SOWING THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ERIC THE SEEDS CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART SPRING 2015

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1 SOWING THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ERIC THE SEEDS The Carle s News on the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Page 2 CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART SPRING 2015 PERMANENT COLLECTION A Black and White Tribute to Nick Clark This spring, The Carle is excited to present Gray Matter: David Macaulay s Black and White, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Caldecott-winning book. Macaulay, widely recognized for The Way Things Work and other books about architecture, design, and engineering, is equally important in the children s book field for his role in creating Black and White, a playfully deceptive, multidimensional picture book. Macaulay s complete archive for Black and White working sketches, revised manuscripts, dummy books, and final paintings is now part of The Carle s permanent collection. More than 125 donors contributed to a campaign to purchase this significant body of work to mark the retirement of H. Nichols B. Clark, The Carle s founding director and chief curator. The exhibition, which draws entirely from this recent aquisition, is made possible by the generosity of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The Museum is proud to honor Clark s legacy with Macaulay s ingenious art, which will be seen and studied at The Carle for generations. Black and White rejects a traditional linear narrative in favor of four possible stories arranged in quadrants across the page. Macaulay employs different visual styles, all in the black-andwhite theme, to distinguish the stories, yet common elements trains and newspapers, for example intertwine to create a time-bending visual experience. The four seemingly different plots may or may not coalesce at the end. Macaulay upends the reader s perceptions with his innovative style and clever, nuanced storytelling. Visitors to the exhibition gain a deeper understanding of Macaulay s creative process through the wealth of preliminary material on display. Gray Matter: David Macaulay s Black and White is on view through Nov. 29. Please join us on June 14 at 1 p.m., when Macaulay will visit the Museum to discuss the inspirations and artistic process of his books and to share some of his current projects. A book signing and reception will follow the program. Support for this exhibition has been generously provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

2 MAKE A DIFFERENCE FROM THE DIRECTOR Friends Share Their Favorite Picture Books Watch for our spring annual appeal, coming to mailboxes this June. Our goal is to raise $135,000, beating last spring s high-water mark of $123,000. As part of our December 2014 annual appeal, we invited friends to share the titles of their favorite picture books. Here are some titles offered from a number of donors, including past interns; the 2014 Carle Honors Mentor, Henrietta M. Smith; and Norton and Jeanne Juster. See select book covers on page 6. Blueberries for Sal Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The Cat in the Hat The Cat Who Thought He Was a Tiger Charlotte s Web Chicken Little The Dick and Jane series Epaminondas and His Auntie A Hole is to Dig The Little Engine That Could The Little House The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings The Little Red Hen Millions of Cats Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes Mr. Popper s Penguins Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present The Snowy Day The Very Hungry Caterpillar The Wind in the Willows The Wolf and the Seven Goats Introducing Ellen Keiter In January, we extended a big Carle welcome to Ellen Keiter, our new chief curator. Ellen replaces H. Nichols B. Clark, the Museum s founding director and chief curator, who retired in December 2014 but continues his relationship with us in an emeritus role. He is working closely with Ellen to bring her up to speed on our exhibitions and Ellen Keiter with Nick Clark. collection, as well as our rapidly growing traveling exhibition program. Ellen brings more than 20 years of professional museum experience to The Carle. She has been busy learning our systems, researching upcoming exhibitions, and familiarizing herself with our collection. She brings energy and enthusiasm to our work and all of us on staff have quickly learned to count on her for her discerning eye, creative exhibition ideas, and an absolute passion for the curatorial process. Before coming to The Carle, Ellen was director of exhibitions at the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, New York, specializing in contemporary art. She curated many of its exhibitions, including Jasper Johns & John Lund: Masters in the Print Studio; Eye to I: 3,000 Years of Portraits; and Shattering Glass: New Perspectives. In her 13- year tenure, Ellen also met and worked with many children s book illustrators through Katonah s Learning Center for children. Prior, Ellen was the curator of exhibitions at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York. Ellen arrived at The Carle amidst great growth and recognition. This spring, The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced that the Museum was among 30 finalists for the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. We salute The Carle for exemplary leadership in promoting lifelong learning while engaging and inspiring the public, said Maura Marx, acting director of The Institute. While The Carle was not among the five museums named for the National Medal this year a disappointment of course we are thrilled to have been in the running. Imagine, a 12-year-old museum a finalist for the biggest museum prize in the country! Thank you for cheering for us throughout our growth. Ellen, the staff, and I, promise to nurture your pride in The Carle. Alix Kennedy Executive Director 2 Above: Photo by Seth Kaye Photography The Eric Carle Museum.

3 IN OUR GALLERIES throughout his prolific career. Images range from an allergy tablet advertisement he designed in the late 1960s to familiar picture book favorites, including The Very Quiet Cricket and The Grouchy Ladybug. We invite our youngest guests to investigate our insect finger puppets and our insect scavenger hunt. This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Hsin-Yi Foundation, which we highlight on Page 4. Celebrating the Work of Uri Shulevitz Uri Shulevitz is a master of visual storytelling, clearly demonstrated in the retrospective Tall Tales and Short Tales: The Art of Uri Shulevitz, on view through June 14. The exhibition of over 100 works surveys his contributions to children s picture book art. Shulevitz garnered the Caldecott Medal for his Fool of the World and the Flying Ship in 1969 and won a Caldecott Honor in 1979, 1999, and 2009 most recently for How I Learned Geography, a poignant memoir of the trials of his youth. Working in a variety of media, Shulevitz demonstrates remarkable versatility as he interprets a wide range of literature. Visit The Carle s website to see Kate Geis beautiful film documenting Shulevitz s visit to the Museum. Support for this exhibition is generously provided by Macmillan Children s Publishing Group. The Natural World of Eric Carle Among Eric Carle s fondest childhood memories are the long nature walks he enjoyed with his father. Filled with discovery, these adventures instilled in Carle a love of the outdoors as well as a fascination with insects. He recalls the excitement of lifting stones or peeling back the bark of dead trees to discover the living things that crawled, crept, and scurried about there. This exhibition, on view through Aug. 30, celebrates the wings, stings, and crawling things that have appeared in Carle s art Fred Marcellino s Work on View Fred Marcellino s expansive career can be divided into three categories: his editorial work for magazines, his album cover and book jacket designs, and his crowning achievement: his children s book illustrations. While focused on Marcellino s children s books, A Renaissance Man: The Art of Fred Marcellino will touch on all three realms. Of special interest for his children s book admirers will be the art for Puss in Boots (1990), for which he won a Caldecott Honor, as well as work from A Rat s Tale (1986), The Steadfast Tin Soldier (1992), The Wainscott Weasel (1993), The Story of Little Babaji (1996), The Trumpet of the Swan (2000), and Marcellino s own I, Crocodile (1999). A consummate draftsman, Marcellino used watercolor and color pencil to sensitively portray characters and settings, often creating historically accurate locales. This exhibition will run from June 30 through Oct. 25. Top left: Support for Tall Tales and Short Tales: The Art of Uri Shulevitz has been generously provided by Macmillan Children s Publishing Group. Illustration from The Brothers Grimm (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995) 1995 by Uri Shulevitz. Top right: This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Hsin-Yi Foundation. Illustration 1986 by Eric Carle. Bottom right: Cover of Puss in Boots. Illustration by Fred Marcellino. 3

4 GIVING ECM: You recently hosted Nick Clark, now chief curator emeritus, in Shanghai, China. Can you tell us about the conference? Chang: In 2009, I founded the Hsin-Yi Picture Book Award in China, which promotes picture books, nurtures picture book writers, and gives out annual awards. Nick was invited as a special guest and gave a talk about Eric and his books. ECM: Can you tell us more about the conference and explain the importance of art and reading through picture books in your country? Nick Clark and Sing-Ju Chang in Shanghai, China. Major Support from the Hsin-Yi Foundation The Carle is delighted to announce a $300,000 gift from the Hsin-Yi Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan, which has made a 10-year pledge to underwrite Eric Carle exhibitions in the West Gallery. We interviewed Sing-Ju Chang, chief executive officer of the foundation, about her interest in The Carle. The Eric Carle Museum: Please tell us about your work. Sing-Ju Chang: My journey started in Taiwan s economy was taking off, yet there existed a big deficit in the quality, philosophy, and awareness of the importance of early childhood education. To help address this gap, I founded the Institute of Early Childhood Education under the Hsin-Yi Foundation, the only institute of its kind in Taiwan. I then established Hsinex, the first publisher in Taiwan specializing in picture books for young children. Chang: In addition to the award ceremony, we offer speeches, workshops for parents, teachers, and picture book writers, and activities for young children. We do whatever we can to inspire the children s love of books and art. We also try to do cross-field projects, like composing music for specific titles and having children watch pages from the book on the big screen and listen to the orchestra. ECM: What else would you like our friends to know? Chang: I want to thank Eric, who opened a gate for me to the beautiful garden of picture book art. And I want to thank people who take their children to the Museum and share with them their happiness. I feel very honored to walk hand in hand with The Carle on the path of promoting picture book art. ECM: How did you become interested in The Carle? Chang: I met The Very Hungry Caterpillar when my nephew read it to me at only 4 or 5 years old, and I was very touched by his enthusiasm. Hsinex has now published 22 titles of Eric s in Taiwan. I visited the Museum about 10 years ago. Eric talked about his dream of the Museum. I admire and respect his devotion to picture book art and truly understand that to run a museum like The Carle is not an easy task. I am willing to do anything I can to support it. Sing-Ju at Hsin-Yi Foundation. 4

5 SPECIAL THE 2015 EVENTS CARLE HONORS Helen Oxenbury Corinna Cotsen Andrea Immel Neal Porter Joan Bertin Pride in Our 2015 Honorees We are pleased to announce the 2015 Carle Honors honorees, who we will celebrate at Guastavino s in New York City on Thursday, Sept. 24. The event marks the 10th anniversary of this critical fundraiser and awards program for the talented people who have played an instrumental role in making children s books a vibrant and influential art and literary form in America. Leonard S. Marcus, the children s literature historian and critic who was central to the founding of The Carle Honors, chairs the committee that selects the honorees. These esteemed honorees bring creative vision and long-term dedication to children s books and the many ways they open children s minds to art and literacy. This year s honorees are: Artist: Helen Oxenbury For lifelong innovation in the field Critically acclaimed illustrator Oxenbury was awarded Britain s Smarties Book Prize for We re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell. She also received the Kate Greenaway Medal for Alice s Adventures in Wonderland, The Quangle Wangle s Hat, and The Dragon of an Ordinary Family. Angel: The Cotsen Children s Library at Princeton University Represented by Corinna Cotsen and Andrea Immel For generous resources crucial to making illustrated children s book art exhibitions, education programs, and related projects a reality The Cotsen Children s Library, a gift of Lloyd E. Cotsen, offers an international research collection and public resource of illustrated children s books, manuscripts, original artwork, prints, and educational toys dating back to the 15th century. Mentor: Neal Porter For championing the art form Porter has been the publisher of his own imprint at Roaring Brook Press for the last 14 years and a champion of award-winning authors and illustrators for more than 35 years. Bridge: Joan Bertin For finding inspired ways to bring the art of the picture book to larger audiences through work in other fields The executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship and an attorney and author whose articles have appeared in professional books and journals and in the lay press, Bertin is an advocate of free thought, inquiry, and expression. Our popular silent auction at the gala will feature exceptional original artwork from over a dozen of the top illustrators, including Eric Carle. At press time, confirmed artists were Ludwig Bemelmans, Nick Bruel, Eric Carle, Tomie depaola, Ed Emberly, Brian Floca, Marla Frazee, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Fred Marcellino, Yuyi Morales, Helen Oxenbury, Antoinette Portis, Dan Santat, Uri Shulevitz, Laura Vacarro Seeger, Chris Van Allsburg, Bernard Waber, Rosemary Wells, Mo Willems, and Ed Young. The auction will be open for online bidding on Aug. 1. Gala tickets can be purchased individually or in blocks, and educators have an opportunity for a special reduced ticket for presentation and dessert. Each ticket and auction purchase supports our mission to inspire a love of art and reading through picture books. Please contact Rebecca Miller Goggins, director of development, at or rebeccag@carlemuseum.org to learn more. 5

6 EDUCATION A mom works with her child on a creation at Boland Elementary, and a young boy paints at the Dorman School. A young visitor enjoys our new interactive puppets. Bringing Picture Books to Families The Carle continues to bring its Family Literacy and Learning Project to Springfield, Massachusetts, working again with the Dorman and Boland Elementary Schools and creating new programs within two housing communities, the John I. Robinson Gardens and the John L. Sullivan Apartments. This outreach program engages children ages 2-10 and their caregivers in rich conversation through reading pictures, creative expression, and explorations of the art and design of the picture book. Each week in the program, students share their ideas about picture books, create art using a variety of mediums, and take a picture book home to add to their personal library. While some of the students were new to the program this year, about half of the participants were returning families a testament to its value. Carle Educator Emily Prabhaker notes, Facilitating our program at the Dorman School has reaffirmed my belief in the power of picture books. I ve had the privilege of watching parents and their children come together each week to share books and make art, and, in doing so, grow as readers and as families. The Family Literacy and Learning Project is made possible by a grant from The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation. New Opportunities for Our Youngest Guests The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts awarded The Carle a grant in support of its Family Engagement Project, aimed to expand and deepen content for young children and their caregivers. Over the course of five months, Museum staff conducted visitor surveys and interviews and observed families in the galleries. It was clear that caregivers wanted more ways to engage children in viewing art in The Carle s three galleries. Through the creation of new museum-based family kits, gallery activities, and creative play materials, The Carle will be able to better support the needs and interests of our youngest audience members, fostering habits that encourage a love of art and reading. New print materials include a family guide as well as a guide specifically for caregivers, which will suggest various agebased materials and activities at the Museum to engage children based on their developmental milestones. Guests to The Carle will begin to see some of these gallery interactives this spring, with new creative play materials in the Reading Library as well as in the current exhibition, The Art of Eric Carle: Bees, Butterflies, and Other Bugs. Some of our friends favorite picture books. 6 Photos, left to right, by Courtney Waring, Emily Prabhaker, and Kristin Angel The Eric Carle Museum.

7 NEWS AND NOTES out on an extended nationwide tour in the fall. The exhibition was made possible with underwriting support from an anonymous donor as well as the Eden Hall Foundation, The Hillman Foundation, and The Wherrett Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Very Eric Carle in Pittsburgh. Very Eric Carle Premiers in Pittsburgh This summer, children will get to step into the pages of their favorite books by Eric Carle. The Carle has partnered with Children s Museum of Pittsburgh to create Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit, the first traveling children s museum exhibition inspired by his art. This play-and-learn exhibit features activities inspired by five of Carle s classic books: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Lonely Firefly, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, and The Very Busy Spider. In this exhibit, nature is expressed through the creative vision of the artist using color, texture, shape, and lines, explains Anne Fullenkamp, Children s Museum of Pittsburgh s associate director of business development. We reimagined the boundaries between the images on the page and the natural world that inspired them, allowing the visitor to explore the inside world of the artist s studio and the outside world inhabited by each book s characters. Very Eric Carle premieres at Children s Museum of Pittsburgh on June 13 before heading A young guest at Children s Museum of Pittsburgh. The Pigeon Goes to Atlanta The Carle and The High Museum of Art, the nation s leading museum in the Southeast, have teamed up on a multi-year project to bring picture book art to Atlanta. The first exhibition, Seriously Silly: The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems, debuts on May 23. The retrospective, based on the popular exhibition that premiered at The Carle in 2013, showcases more than 100 works by Willems, from preliminary drawings to completed illustrations, and chronicles the adventures of beloved characters At The High. like Knuffle Bunny, Elephant and Piggie, and The Pigeon. Seriously Silly is presented in conjunction with the Alliance Theatre production of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. Using live actors and beautiful projections, this play tells a true-tolife tale about what happens when Daddy s in charge and things go terribly, hilariously wrong. May 30 is Mo Willems Day at The High, a family day that includes storytimes with Willems, a book signing, and a chance to meet Elephant and Piggie. Support for this collaborative exhibition is generously provided by Disney Publishing Worldwide. Support in Atlanta is made possible by the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and Inaugural Grandparents Circle of Support. Left column: Photos courtesy Children s Museum of Pittsburgh. Right column: Photo courtesy of The High Museum of Art. 7

8 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, MA (413) NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SPRINGFIELD PERMIT #786 This organization is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency SAVE THE DATE! We re Creating a Summer Buzz There s a new caterpillar in town! After traveling across 19 states, stopping at 16 book stores, and buzzing over 4,500 miles to promote Very Hungry Caterpillar Day, The Carle s new Volkswagen Beetle finally pulled up to its new home in Amherst in March. A gift from Penguin Young Readers Group, The Bug will be a great attraction on site and when our educators take it on the road for outreach and afterschool programs. On June 6, The Carle presents the Children s Book Festival: Bees, Butterflies, and Other Bugs. Artists from the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild and special guests Angela and Tony DiTerlizzi will be on site for a day full of fun with bugs, books, and art. Creative bug costumes welcome! On Friday, July 31, The Carle will celebrate our third annual Free Fun Friday, with thanks to the Highland Street Foundation. Come celebrate picture books with art activities, story readings, films, and more! Photo by Seth Kaye Photography The Eric Carle Museum.