Bren Bataclan

Last updated
Bren Bataclan
Bren Bataclan, artist.jpg
Bren Bataclan
Born
Makati, Philippines
Alma materUCLA
Ohio State University
OccupationArtist
Known forProject Smile
Fe, A Traumatized Son’s Graphic Memoir
Website bataclan.com

Bren Bataclan is a Filipino-American artist. Based in Cambridge, he is the creator of the street art project Project Smile. He has left more than 3000 anime-inspired paintings in public spaces for passers-by to take for free if they "promise to smile at random people more often." He has given his paintings away in 80 countries and in every state in the US. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Bataclan was born in the Philippines and moved to Daly City, California with his family when he was 12. As a child, he watched the Giant Robot television shows Voltes V and Mazinger that later inspired his art. He received a BA in design at UCLA and an MA in computer animation at the Ohio State University. [2]

Career

Bataclan began his career teaching design and computer animation at UMass Amherst. [3] He became a fulltime artist in 2003 with the launch of Project Smile. In addition to the Project Smile paintings, Bataclan has painted murals at more than 300 schools, hospitals and community institutions. [4] [5]

In 2021, Bataclan's book, Fe: A Traumatized Son’s Graphic Memoir, was published by Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc (PAWA, Inc.). Focused on Bataclan's relationship with his mother, NPR wrote that Fe was a "brilliant, sensitive story of a mother and son." [6] [7] An elementary school textbook about his artwork was published by Heinemann Press. [8]

"All the Gang" by Bren Bataclan, 2013 Bren Bataclan painting.png
"All the Gang" by Bren Bataclan, 2013

In 2023 he was named Artist Fellow with the Cultural Diplomacy Initiative at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. [9]

Personal life

Bataclan and his husband, Bob Parlin, live in Cambridge. They filed for a marriage license on the day same sex-marriage in Massachusetts was legally recognized and were married at the Old Cambridge Baptist Church in 2004. [10]

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References

  1. "This artist wants to make you smile". www.pri.org. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  2. Staff. "Art for Heart's Sake". Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  3. May, Meredith (2009-01-03). "Boston artist leaves paintings in S.F. for free". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  4. Sachs, Andrea (July 26, 2013). "Artist brings a smile to faces with free artwork". Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  5. "Westford elementary school transforms with colorful, student-inspired mural". Lowell Sun. 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  6. Gharib, Malaka (May 17, 2021). "Engaging With Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Month: A Reading List". Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  7. "Inside Bren Bataclan's Fe: A Traumatized Son's Graphic Memoir". BOSFilipinos. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  8. "Downtown Boston | On View: Kulap: New Works by Bren Bataclan". www.downtownboston.org. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  9. "Fellows – The Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World" . Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  10. Lochhead, Carolyn (2004-05-17). "Eager couples line up early, gain Massachusetts licenses / 'S.F. isn't there yet,' groom boasts at Cambridge City Hall". San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate). Retrieved 2022-12-10.