By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Tom Chouteau and his Kaleidoscope Caravan will be at the Geneseo Public Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Kaleidoscope on wheels will be parked outside of the library and visitors are encouraged to stop by and experience a mirrored, kaleidoscope environment inside the colorful school bus.
“My mission is to place kaleidoscopes and mirrored environments out in front of the public eye in the best way possible so that those who view them may have their lives enhanced and refreshed,” Chouteau said.
Chouteau is a native of Davenport, Iowa, and has been creating kaleidoscopes for 30 years. He has received numerous awards and has led dozens of workshops on the subject of kaleidoscope creation.
Information from the Geneseo Library states, “People of all ages have been taught by Tom how kaleidoscopes are put together, what makes them work, and the many varieties of mirror tunnels and images that can be created. Tom has taught after-school classes in the Iowa Quad Cities, has demonstrated at local organizations and clubs, and directed senior citizens and teen classes at area libraries.
He purchased the bus, now the Kaleidoscope Caravan, from Midcoast Fine Arts in 2025 for $1. The 1985 Chery Thomas School Bus was converted by Midwest Fine Arts to be a First Fine Art experience for third graders of the Quad City Metro Area. It was named “The Art-O-Mobile.”
The agreement we made when I purchased it, was that I would use it for educational purposes,” Chouteau said. “I worked on the Caravan in a sporadic way. One year, I’d work on the brakes, the next year, installing mirrors, and, maybe the next, painting the exterior. My whole challenge was to be able to take it to schools, campgrounds, fairs, and parties. But now I’m starting to feel that, maybe, I should have it say in one place most of the time. Have people come to visit, at least, until I’m able to really get the get-up very sound…kind of like the Wizard of Oz!”
Information from the library also stated that the Kaleidoscope Caravan is for both adults and children. Oftentimes, the adults must be coaxed to leave! The interior is lit up with florescent black lights and painted details that kind of place you into an unfamiliar world. Sort of like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!”
One of Chouteau’s creations, the Blue Note, is a large kaleidoscope located inside the Geneseo Public Library. It has a secure stepladder for children to use to look through it.
ADDED INFORMATION ABOUT KALEIDOSCOPES:
A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a symmetrical pattern when viewed from the other end, due to repeated reflection. These reflectors are usually enclosed in a tube, often containing on one end a cell with loose, colored pieces of glass or other transparent (and/or) opaque) materials to be reflected into the viewed pattern. Rotation of the cell causes motion of the materials, resulting in an ever-changing view being presented.
The kaleidoscope was invented by a Scottish scientist named Sir David Brewster. In 1815, he was doing experiments with light and discovered how mirrors could create these repeating patterns. Two years later, in 1817, he officially got a patent for his invention.
Brewster’s first design was a simple tube. It had pairs of mirrors at one end and clear disks at the other. In between these, he placed small beads. These beads were what created the colorful, shifting images.
Brewster chose a skilled lens maker to be the only person to produce his new invention. The kaleidoscope became a huge hit! In just three months, over 200,000 kaleidoscopes were sold in London and Paris. People loved them so much that Carpenter couldn’t make them fast enough.
On May 17, 1818, Brewster allowed manufacturers to start making kaleidoscopes too, so more people could enjoy them. Even though it was first meant to be a scientific tool, the kaleidoscope quickly became a popular toy. Brewster had hoped to make a lot of money from his invention, but a small mistake in his patent application meant that others could easily copy his design without paying him.