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Hidden
AN ARTIST has turned her weird and wonderful experience teaching art to intellectually disabled adults into a new book of graphic short stories.
Winner of the 2011 Aurealis Award for Graphic Novels.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainmen...
Sample at http://www.pawpedaller.com/ps_mburton...
Winner of the 2011 Aurealis Award for Graphic Novels.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainmen...
Sample at http://www.pawpedaller.com/ps_mburton...
Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 25, 2014
This book is really underrated and should be more widely read/available. I asked my local library to buy it (they often do this) and they said they couldn't. So I ordered it myself from the publisher, it took 2 minutes, and arrived in three days; what's with that? Talk about Hidden. Anyway, the art is just gorgeous, the story is thought-provoking and of great interest to me as an art practitioner slash human being. I would have given it five stars if it were longer and could have gone into more depth. I know that graphic stories take a long time to do, so I guess that's not fair. But it was so nice to meet these characters in what I concede is a comfortingly safe way. It's a really humane little book.
November 24, 2014
This is a beautiful and incredibly touching little book that is going to stick with me a long time. I picked it from the library bookshelf at random and after the first page, had to sit down and keep reading. I read it in a single sitting, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
Mirranda Burton worked with intellectually disabled adults as an art teacher/therapist , and Hidden is a book of 4 short stories about this period. It tells the stories of some of her students, the relationships they develop, and the importance of the art room to them. There is Julie, who every day travels 1.5 hours to get to work, where she packs boxes for a supermarket, and comes to art class on Wednesday. She has to move to a new suburb, into a unit that she will share with a housemate, when a lack of funding means that she is no longer able to live in the group home that I guess she lived in up to that point.
Steve loves weather, and likes to draw the forecast on the board, accompanied by seemingly unrelated pictures. Annie draws genie bottles every day – pages and pages of genie bottles. Eddie has been working on the same piece of paper for 2 years, meticulously marking until he punctures it.
It’s one thing to hear about disability support funding drying up, and moving people into the community as a good, positive step. This book is not a cliché about people with disabilities showing us what is “really important” in life, or a condescending spiel how “rewarding” it is to spend time with people who can show you what “really matters”. It also doesn’t bat you over the head with anything, but quietly and gently shows you why it’s so important that places and people like the one that Burton works in are supported and funded, and why they matter.
Mirranda Burton worked with intellectually disabled adults as an art teacher/therapist , and Hidden is a book of 4 short stories about this period. It tells the stories of some of her students, the relationships they develop, and the importance of the art room to them. There is Julie, who every day travels 1.5 hours to get to work, where she packs boxes for a supermarket, and comes to art class on Wednesday. She has to move to a new suburb, into a unit that she will share with a housemate, when a lack of funding means that she is no longer able to live in the group home that I guess she lived in up to that point.
Steve loves weather, and likes to draw the forecast on the board, accompanied by seemingly unrelated pictures. Annie draws genie bottles every day – pages and pages of genie bottles. Eddie has been working on the same piece of paper for 2 years, meticulously marking until he punctures it.
It’s one thing to hear about disability support funding drying up, and moving people into the community as a good, positive step. This book is not a cliché about people with disabilities showing us what is “really important” in life, or a condescending spiel how “rewarding” it is to spend time with people who can show you what “really matters”. It also doesn’t bat you over the head with anything, but quietly and gently shows you why it’s so important that places and people like the one that Burton works in are supported and funded, and why they matter.
September 27, 2013
Hidden is a story that stuns through its simplicity. I read through the contained short comics in an hour or so. It is the story of an art worker who deals with people with disabilities, the lack of funding for her programs and the marginalisation of disabled people in society. It is incredibly subtle and as a result, beautiful. I highly recommend it, and Mirranda Burton is definitely a talent to watch.
December 16, 2019
I like how Mirranda has captured the quirks, body postures and the languages of people with a disability. I like the use of metaphors, such as Mirranda feeling as tiny as a tea cup, and the use of musical lyrics to express feelings.
The title has an activist bend, implying we as a society need to work harder to normalise the experience of living for people with a disability.
The title has an activist bend, implying we as a society need to work harder to normalise the experience of living for people with a disability.
February 22, 2013
Deborah was the convenor of the Graphic Novel/Illustrated Works category for the Aurealis Awards in 2011. This review/rating is the personal opinion of Deborah herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
From the Aurealis Award Judges' Report 2011:
A compassionate and cohesive meeting of art and word is evident in the meditative surrealism of HIDDEN’s collected vignettes. With restrained artwork and generous, self-deprecating writing, these vignettes show a maturity of insight that is intimate and touching, and stays with the reader long after finishing. HIDDEN is an ambitious, well-realised work.
From the Aurealis Award Judges' Report 2011:
A compassionate and cohesive meeting of art and word is evident in the meditative surrealism of HIDDEN’s collected vignettes. With restrained artwork and generous, self-deprecating writing, these vignettes show a maturity of insight that is intimate and touching, and stays with the reader long after finishing. HIDDEN is an ambitious, well-realised work.
February 9, 2022
A really excellent story of Mirranda Burton's art room in a community centre catering to adults with intellectual disabilities. The gentle story describes the different personalities that frequent the art classes as well as Mirranda's challenges in dealing with them.
An excellent story, insightful and full of meaning with a simple black and white art style that perfectly complements the story.
There is a wealth of emption and expression in the stories as well as some top notch characterisations.
Thoroughly recommend for people who are looking for a meaningful trade paperback that is engrossing to read.
An excellent story, insightful and full of meaning with a simple black and white art style that perfectly complements the story.
There is a wealth of emption and expression in the stories as well as some top notch characterisations.
Thoroughly recommend for people who are looking for a meaningful trade paperback that is engrossing to read.
December 2, 2020
Possibly the best Australian comic book / graphic novel I've ever come across.
It is simple, elegant and straight from the heart.
This should be read by everyone.
It is simple, elegant and straight from the heart.
This should be read by everyone.
May 15, 2017
Hidden is a powerful introduction to disability narratives. As the first book I’ve read representing adult intellectual disability, it lays the foundation for me to engage with the topic with better understanding and compassion. Importantly, it opened my eyes to the key issues surrounding adult intellectual disability.
Our first person narrator, Mirranda Burton, tells true stories from her time teaching art to adults with intellectual disabilities. Despite her often chaotic environment, Mirranda is calm and always self-aware. With an attitude of non-judgment, she fosters a respectful, patient, and caring art space. As a result, her students have a safe environment to learn, share, and create. Hidden is divided into short stories, each exploring a different student’s relationship with their art and their community.
Although Mirranda maintains a peaceful exterior, she expresses the duality of her external/internal self through the visual metaphor of drowning in a teacup. Although I have no experience working with disability like Mirranda, this description of self-criticism and feeling out of her depth resonates with me. I love how the graphic novel form allows her to communicate this in such an emotive way.
As the title suggests, the overarching theme is how the world of disability is hidden from society. Mirranda’s students have complex needs, passions, and fears. Yet they are isolated from their families and their communities. For example, when Mirranda helps one of her students to apply for university, she is dismayed to find that the only courses that support students with disabilities are about basic life skills. Once again, the world of disability is restricted within a tiny bubble of uneducated assumptions.
Hidden is a short but memorable journey into forgotten lives. It teaches compassion, and shows us the humanity we so often overlook. This is a poignant must-read.
This review can also be found on my blog Paige's Pages.
When I took on a part time job as an art instructor to adults with ‘intellectual disabilities’ ranging from down syndrome to autism, I was rescued from learned ideas of human progress. I stepped into a reality outside of the box and hit the ‘reset’ button. It was like opening a new tin of ink and rolling out a colour I had never seen before – Hidden
Our first person narrator, Mirranda Burton, tells true stories from her time teaching art to adults with intellectual disabilities. Despite her often chaotic environment, Mirranda is calm and always self-aware. With an attitude of non-judgment, she fosters a respectful, patient, and caring art space. As a result, her students have a safe environment to learn, share, and create. Hidden is divided into short stories, each exploring a different student’s relationship with their art and their community.
Although Mirranda maintains a peaceful exterior, she expresses the duality of her external/internal self through the visual metaphor of drowning in a teacup. Although I have no experience working with disability like Mirranda, this description of self-criticism and feeling out of her depth resonates with me. I love how the graphic novel form allows her to communicate this in such an emotive way.
It’s all one really needs to know in life… …just keep a sharp focus on what’s important and keep going… and going… – Hidden
As the title suggests, the overarching theme is how the world of disability is hidden from society. Mirranda’s students have complex needs, passions, and fears. Yet they are isolated from their families and their communities. For example, when Mirranda helps one of her students to apply for university, she is dismayed to find that the only courses that support students with disabilities are about basic life skills. Once again, the world of disability is restricted within a tiny bubble of uneducated assumptions.
I have often felt that navigating humanity is like being lost in the woods… …but for Julie, it seems like a complex network of streets in which she is desperately trying to put adequate signage at traffic lights. While she works relentlessly, she is regularly stopped by a little alarm clock in her heart. Without fail, at nine o’clock in the morning she leans towards me, and without me saying a word, she says, “I love you too Mirranda” – Hidden
Hidden is a short but memorable journey into forgotten lives. It teaches compassion, and shows us the humanity we so often overlook. This is a poignant must-read.
This review can also be found on my blog Paige's Pages.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews