"Draw Me a Story," on view at the Akron Art Museum in The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery starting March 16, is comprised of collaborative classroom picture books created by second-, third- and fourth-grade students from Akron's Leggett, King and Glover elementary schools, as well as The Lippmann School. The exhibition also features a large-scale mural created by award winning children's picture book author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh, who was inspired by pen pal style discussions with the students.
Celebrating the legacy of Ezra Jack Keats and complementing an exhibition of Keats's work which opens March 16, "Draw Me a Story" acknowledges the power of picture books to promote visual literacy and cultural awareness. The first art many children experience is in picture books.
Born in Mexico City and raised in San Miguel de Allende, Tonatiuh graduated from Parsons and Eugene Lang College in New York City in 2008. His book Diego Rivera: His World and Ours won him the 2012 Pura Belpré illustration award and the 2012 Tomás Rivera Mexican American children's book award. His first book Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin received an honorable mention from the Pura Belpré committee in 2011 and was chosen as one of the best books of 2010 by Kirkus reviews and the Chicago Public Library.
EXHIBITION-RELATED EVENTS
Opening Party
The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats and Draw Me a Story
March 15, 6-8 p.m.
Enjoy books written and illustrated by local school children and picture book author/illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh's Keats-inspired mural. Learn more about Ezra Jack Keats and his work during a gallery talk by museum curators at 6:30 pm. There also will be live entertainment by The Speedbumps, readings by Actors' Summit, hors d'oeuvres and cash bar. Members free, nonmembers $10. The opening is made possible by support from Day Ketterer Ltd., Attorneys at Law and Huntington Bank.
Fridays, March 22 - June 28, 11:15 a.m.
Travel to faraway lands, meet creatures of all kinds and walk in someone else's shoes during a weekly story hour inspired by The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats exhibition. Join museum educators and library staff as they read picture book classics and contemporary tales in the special gallery reading room. Story Hour is free. Standard gallery admission applies for exhibition.
Whole Book Approach Storytime
March 25, 1:30 p.m.
Join educator Megan Dowd Lambert for a very special storytime in the gallery reading room. Lambert, a Simmons College instructor, developed the Whole Book Approach (WBA) at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in order to engage children and adults alike with the picture book as an art form. Lambert's interactive, art and design-focused WBA storytime will include opportunities to discuss how books' pictures, design and production elements interact with the text to create an artistic whole.
Film: Library of the Early Mind
May 11, 2 p.m.
This feature-length documentary film about children's literature features writers and illustrators including Gregory Maguire, Lemony Snicket, Natalie Babbitt, Lois Lowry, R.L. Stine and more.
Family Drop-In:
Don't Judge a Book
by its Cover
April 13, noon-4 p.m.
Meet picture book author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh, whose mural is featured in Draw Me a Story, and explore creative bookmaking techniques with your aspiring young authors and illustrators. Artist talk at 12 pm, followed by art activities and book signing
Museum Information
The Akron Art Museum is at One S. High in downtown Akron.
Gallery hours are Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays, Tuesdays and major holidays.
Adult general admission is $7, student and seniors 65 and older are $5, and children 17 and under and members are free. On the third Thursday of every month, individual admission to the collection is free. Special exhibitions may require paid admission.
For details, call 330-376-9185 or visit www.akronartmuseum.org.
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