‘Mockingbird’ Mock Trial Poster Is The Work Of A Local Artist

By Nancy K. Crevier

“It was just fate,” said Lindsay Broderick of her involvement in the eye-catching To Kill A Mockingbird poster that started appearing around town the past week. The poster, an advertisement for the mock trial of the novel to be presented on April 28, is the work of Ms Broderick, a Newtown resident and a junior majoring in art at Paier College of Art in Hamden.

Ms Broderick was in the C.H. Booth Library last month browsing books of old posters for ideas for a school project.

“It just happened that we had a project in my illustration class to do a poster for a play. When I mentioned what I was looking for to [librarian] Kim Weber, she suggested I do the poster for To Kill A Mockingbird. I’ve always loved the book; it really gets you thinking. So I thought about Mrs Weber’s proposal and decided to go ahead with it,” said Ms Broderick.

Adding to the serendipitous twist is the fact that Ms Broderick is a newcomer to the library.

“I was applying for a library card. I actually had never been in the library before about a week before [the day that Ms Weber asked me to consider the poster]. It is a beautiful place. I was surprised to be asked and happy to help the library,” she said.

Although she loves to paint, recently Ms Broderick has found that three-dimensional art is becoming the media she prefers. “I like to be hands on,” she said. The artwork came together quickly for the artist once she had the idea in mind.

“I was trying to think of something that related to the story and wanted something people would notice,” she said.

What she designed was a series of layers of painted paper depicting a mockingbird soaring across a star-studded night sky.

“A lot of what the kids do in the book takes place at night,” explained Ms Broderick, “and I think of the Boo Radley character as only coming out at night. I thought the night image would tie it all together.”

The actual piece of artwork that she photographed for the poster begins with a layer of painted yellow paper that is set about one inch below another piece of dark blue painted paper. Stars are cut out of the blue sky to allow the yellow to show through. A large mockingbird, also made of layers of paper painted varying shades of dark blue, spreads its wings across the sky. Yellow stars and one red star pierce the body of the mockingbird. “The red star marks the heart,” said Ms Broderick, “It is sort of to make you think of the ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ theme.”

Light projected beneath the piece from the sides provided depth to the photograph and allowed the stars to stand out, Ms Broderick said.

“Then I had to Photoshop the photograph and put in the information. That was the harder part for me.”

The posters are on view at many local businesses now, and the original artwork will be displayed at Paier College the weekend of April 21, but the poster’s true fate is in the hands of her illustrations instructor. Despite the library’s enthusiastic response to her work, it remains for her teacher to be the final judge, she said.

Nonetheless, “It’s very cool to see my artwork hanging around town,” Ms Broderick said.

The Mock Trial of To Kill A Mockingbird will be presented at 2 pm and 7 pm at Newtown Meeting House on Saturday, April 28. Tickets for the 2 pm show are $5 and$10 for the 7 pm show. The 7 pm show includes a southern tasting following the play.

Tickets are available at C.H. Booth Library main circulation desk on the second floor.