Carle's self-portrait welcomes people to the exhibit. All photos by Robert Gandy
When you step in to the Stanford in Washington Art Gallery on Connecticut Avenue, a self-portrait collage of Eric Carle, famed author and illustrator of "A Very Hungry Caterpillar," greets you with a slight smile, wide blue bespectacled eyes, and leans casually on a cool green table of acrylic and tissue paper. The image is of some body's grandfather who's waiting for you to get comfortable so he can tell you a story.
"From Bugs to Beasts: Storytelling through Collage by Eric Carle" begins with an introduction on an adjacent wall, writing out a "collage" of Carle's birth in Syracuse, New York, education in Germany, repatriation and early career. Carle then gives the reader some personal insight in to how his "bright and cheerful images" are formed. Seeing the importance of art beyond his own contribution, Eric Carle, along with his wife Barbara, opened the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, "the first full-scale museum in the United States devoted to national and international picture book art." Next to the introduction is the celebrity caterpillar himself: the cheeky familiar green arch, bright red head and now a formal museum mounting.
Program Coordinator Nell Selander said the museum wanted a "family-friendly" exhibit that was along the lines of "the Pat Oliphant exhibition from last summer".
Steps away from the Woodley Park Metro station, the multi-level gallery is inviting and a cool break from a hot and humid day at the nearby National Zoo. Gentle ramps or a short elevator ride to the upper level make accessing the illustrations and sculptures very stroller and wheel chair friendly. Some of Carle's books are for sale, and a collage of carpeting brings little hands within easy reach of the pages of their own colorful treasure.
Selander said Carle's work was a "nice thing for people to share," and that it was "great to have the community and people from around the world" come see it.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, and runs through Sept. 1, 2009 at the Stanford in Washington Art Gallery. 2655 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20008. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday 9:00a.m - 7:00p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 12:00p.m. - 6:00p.m. Please call the gallery at 202-332-6235 with questions.
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