: Illustrations for children's books are a very special art form,
and the only area of artistic expression created specifically
with children in mind. An exhibition on view at the Mint Museum
of Art, August 9-February 26 celebrates the "land of
make-believe," the imaginative and accomplished works of art that
have been created for the best children's literature.
The "Land of Make-Believe" exhibition features roughly 40
artworks from the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg
County's (PLCMC) collection, including works by some of the most
respected and accomplished children's illustrators in the United
States, Tomie de Paola, David Wisniewski, James Ransome, Gail
Haley and Peter Catalamotto. Only a handful of the illustrations
have been publicly displayed before now.
This exhibition coincides with the October opening of ImaginOn,
the Joe and Joan Martin Center, the new home of the youth and
children's public library, as well as Children's Theatre of
Charlotte. The exhibit is also a visual acknowledgement of the
two-year collaboration between The Mint Museums and PLCMC called
"Smart Connections."
The library has amassed a collection of almost 100 original
illustrations for children's books. This collection is a treasure
now and for the future, as more and more illustration for
publishing is being done on computer.
The collection spans the decades from the early 1960s until the
mid-1990s and includes an impressive number of Caldecott Award
winning artists and illustrations. Many of the artworks are in
watercolor, some enhanced with pen and ink or collage, and there
are oil paintings, pastel, woodblock prints and linoleum prints,
and an example of cut paper that is the trademark of Wisniewski.
One of the earliest works is a pencil sketch by Garth Williams
for the cover of one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on
the Prairie series. Gail Haley, who now resides in Boone, N.C.,
gave some of her original woodblocks and tools to PLCMC and
examples will be included in the exhibition in one case.
The exhibit will be enhanced with the addition of a small table
and chair in the Williamson Gallery with access to copies of the
books for which the illustrations were created from PLCMC. A
comment book will be provided for museum visitors' reminiscences
of favorite books and stories.
The Mint Museum of Art is at 2730 Randolph Road. For
information, 704-337-2000 or www.mintmuseum.org.
