German stoiybook comes to PSU By Lindsay Cryer COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER A well-known German children’s book character became popular in the United States decades ago, but is now making a stop in State College. Now through Jan. 24, “Selections from the Allison-Shelley Collection of German Literature in Translation” is on display in The Eberly Family Special Collections Library in 104 Patemo Library. Marion Herzog-Hoinkis donated the collection. A collection of translations and ver sions of the German storybook, “Struwwelpeter” sits at the first table visible in the library. The covers of each book are almost exactly the same, bearing a cartoon of a character that look like a childlike version of Edward Scissorhands except with ungroomed fingernails and hair. “Struwwelpeter” in German trans lates roughly to “disheveled Peter,” said Sandra Stelts, a curator of rare books and manuscripts in the Special Collections Library. The book is a collection of short tales of the consequences children face if they choose not to do as they are told. Some of the stories include a Industrial Revolution visits Palmer By Sarah Becks FOR THE COLLEGIAN The Industrial Revolution has come to the Palmer Museum of Art to high light different perspectives of the influence of coal and mining through art and to educate the public on a for gotten time. Seventy-five prints and posters make up the exhibition “At the Heart of Progress: Coal, Iron, and Steam since 1750.” The exhibition is being showcased now until Jan. 23 and fea tures American and European art work The collection was put together by John P Eckblad, who spent most of his childhood among the coal mining hills of western Pennsylvania. “I was overwhelmed by the industri al environment," Eckblad said. “The colors, lights, movement was so differ ent than what I was used to.” child who sucked his thumb, a child who wouldn’t eat his soup and a child who played with fire and eventually caught on fire as punishment. “He’s definitely not a role model,” Stelts said. “That’s the thing about it, these are cautionary tales.” The stories were written in 1845 by Heinrich Hoffmann, a psychiatrist and father who was tried of reading “sappy and sentimental” stories to his own children, Stelts said. As a result, Hoffmann took a notebook and wrote the stories, which he found more fit ting. The book has since been translated into several languages and dialects including an English translation by Mark Twain and now has quite a cult following, Stelts said. It has also influenced a Broadway show, a German band and various artists, said Bettina Brandt, a visiting professor in the German department. Brandt said she was thrilled to hear the collection of books would be com ing to Penn State and will be taking her students to the exhibit this week She said it’s easy to understand why the books have become popular world wide. “The stories are short, they rhyme, it’s easy to get into and there’s some It’s important to keep the historical significance of the Industrial Revolution alive because it is “anoth er part of reality that is deteriorating,” he said. He added that people are forgetting about the forces that gave us the rich es we already have. Education is not just about learning through text it is important to see and experience what you’re learning about, he said. “Art completes the educational experience,” he said. Brendan Smith (junior-supply chain management) attended the exhibition because it related to the material he was learning in his STS 100 (Science Technology and Culture) class. “Learning history through art is just as important as learning it in a classroom,” Smith said. “You see through the artist’s eyes what’s going on.” “Childhood doesn’t have a culture, childhood doesn’t have nationality.” Bettina Brandt visiting German professor excellent translations,” Brandt said. “Childhood doesn’t have a culture, childhood doesn’t have nationality.” Katja Stuckatz (graduate-German) said the books have served as both an educational tool and a pleasure read for German children. She said the cruel, realistic type of storytelling is common in Germany. “That is typical for Germans, that they don’t like sugar-coating things,” Stuckatz said. “They are right in your face, no sweet talk” The rest of the collection, bequeathed by late professor Philip Allison Shelley, features exhibits dis playing the German influence on English-speaking nations. It features German game boards, pictures and figures of the Christmas tree and a memoir by a German immigrant on his way to the United States. To e-mail reporter Ibcl46@psu.edu Not only can the audience see what the pieces are about, but now they can also hear the information as well because of the iTunes audio tour that goes along with the art pieces. “At the Heart of Progress” is one of many collections at the Palmer Museum of Art where the museum decided to incorporate technology by creating podcasts that talk about the art in detail. Laura March (graduate-art educa tion) studies technology in the arts and is a huge proponent of including technology in the arts. “It’s important for people to be able to access the art in many forms,” she said. If someone is not able to travel to a museum, they can look online at the artwork and decide if it’s somewhere they might want to go in the future and get the experience of seeing the art in person. March said.
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