In a 2012 interview on “The Colbert Report,” writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak said, with great conviction, “I don’t write for children… I write, and somebody says, ‘That’s for children!’” Considering the overwhelming appreciation young audiences have for Sendak’s books, his statement raises an important question: might children respond better to art that does not speak down to them but rather presents itself simply, to people of all ages.The inaugural Tilt Kids Festival in New York City attempts to provide an answer to question. Cofounded by Violaine Huisman, director of humanities at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Lili Chopra, artistic director of the French Institute Alliance Française (which is also serving as a cosponsor, along with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy), the month-long festival presents a variety of cultural events for children ages 3 to 11, as well as their parents. Among the offerings are theater productions and cirque shows, such as Camille Boitel’s “L’immédiat” and “Carnival of the Animals” by CIRCA; an interactive workshop with chef Wylie Dufresne titled “The Magic of Liquid Nitrogen”; and even a “forum of ideas” led by philosopher Simon Critchley and his PhD students.Tilt was partly inspired by the work of theater directors Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota and Joël Pommerat, both of whom are champions of producing programs for families in France, as well as a recent initiative by the French Ministry of Culture, called “La Belle Saison,” which showcases new productions created for children. “We wanted to commission artistically compelling, original work for everyone and present it as seriously as any other work in the season,” said Chopra, who co-curates FIAF’s interdisciplinary Crossing the Line festival, the influence of which can be seen throughout Tilt. To the same point, Huisman added that in the selection process, they were “not looking outside of our own aesthetic agenda but rather within the types of works that we would want to present to anyone, that we feel strongly about, and that we feel represent our culture and aesthetic ambitions and ideals.”These intentions resonated strongly with the artists involved in the festival. Raphaël Navarro of the “new magic” company Cie 14:20, which recently performed their show “Cabaret de Magie Nouvelle” as part of Tilt, said, “This is the first time that we created a performance for children. However, we didn’t change the standards of writing from our usual performances.” The Obie-award winning theater troupe 600 Highwaymen approached their piece, “The Total People,” in a similar manner. “We never edited or made any choices to make the work specifically suited for a young spectator,” a member of the group said. “We wanted to make work that is both accessible to young people and perhaps rigorous at the same time.” Any doubts as to this method’s effectiveness were assuaged during their performance. “We were unsure of how young audiences would respond to the piece, but we were really pleased to see the level of engagement they all had with it, from very young children to teenagers.”Chopra and Huisman have also been surprised by audience reactions. During Cie 14:20’s performance, for example, the children and adults often had unexpectedly different responses to the same material. “The kids didn’t gasp at certain magical moments, while their parents did — but then they laughed at jokes to which the adults were silent,” Huisman said.Children in France are raised in a society that does not typically separate various forms of entertainment from education, and that understands the critical role art can have in shaping our lives. By providing myriad opportunities for children and their parents to engage with artists who take children seriously, Huisman and Chopra hope to play not-so-small roles in the development of American youth as they explore, through this and future programs, a serious of complex questions, including how exposure to art can affect the cognitive development of children and their ability to empathize with others. “We’re excited to see how open children are to these works,” Chopra said, “not least because art can have a very powerful impact in building the next generation of citizens.”The Tilt Kids Festival continues at multiple venues in New York City through April 3.
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