Here’s a sneak peek at my Halloween 2024 displays: “Princess Frogs.” This year’s display explores whether a man is as willing as a woman to kiss a frog and whether a princess would prefer living as a frog over living as a princess.
In the modern version of the fairytale “The Frog Prince,” an evil witch transforms a prince into a frog. A princess breaks the spell by kissing the frog and transforming him into a prince.
In the past years, I have created Halloween displays about Central Park ghosts, the Van Der Voort Sisters, and Amy Winehouse.
I created the four Princess Frogs’ bodies using plastic water bottles and Coffeemate bottles, assorted Amazon boxes, the New York Times newspaper, paper towels and toilet paper rolls, foam (found in the garbage, and rolls and rolls of masking tape.
The faces are made from kid’s frog masks (bought online), cardboard from butter, soap, and foil boxes, and dollar-store Halloween plastic eyes (bought last year). I’m guilty of using every shortcut I can find for my displays. I made old-school paper mache using flour, water, and salt. My tip is to use brown packing paper, found in Amazon packages, rather than newspaper. It’s so much easier to work with and creates a smooth finish.
My office is on New York City’s Halloween street. We’re expecting 3,000 – 5,000 trick-or-treaters. Everyone decorates their brownstones and flower beds. This year, I made 3 displays with my friend, Lauren.
Display #1: Ghost of Lily, the Central Park Zoo Polar Bear (1987- 2004)
“Lily was the beloved companion of Gus, a 700-pound polar bear that mesmerized tourists. He swam lap after lap in figure-eight patterns, pawing his way through the water with powerful backstrokes. He did this for as many as 12 hours a day. Every day. Every week. Every month. Lily would grin and bear it.
Materials: I used office shreddings, a dollar store mask, masking tape, plastic Chinese Restaurant soup containers, bubble wrap, a plastic serving bowl (belly), a Dollar Store child’s tutu, and newspaper to make her!).
Inspiration: I had no plans to make this bear until I received a package that arrived with pink bubble wrap. I couldn’t stop wondering if I could make a tutu using it!
Display #2: The Amy Wine “Haunted” House Twins:
“Rockstar Amy Winehouse died too soon
She misused hard drugs
drank too much booze
Maybe a lesson for October
is to remember you can make great art even when you’re sober”
Materials: I used Diet Coke bottles (shoes), hangers, newspaper, Dollar Store masks, pipe cleaners, Target (dress), water bottles, 1-gallon water jugs (heads), styrofoam balls, takeaway food serving utensils (hands), yarn, shower loofa (flower), yarn (hair), masking tape, and office shredding to make these beauties).
Inspiration: I adored my friend Catherine Schuller’s beautiful fascinator made out of water bottles that she wore for Halloween a few years back, so I challenged myself to build something out of my recycling pile.
Display #3: Real-Life Van der Voort Sister Ghosts. These beauties will make their debut later today! When I googled ‘Central Park Ghosts,’ I found a few articles about the two Victorian sisters, Janet and Rosetta Van der Voort, who haunt the ice rink in Central Park. Their story has such Gothic overtones that I got carried away. I produced a short audio story (with the help of Lorraine Brooks, Wendy Radford, Verna Henry, and Lauren Ricks), designed an art installation, and recruited my boyfriend, Joe, a found art sculptor, to create an additional display. I can’t wait to share it with you! Happy Halloween!
I have trouble glorifying famous addicts in the music industry. Many people seem to idolize their tragic lives. In my opinion, making ‘good art’ doesn’t require wrestling your demons, torturing your soul, or taking mind-alerting substances. There are plenty of happy, down-to-earth sober artists making beautiful and popular music. Unfortunately, their legacies are often outshined by the mystical status of Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Hendrix, and Amy Winehouse.
This Halloween, I’ve decided to pay tribute to Amy Winehouse to raise awareness for 988 since substance abuse is rising.
Amy Winehouse’s legacy is a cautionary tale for how deadly substance abuse and addiction can be. Unfortunately, her tragic story is all too familiar.
Its been widely reported that the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increased number of people misusing drugs and dying from drug overdoses. There were more than 99,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in the first year of the pandemic, an increase of nearly 30% from the year before.
Amy Winehouse was a rockstar’s rockstar. She is considered one of the greatest musical talents of the past 20 years. Her voice, music, and the way she expressed herself were unique. She modernized jazz. She poured her soul into writing deeply confessional lyrics and singing around London, her hometown. She was a unique talent, a jazz fanatic with the voice of a soul singer.
That Winehouse was just 27 years old when she died underscored her sheer natural brilliance, the meteoric nature of her rise, and the wrenching tragedy of her downward spiral and ultimate fall.
Driven by her muse and haunted by her addictions, she allegedly used heroin and other hard drugs until alcohol became her constant companion. She’d died of accidental alcohol poisoning, as her blood alcohol level was .416% at the time of her death. Addiction and mental health disorders may house certain symptoms, but every case is different, just like the person with them.
If someone in your life is jeopardizing their well-being in any capacity, that should be the first sign: something is wrong, and this person is battling.
Calling 988 directly connects you to compassionate, accessible care and support for mental health or substance abuse-related distress.
I created the Amy Wine “Haunted” House Twins using water bottles, hangers, Diet Coke bottles, yarn, pipe cleaners, newspaper, plastic bags, Target cloth bags, paper shreddings, Dollar Store decorations (masks and eyeballs), disposal serving forks, ribbon, styrofoam balls, and gaffers tape. This Halloween, celebrate creativity, not candy!
