The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is a museum devoted to the

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

of the

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

and especially the

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

. It is a member of

Museums10 Museums10 is a consortium of art, science, and history museums in Western Massachusetts. It includes art museums from the Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield. Art museums * The Hampshire College Art Gallery (Hampshire College) * The Mead Ar ...

and is adjacent to the campus of

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...

in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Carle was founded by Eric and Barbara Carle, and designed by Juster Pope Frazier Architects.

History

Together with his wife Barbara (1938-2015),

Eric Carle Eric Carle (June 25, 1929 – May 23, 2021) was an American author, designer and illustrator of children's books. His picture book '' The Very Hungry Caterpillar'', first published in 1969, has been translated into more than 66 languages and sol ...

, the author and illustrator of more than 70 books, including the 1969 classic ''

The Very Hungry Caterpillar ''The Very Hungry Caterpillar'' is a 1969 children’s picture book designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle. The book features a hungry caterpillar that eats a variety of foods before pupating and emerging as a butterfly. It has won m ...

'', founded the museum. It was the first full-scale museum in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

devoted to national and international

art. The Museum's stated goal is to foster connections between visual and verbal literacy and to provide visitors of all ages and backgrounds with the opportunity to explore their own creativity and the confidence to appreciate and enjoy art of every kind.

Exhibitions

The museum includes three rotating galleries, each housing picture book art. The West Gallery is devoted to the work of Eric Carle, the East and Central galleries present the work of numerous picture book artists.

Past exhibitions

* Maurice Sendak: Inside and Out (November 22, 2002 - January 12, 2003) *The Many Paths of

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' Chris Van Allsburg Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for ''Jumanji'' (1981) and ''The Polar Express'' (1985), both of which he a ...

(November 20, 2004 - March 13, 2005) *The Wonderful Art of Oz (July 11 - October 22, 2006) *Picture Stories: A Celebration of African American Illustrators (March 24 - June 17, 2007) *

Dorothy Kunhardt Dorothy Kunhardt (née Dorothy Meserve; September 29, 1901 – December 23, 1979) was an American children's-book author, best known for the baby book ''Pat the Bunny.'' She was also a historian and writer about the life of U.S. President Abraha ...

's Pat the Bunny (May 16 - December 7, 2008) *80/40: Celebrating the Birthdays of Eric Carle and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (February 10 - September 6, 2009) *Drawings from the Heart:

Tomie dePaola Thomas Anthony "Tomie" dePaola (; September 15, 1934 – March 30, 2020) was an American writer and illustrator who created more than 260 children's books, such as ''Strega Nona''. He received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for his lifetim ...

Turns 75 (July 3 - November 1, 2009) *Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books Featuring Artwork from Iconic Children's Books (November 24, 2009 - February 28, 2010) *Into the Wood: Antonio Frasconi's Art for Children (March 16 - June 13, 2010) * Leo Lionni: Geraldine, the Music Mouse (May 4 - November 28, 2010) *Eric Carle: A Feast for the Eyes (September 21, 2010 - March 20, 2011) *Monsters and Miracles: A Journey through Jewish Picture Books (October 15, 2010 - January 23, 2011) *Partners in Wonder: Selections from the Collection of

Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 350 books, of which the best known is ''The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. He ...

(December 14, 2010 - May 1, 2011) *What a Circus! The Art of Étienne Delessert (February 8, 2011 - June 5, 2011) *Speechless: The Art of Wordless Picture Books (July 17, 2021 - December 5, 2021) *Ashley Bryan in Song (June 12, 2021 - November 7, 2021)

Public Art Program

The Art Studio at the Museum is open to visitors of all ages during regular Museum hours and supports the aims of the Museum by encouraging making, appreciating, and thinking about art. Activities and materials change regularly and are inspired by the Museum's exhibitions. The Public Art Program is Free with Museum Admission.

Programs & events

Designed for classroom teachers, librarians, art teachers, and others interested in engaging students in the visual arts and the art of the book, the Museum's professional development programs emphasize teaching through the arts and encourage critical and creative thinking. The

Carle Honors The Carle Honors are annual awards given by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art to individuals and organizations in the picture book field for their dedication and creative vision. They are named in honor of the American author and illustrati ...

is an annual awards and fundraising event hosted by the museum. Each year the event honors artists and authors who have made an impact in the genre of picture books. Works of art are also auctioned to benefit the museum.

Benefit publications

In 2009, Putnam/

Philomel Philomel is another name for Philomela, a character from Greek mythology. It may refer to: Nature * A nightingale Arts and Letters * An abbreviated form of the name Philomela, a figure in Greek mythology often invoked as a symbol in literature. * ...

published ''Artist To Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children about Their Art'', with contributors including

Mitsumasa Anno was a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature." Life Ann ...

Quentin Blake Sir Quentin Saxby Blake, (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his ...

, Carle,

, Leo Lionni, Barry Moser,

Robert Sabuda Robert James Sabuda (born March 8, 1965) is a children's pop-up book artist and paper engineer. His recent books include retellings of the stories of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and '' Alice in Wonderland''.New York Times, 2006 Early life Rob ...

, Maurice Sendak and

Rosemary Wells Rosemary Wells (born January 29, 1943) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She is well known for using animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby (later adapted into ...

. All profits from the book went to benefit the museum.''Artist To Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children about Their Art'', various contributors. Putnam/Philomel (2009)

Notes

External links

Official website
{{authority control Children's literature organizations Art museums established in 2002 Museums in Hampshire County, Massachusetts Art museums and galleries in Massachusetts Carle, Eric Carle, Eric 2002 establishments in Massachusetts