Rockingham Times

The Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth issued the following announcement on April 4.

DISLCAIMER: The following content wasn't created by, but is being shared by the Chamber Collaborative on behalf of a member.

PORTSMOUTH—Portsmouth Historical Society hosts the first-ever exhibition to celebrate the extraordinary heritage of children’s books created in northern New England. Imagine That! The Power of Picture Books, featuring original artwork by more than 30 illustrators, a bookmaking station, play space, toy theater and reading nook, opens to the public, daily, May 6 through Sept. 25, 2022, at 10 Middle St. in Portsmouth. Admission is free to children under 18, military, those over 70 and Society members; $10 for adults. First Fridays are free to everyone. The ticket price includes admission to the John Paul Jones House Museum.

Guest curator Nina Maurer has assembled a collection of stellar illustrations from children’s picture books, by beloved illustrators, including Maxfield Parrish, N. C. Wyeth, Robert McCloskey, H. A. Rey, and Dr. Seuss. Artists who have shaped the field of children’s books, such as Eric Carle, Chris Van Allsburg, and Ashley Bryan, are represented alongside popular contemporary artists, including Grace Lin, Melissa Sweet, Chris Van Dusen and Mo Willems. In all, more than a hundred illustrations (including new work reflecting the diversity of children’s books) offer a springboard for children and adults to explore the creative process of imagining new worlds and the pleasures of shared reading.

Portsmouth sits at the heart of a region rich in children’s book illustration and publishing, which blossomed in Boston as early as the 1830s and now reaches to Portland and beyond. By the turn of the 20th century, aided by modern printing methods, popular children’s books featured the bold compositions and vibrant colors of artists like Parrish and Wyeth. Their work animated the pages of stories meant to capture a child’s imagination. Surpassing moralistic tales meant to instruct, picture books became not only entertaining, but also, as the exhibition title suggests, powerful in their ability to ignite children’s imaginations, to reaffirm the connections that come from reading aloud, and to inspire art lovers of all ages.

“It’s a radical idea for a historical society, that we should meet people where they first encounter art—in the pages of children’s books,” commented Maurer. “This is an exhilarating exhibition for kids and families coming to the Portsmouth in 2022.”

Sponsors for the exhibition include: Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation, New Hampshire Humanities, Wyeth Foundation for American Art, Kennebunk Savings, Saula & Dana Levenson, MacDonald Charitable Trust, Sean & Kristen Mahoney, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, Piscataqua Savings Bank, the City of Portsmouth, Rosamond Thaxter Foundation, Thoresen Werner Families Foundation, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and R. M. Davis.

Illustration (c) 2008 by Beth Krommes from The House In the Night used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Original source can be found here.