An exhibition of the best American picture-book art of the last decade, “Children Should Be Seen: The Image of the Child in American Picture-Book Art,” makes its West Coast debut at the Central Library’s Getty Gallery, 630 W. Fifth St., downtown Los Angeles, July 1 through September 14, 2008.
Co-organized by the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, NY, and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, “Children Should Be Seen” was co-curated by art historian Jane Bayard Curley, picture book historian Leonard S. Marcus and librarian Caroline Ward. This is the first exhibit devoted to the image of the child in contemporary picture-book art to be presented in the United States. It features illustrations from many outstanding children’s book illustrators including Etienne Delessert, Marla Frazee, Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Maurice Sendak, William Steig and Chris Van Allsburg.
“Today, more talented artists by far are involved in picture-book making than ever before, with art schools, museums, and galleries most recently becoming devoted to picture-book illustration as an art form,” said Leonard S. Marcus. “The crossover between picture-book illustration and animation—a longstanding tradition among artists working in both media—is stronger than ever.”
Artworks in the exhibit focus on the decade from 1997 to 2007 and are grouped in categories based on the formative stages and experiences of childhood: The New Child; The Child in the Family; The Child at School and Play; The Child in the Community; The Child in History; The Questioning Child; and The New Picture Book.
“‘Children Should Be Seen’ will appeal to a wide audience and has been designed to be of interest to adults and children alike. Because the outstanding illustrations in this exhibit portray the expertise of diverse groups, children from many backgrounds can look at themselves with wonder and recognition, as they see children like them through the eyes of an artist,” writes co-curator Ward in the exhibition catalogue.
The original exhibit is expanded at the Central Library to include the entire series of original art for the book Stompin’ at the Savoy, a collaboration between celebrated artist Richard Yarde, one of America’s foremost watercolorists, and the late Bebe Moore Campbell, an accomplished author and well-known Angeleno. In Stompin’ at the Savoy, which is rooted in the themes and symbols of the African-American experience, a young girl’s reluctance to perform evaporates when she is spirited away to the Savoy Ballroom, home to some of the greatest dancers and musicians of the swing era.
In conjunction with the exhibit, a reading with musical accompaniment of Stompin’ at the Savoy will take place on Saturday, August 2, at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium. The event is part of the Performing Books series. Reservations are not required. A Family Program “Art Magic” will take place on Sunday, July 13, from 2-4 p.m. where families can view the exhibition, then join artists from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to learn how to create their own masterpieces.
Also, free guided gallery talks will take place weekly. For more information, visit www.lfla.org/exhibits.php. The award-winning exhibit catalogue is available for purchase at the Library Store at Central Library.
“Children Should Be Seen: The Image of the Child in American Picture-Book Art” is co-organized by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts and the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, New York, and is made possible by a generous grant from Helen and Peter Bing. Additional funding for the exhibit is provided by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Los Angeles presentation of “Children Should Be Seen” is produced by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles for the Los Angeles Public Library, with additional support from Helen and Peter Bing. Exhibits at the Central Library are made possible in part through a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.
To support the Los Angeles Public Library, call the Foundation at (213) 228-7500 or visit www.lfla.org. Performing books is jointly sponsored by The Music Center, Los Angeles Times Reading by Nine, and the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest urban population of any library in the country. Its Central Library, 71 branch libraries, four bookmobiles, 6 million books and state of the art technology provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for lifelong learning.
Images Available: http://www.lapl.org/newsroom/
The Central Library is located in Council District 9, represented by Councilmember Jan Perry.
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