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Jim Cogan brings words to life
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By JUDI BOWERS
Think back to your childhood. Remember when Mom or Dad read you a story? Or your favorite teacher stood in class telling tales? You could see Prince Charming or Huckleberry Finn or Robinson Crusoe as if the character was standing right next to you.
Those stories came to life because of the teller. A storyteller’s words make you see.
Jim Cogan makes people see when he tells a story. It doesn’t matter if the story is about Pegasus or a farm horse, listen and you can see the animal galloping, rearing on its back legs or carrying the load of a family’s treasures.
Cogan of Big Bear Lake begins a three-week long story on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Los Angeles County Fair. He is the official storyteller complementing “Hoofprints: The Horse in Art, Legend and Action.”
“Hoofprints” is a huge exhibit in the Millard Sheets Museum that depicts the life of the horse, from its origins to modern times. It focuses on the relationship between animal and man, Cogan says. As the storyteller, Cogan greets guests as they arrive at the museum’s exhibit then takes them deep into the story of the horse.
Guests will visit caves in France and travel back to ancient times. “The goal is to get them to ask questions,” Cogan says of the tour guests. He wants them to ask what the art and the story mean.
That’s just the beginning. Cogan takes the guests through three rooms and exhibits following the horses of the world, continent by continent. He tells stories within stories. Through his animation, he is provocative as he attempts to get the tour-goers interested in the art, Cogan says.
Cogan did extensive research for the Los Angeles County Fair storytelling event. He knows the works of art intimately. He has to in order to tell the stories. After researching the history of the horse, getting to know the art, Cogan created the stories. He wrote them and has been telling the stories in preparation.
Cogan also gets to know his guests on the tour. He alters the stories depending on the guests. What may work for one group might not for the next. Cogan has a repertoire of 60 stories to choose from. He tells seven to eight stories per tour.
The horse is the most dominate single figure used in art, Cogan says. Horses are used for show, for pleasure even for healing, he says. The stories are endless, warm hearted, uplifting and touch the listeners.
Cogan has been telling stories professionally for 19 years. As a kid, he says he loved sound. He imitated everything he heard, from inanimate objects to people. Storytelling came naturally.
His family is Irish, so sitting around the table, everyone told stories, Cogan says. “That’s how I was raised,” he says about respecting and loving words and language.
He gravitated to drama and theater, and as a teacher used that in his classroom, Cogan says. He taught as a storyteller, and the students learned. Cogan’s methods were so popular, the students formed a Storyteller Club at the junior high where Cogan taught.
Cogan attended a storytelling workshop that changed his life forever. He knew he wanted to be a storyteller, so he gave notice and never looked back, Cogan says.
Telling stories isn’t about using props. Cogan uses vocal and facial expressions to suggest images. He relies on the imagination of the listeners to see all the accouterments, Cogan says. “I create a language that creates pictures,” Cogan says.
Cogan’s partner in life, Loryn Longbrake, is also a storyteller. They live in Big Bear Lake and tell stories locally. Besides working with local schools, Cogan also works with Orange County School of the Performing Arts.
And Cogan is looking for horse stories. Anyone who has a story about a relationship with his or her horse can call Cogan at 805-368-3182. Your story might find its way to the Los Angeles County Fair.
Contact reporter Judi Bowers at 909-866-3456, ext. 137 or by e-mail at jbowers.grizzly@gmail.com.
Those stories came to life because of the teller. A storyteller’s words make you see.
Jim Cogan makes people see when he tells a story. It doesn’t matter if the story is about Pegasus or a farm horse, listen and you can see the animal galloping, rearing on its back legs or carrying the load of a family’s treasures.
Cogan of Big Bear Lake begins a three-week long story on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Los Angeles County Fair. He is the official storyteller complementing “Hoofprints: The Horse in Art, Legend and Action.”
“Hoofprints” is a huge exhibit in the Millard Sheets Museum that depicts the life of the horse, from its origins to modern times. It focuses on the relationship between animal and man, Cogan says. As the storyteller, Cogan greets guests as they arrive at the museum’s exhibit then takes them deep into the story of the horse.
Guests will visit caves in France and travel back to ancient times. “The goal is to get them to ask questions,” Cogan says of the tour guests. He wants them to ask what the art and the story mean.
That’s just the beginning. Cogan takes the guests through three rooms and exhibits following the horses of the world, continent by continent. He tells stories within stories. Through his animation, he is provocative as he attempts to get the tour-goers interested in the art, Cogan says.
Cogan did extensive research for the Los Angeles County Fair storytelling event. He knows the works of art intimately. He has to in order to tell the stories. After researching the history of the horse, getting to know the art, Cogan created the stories. He wrote them and has been telling the stories in preparation.
Cogan also gets to know his guests on the tour. He alters the stories depending on the guests. What may work for one group might not for the next. Cogan has a repertoire of 60 stories to choose from. He tells seven to eight stories per tour.
The horse is the most dominate single figure used in art, Cogan says. Horses are used for show, for pleasure even for healing, he says. The stories are endless, warm hearted, uplifting and touch the listeners.
Cogan has been telling stories professionally for 19 years. As a kid, he says he loved sound. He imitated everything he heard, from inanimate objects to people. Storytelling came naturally.
His family is Irish, so sitting around the table, everyone told stories, Cogan says. “That’s how I was raised,” he says about respecting and loving words and language.
He gravitated to drama and theater, and as a teacher used that in his classroom, Cogan says. He taught as a storyteller, and the students learned. Cogan’s methods were so popular, the students formed a Storyteller Club at the junior high where Cogan taught.
Cogan attended a storytelling workshop that changed his life forever. He knew he wanted to be a storyteller, so he gave notice and never looked back, Cogan says.
Telling stories isn’t about using props. Cogan uses vocal and facial expressions to suggest images. He relies on the imagination of the listeners to see all the accouterments, Cogan says. “I create a language that creates pictures,” Cogan says.
Cogan’s partner in life, Loryn Longbrake, is also a storyteller. They live in Big Bear Lake and tell stories locally. Besides working with local schools, Cogan also works with Orange County School of the Performing Arts.
And Cogan is looking for horse stories. Anyone who has a story about a relationship with his or her horse can call Cogan at 805-368-3182. Your story might find its way to the Los Angeles County Fair.
Contact reporter Judi Bowers at 909-866-3456, ext. 137 or by e-mail at jbowers.grizzly@gmail.com.
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