TAM To Feature the Art of Eric Carle

When I reflect on the books of my childhood, two come to mind. The first is Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are.  The second is Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Why am I talking about my childhood?  Well, The Tacoma Art Museum is bringing us The Art of Eric Carle on October 8th.  From the press release:

“Eric Carle has captivated readers with picture books filled with vibrantly colored collage illustrations and innovative designs for almost four decades,” said Paula McArdle, curator of education for Tacoma Art Museum. “His signature collage illustrations use bold colors, rich textures, and playful forms that are readily recognizable to viewers both young and old.”

“...We partnered with the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts to bring this enchanting exhibition to our community as we share the same goal, of opening the visual world to young and old,” said Director Stephanie A. Stebich. “We especially want to encourage children to build their creativity and confidence to appreciate and enjoy art of every kind.”

There’s even a Northwest connection:

Eric Carle’s most recent picture book has particular relevance to Tacoma. The story 10 Little Rubber Ducks was inspired by an actual incident involving a ship bound for the Port of Tacoma from Hong Kong. The ship was carrying 29,000 plastic bathtub toys, which washed overboard in a storm. Most of the rubber ducks came ashore along the Alaskan Coast, but one made it as far as Washington. Three of the ducks that migrated to Sitka, Alaska, will be featured in the exhibition. Seattle oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer has been tracking the migration of the toys as he maps ocean currents. He will speak at Tacoma Art Museum Saturday, December 2, at 2 pm.

I’ll be there.  Now if we could just find a few monsters…

Link to the Tacoma Art Museum