Bren Bataclan
Bren Bataclan
Born
Makati, Philippines
Alma materUCLA
Ohio State University
OccupationArtist
Known forProject Smile
Fe, A Traumatized Son’s Graphic Memoir
SpouseBob Parlin (m. 1998) [1]
Websitebataclan.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. [2]

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. [3]

Career

Bataclan began his career teaching design and computer animation at UMass Amherst.[4] 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.[5][6]

In 2021, Bataclan's book, Fe: A Traumatized Son’s Graphic Memoir, was published by Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc (PAWA, Inc.). Fcused on Bataclan's relationship with his mother, NPR wrote that Fe was a "brilliant, sensitive story of a mother and son."[7][8] An elementary school textbook about his artwork was published by Heinemann Press.[9]

"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. [10]

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.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Harvard Couples Marry | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  2. ↑ "This artist wants to make you smile". www.pri.org. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  3. ↑ Staff. "Art for Heart's Sake". Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  4. ↑ May, Meredith (2009-01-03). "Boston artist leaves paintings in S.F. for free". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  5. ↑ Sachs, Andrea (July 26, 2013). "Artist brings a smile to faces with free artwork". Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Westford elementary school transforms with colorful, student-inspired mural". Lowell Sun. 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "Inside Bren Bataclan's Fe: A Traumatized Son's Graphic Memoir". BOSFilipinos. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  9. ↑ "Downtown Boston | On View: Kulap: New Works by Bren Bataclan". www.downtownboston.org. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  10. ↑ "Fellows – The Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World". Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  11. ↑ 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.
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