it gives you a sense of accomplishment. We all sing in the shower or in the car along with the radio; it is the deepest part of our spirit, the most graceful part of our lives; how can it possibly hurt?”

Best-selling author and illustrator William Joyce, creator of “Glitter Kittens.”

“We will add to this exhibit every year,” Joyce says with a contagious smile, “with an atomic Christmas bomb of tinsel, glitter and yuletide fun and premiere events for the region; with things like gnat-sized glitter tap shoes you need a microscope to see. Most people don’t know that bugs have a bug Christmas, too, with bug wreaths, bug holly and bug singing. If I was going to make a story with silly string, this would be it. Joy and generosity always feel big.”

“A Joyceful Holiday” opens Nov. 14, from 5–8 p.m. at Artspace, 708 Texas St., with details of all the exciting events available at shrevearts.org. As the heart behind this exhibit, it seems only fitting to give William Joyce the final word: “Please come to the show at Artspace, suspend your disbelief, find your inner glitter Christmas, you can sing, dance and deck your halls with boughs of holly and glitter.”