Above: Artist Val Hutcheon-Bauer makes skating the focal point in her exhibit titled “The Snow Queen Noire: The Tale of One Girl’s Courage.”
By Harry Thompson
Hans Christian Andersen’s classic The Snow Queen was first published in 1844, and over the course of the next 180 years the beloved fairytale has been adapted to fit multiple formats, from operas to stage plays and musicals to numerous television shows and movies. Even Disney’s 2013 classic Frozen was originally intended to be a direct adaptation of Andersen’s story before creators changed it into a more original story.
Andersen’s message that the power of love and pureness of heart can help good triumph over evil has resonated with followers no matter what format the story takes.
Val Hutcheon-Bauer created her own take on this timeless classic with a series of paintings that tell the story of how a young Black male is set free from the wicked Snow Queen thanks to the gift of skates from his female friend.
“The tale is told following The Snow Queen fairytale but given a new look and added stops along the way for the girl and boy to find courage and strength on their journeys,” Hutcheon-Bauer said.
“The ideas of freedom, love and the ability to pursue your dreams even when you have to go it alone abound in this art show. It is a classic reimagined for contemporary audiences.”
These and many other powerful themes are central to “The Snow Queen Noire: The Tale of One Girl’s Courage,” Hutcheon-Bauer’s exhibit that opened in early November at the African American Atelier of Art in Greensboro, North Carolina. She hopes to take the powerful message on the road once the exhibit finishes its residency in January 2025.
One could say that the artist’s affinity with skating runs in her blood. Her mother was an accomplished Canadian skater and choreographer who continued her passion well into her 80s. Hutcheon-Bauer followed in those skate tracks, skating with several accomplished Canadian skaters before an injury derailed her competitive career. Her daughter has kept the family skating tradition going by working at the prestigious Granite Skating Club in Toronto.
Hutcheon-Bauer continued in the sport as a skating choreographer before she began a long career in theater as a choreographer, stage designer and director. While she didn’t start out as a painter, her work with colors, shapes and forms on numerous theater sets would come to serve her well once the pandemic hit.
Over the course of many months, her passion for skating and her desire to see the sport she loved become more inclusive poured through her soul and onto the canvas as she brought her own experiences to life in hopes of changing the lives of others.
“It just became a devotion and something that I had inside of me,” she said. “We all find something in life where we get the privilege or the honor to tell the story. The story comes through you a bit. I didn’t lack for ideas. It became more of trying to focus a bit more on inclusion and empowerment and diversity.”
In addition to creating nearly 60 paintings, Hutcheon-Bauer hand painted a dozen skates, some of which are featured in her show as well.
The exhibition opened to enthusiastic reviews, and she is hoping to showcase her works elsewhere around the country in hopes of spreading her message.
“I really do hope that it’ll be picked up and has legs,” Hutcheon-Bauer said. “It would be thrilling to see it go further for sure.”
Ultimately, she hopes her art can inspire further conversations about inclusion in skating and increased opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds.
“I’m not the first one to say it by any means, but if you don’t see yourself in those roles and you’re not represented, especially in sport, it’s hard to be a champion or a winner at the best of times,” she said.
“That was really my hope too, that young kids would see themselves in that starring role. When I taught theater, I also saw a lack of roles in that space and lead roles for kids of color, too. I think that really is going to be important to see how that resonates.”
If a lifetime of working with youngsters as a figure skating coach and theatre director has taught her anything it’s that kids just need that extra nudge to believe in themselves. The power of a coach or mentor can help someone to accomplish things they never thought possible.
That’s one of the many powerful messages that her artwork conveys. If it can inspire even one young skater of color to see themselves in the Snow Queen story and take a leap of faith and follow their dreams it will be well worth it.
“It only takes just a little bit of help to get them over that hurdle,” she said. “Sometimes it’s those moments of disbelief and you just give a kid a chance. I’ve had a lot of experience in kind of pushing kids into new spaces, and they’re brilliant. You only have to give them the nudge then they’re flying.”
