My View of Life on the Dock
Cape Ann Reads Once Upon a Contest closing reception, special Leap Year event at Rockport Public Library 11am-1pm. The exhibit is up today (library open 10-5) and tomorrow (1-5).
Lots of fun coloring sheets and seek & find I spy games, plus storyband headbands (aka storybook tiraras for Leap Year!) art activity for all by Betty Allenbrook Wiberg!
Final days to catch Once Upon a Contest at beautiful Rockport Public Library, and the delightful installations by Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, CAR Invited Artist, Rockport. Please spread the word!
The library is open until 8pm today, Thursday, February 27, 2020.
The library is closed Fridays!
The library is open 10-5 on Saturday RECEPTION 11AM (some nice surprises )
(The library is open Sunday 1-5)
https://video214.com/play/NpH3oe6MuPEWhZJ5h6lymw/s/dark
video by Meghan Gocke
“…In 1954, I met my husband Lars-Erik Wiberg outside my father’s Rockport studio while he was working on a car. Yes, in those days one could park there. We married in 1957 and lived at the Fish House, 27 Bearskin Neck, while I transferred to UMass Art…” – excerpt Betty Allenbrook Wiberg
The front page Cape Ann Beacon story, Rockport is show’s final stop: Betty Allenbrook Wiberg is featured artist for Cape Ann Reads picture book exhibit, published on February 14, 2020, includes a great note by Wiberg. You can read the complete piece on the Beacon’s website here https://gloucester.wickedlocal.com/news/20200214/rockport-to-host-once-upon-contest . The exhibit is on display at Rockport Public Library through Feburary 29, 2020. There is a reception February 29 starting at 11am. Wiberg installed a concurrent temporary installation in the children’s room and display case in the hall, across from the wonderful Recchia Mother Goose sculpture.
The Rockport Public Library maintains a wonderful art collection. When visiting the temporary Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads in the children’s room and the special Betty Allenbrook Wiberg installation, don’t miss the genius Mother Goose 1938 bronze by Richard H. Recchia, and the Sam Hershey WPA-era mural, Rockport Goes to War, 1939.
The new Josh Falk mural (2019) is behind the Rockport Public Library.
Photos & video clip: Catherine Ryan
at the Rockport Public Library
This impression is annotated by the artist as a “sketch model sculpture by R. H. Recchia” (1888-1983). The sculpture rotates to illustrate the rhymes and beautifully expresses how children are captivated by stories. The sculpture is a tribute to his wife, Kitty Parsons (1889-1976), artist & writer, and one of the original founders of Rockport Art Assoc. It was originally situated within the library’s former smaller digs: the Rockport’s Carnegie Library established in 1906, a Beaux-Arts beauty around the corner, now a private home. It was one of 43 Carnegie libraries built in Massachusetts. In 1993 the library moved to its current site in an 1880s mill building, the Tarr School, thanks to the Denghausen bequest.
Parsons & Recchia resided and worked at their home “Hardscrabble” at 6 Summer Street in Rockport. (Rockport was their permanent address from 1928 till his death.) Recchia was born in Quincy. His dad was a stone carver from Verona who worked for Bela Pratt and Daniel Chester French. Later, Recchia was Pratt’s assistant.
For more bas relief examples by Recchia, see his Bela Pratt in the Yale collection, digitized entry here ) Recchia public sculptures are on permanent display at the Rockport Art Association & Museum. More photos below.
click/double click on photos to enlarge photos to actual size (or pinch and zoom) | hover to read caption
Sam Hershey Rockport Goes to War featured Rockport Public Library; W. Lester Stevens WPA mural Preparing Rockport for Granite dating from the same year is across the street in the Post Office
is displayed on the same floor as Recchia and Hershey works February 3 – February 29, 2020.
Presented by the four libraries of Cape Ann, the group exhibit, Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads, featuring original children’s picture books, is on display at the Rockport Public Library until February 29, 2020. Rockport is the 5th and final stop and hosting a reception on February 29th at 11am. At each venue, a Cape Ann Reads participating artist was invited to create a special temporary installation. Betty Allenbrook Wiberg is the Cape Ann Reads Invited Artist for Rockport. The show is made possible with support including the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.
BETTY ALLENBROOK WIBERG
Pine needles, foam, playhouses and gnomes – custom family toys, miniatures and games from the artist’s archives and attic spanning 1969-2019
The Invited Artist for the Rockport stop of the travel show Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads is Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, a long-time Rockport artist and resident and former Bearskin Neck gallery owner. Wiberg has installed original toys she’s made over 50 years inside a display case and Children’s Room at the Rockport Public Library. Made by hand with love out of common materials found at home and in nature– like paper, foam core, seeds and acorn caps– these personalized toys were inspired by her children and grandchildren’s favorite books, hobbies and changing interests. In particular she chose examples of characters and worlds brought to life from the pages of books. Wiberg hopes the menagerie of custom toys for those dear to her will engage young and old alike and inspire ideas to try at home with any ready materials at hand.
As Wiberg placed acorn cap people within the display case, she explained how she was aiming for fanciful “haphazard” children’s worlds as when kids play. The red gnomes and stylized forest might blend together with the world of air dry, clay acorn figures, boundaries or not. Painted sculpey villagers parading past tiny painted blocks, a stand in for Bearskin Neck in Rockport, might stop for tea at an outdoor blue chairs circle. An interior scene inspired from Beatrix Potter books is draped with sculpey play food and housewares, set atop tables and hutch, dining seats and floor. Wiberg can’t help but design family directly into these captivating scenes. (The Allenbrook and Wiberg family trees are steeped in the arts.) Charming ephemera associated with loved ones, or expressed as figures and actions, are intrinsically dispersed and personal. A few of the acorn capped musicians were inspired by her son-in-law, a performer and musician. Her mother and daughter Kristy are painted waving from the window of the teeny Bearskin Neck home. A Lilliputian trophy was hers when she was a little girl.
In preparation for this installation, with help from her daughters pulling boxes from the attic and dusting off these cherished family toys, Wiberg recalled a favorite book from her childhood, Maida’s Little Shop (by Inez Haynes Irwin*), and how much she wanted to have a toy shop like the one in that story. With so many creative toys adapted for kids and grandkids spilling across every surface imaginable unearthed and under consideration for this installation, her family didn’t miss a beat. “You do have a toy shop!” they laughed.
“This show has me remembering books,” Wiberg stated. “I’ve never forgotten that that little book arrived in a bushel of books delivered as a gift by artist friends of my parents. Perhaps they were from a library sale. To this day I tend to give other children books, because they’ve had such an impact on me and my daughters.”
Betty Allenbrook Wiberg illustrated the children’s picture book, Little One, written by her eldest daughter, Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg, which they submitted for the Cape Ann Reads contest. Little One is about a small elephant that struggles with growing up, encounters danger, but survives to live a long life. The story is illustrated with 13-14 pages of Betty’s stunning, full-size black and white images of African wildlife focusing on the small elephant and his/her family. Little One earned a Cape Ann Reads Gulliver Award. Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg, eldest daughter of Betty, lives in Gloucester where she has maintained her therapeutic body-work practice since 1991.
In addition to the children’s picture book, Little One (included as part of the Once Upon a Contest group show), and these personalized toys she’s shared in public for the first time, examples of Wiberg’s still life and portrait fine art are also on view.
About the Artist
Betty Allenbrook Wiberg was born in London and moved to the United States as a child. She received a fine arts scholarship to attend Boston University, and she completed her formal training at Massachusetts College of Art. She continued to study under her father Charles T. Allenbrook, a well-known portrait artist who resided and worked in Rockport and Florida. In 1957, she married Lars-Erik Wiberg and they settled in Rockport, Massachusetts, where they raised three daughters. Betty created designs for George Caspari Cards, designed fabrics for Bagshaws of St. Lucia, served as an artist in Federal Court, provided artwork for the Hoosac Tunnel documentary, and operated a gallery and studio on Bearskin Neck. Wiberg recalls bags she created for the Rockport Public Library toy check out and drawings of England, local freelance work for the Lions Head Tavern menu at King’s Grant Inn on Rt.128***. She presently maintains a home portrait studio in Rockport. See her artist statement below.
*** bonus photos north shore fun fact: King’s Grant Inn Lion Head’s Tavern menu that Betty Allenbrook Wiberg illustrated
As a youth my family lived in New Rochelle, New York. I remember drawing and painting from an early age and assisting my father at the local art association. We visited Rockport for vacations when I was a child and my father painted the local landscape.
My parents, Margaret and Charles T. Allenbrook bought “the Snuggery” in 1952 on Bearskin Neck and opened Allenbrook’s portrait studio. It had living quarters in the rear and upstairs. When I became more serious about my drawing, I would go out in the studio and draw portraits from my father’s models as they posed for him. This was the way I became comfortable drawing before others. Sometimes I would entertain the children so they would sit better for my father. I used masks and other toys to accomplish this or read them a book. When I was around seventeen I started doing painted silhouettes for a dollar and that was exciting to be earning something with my own efforts. I also helped with framing my father’s work. My father would give me advice and instruction on my efforts and I assembled a portfolio of my work which won me a scholarship to Boston University.
In 1954, I met my husband Lars-Erik Wiberg outside my father’s Rockport studio while he was working on a car. Yes, in those days one could park there. We married in 1957 and lived at the Fish House, 27 Bearskin Neck while I transferred to U Mass Art. After school, I opened a gallery in our home on the Neck. I did silhouettes and sold my fanciful drawings, block prints and other handwork. Later, we expanded the Fish house and had two daughters, Kristy and Margaret. When our third child, Brenda was on the way, we moved to larger quarters at our present location.
My husband made the children a large puppet theater* which sparked a series of handmade puppets of various sorts and materials. The children were eager art explorers and we had costumes and other creative materials ready at hand. We were regular visitors to the local library. I made cloth bags for toys which became a part of what could be borrowed from the Rockport Public Library.
I started doing commission work part time and also did volunteer work. In the 1980s this expanded to part-time work for the TV studios which brought me into another world since I was sketching in courtrooms. Once, I ended up on the sidewalk finishing a sketch, while the reporter waited to grab it and take it into the truck for transmission. It was hastily done and later when I viewed it, I saw they had zoomed in for a tight shot. I was embarrassed to see how careless the work appeared. It was an unnerving experience at times because the culprits were sitting right near the artists while we heard testimony of their serious misdeeds. I had a tongue stuck out at me by one of them and heard others’ lives threatened. My work exceeded the art budget of the TV station during the Angelo trial which went on for over a year.
This all changed when my father passed away in 1988 and I joined my mother at the studio on Bearskin Neck. I was happy to be working closer to home and sometimes could walk downtown to do portraits. It was very nice to spend more time with my mother and be drawing people and children who posed for me instead of trying to catch them from a distance as in the courtroom. Our daughter, Brenda later joined me and drew animal portraits from photos after she graduated from U Mass. art school. We worked together for about three years until 1996 when my parents’ studio was sold and we moved the studio to my home on South Street. Our daughter, Margaret, an art graduate also exhibited her art work and handmade jewelry with us. Over several years, we have had open studios and invited family and visitors to see our endeavors. Lately, this has been dormant but with grandchildren also creating their own art we are considering another open studio. It is a grand way of connecting with others who enjoy creating with various materials and share ours.
Thinking further about this show at the library, and Rockport, I was President of the Friends of the Rockport Library years ago, and also did some art work for them. And I spoke before the local rotary about my courtroom work long ago.
I would very much like to thank Catherine Ryan who has encouraged and inspired me to bring forth my art efforts through the Cape Ann Reads project she created with the local libraries. It has been far more of an adventure then I anticipated and brought many local artist and writing talents to the public through an exhibit at the Cape Ann Museum and the Libraries. I’ve had the opportunity to do a paper craft workshop at the Cape Ann Museum and hope to give one at the local library. Stay tuned in! – Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, February 2020
Betty Allenbrook Wiberg is the Invited Artist for the Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads travel show at the Rockport Public Library venue, February 2020, presented by the four public libraries of Cape Ann with support from the Bruce J Anderson Foundation | The Boston Fund.
~large puppet theater gifted to The Waldorf School
at Rockport Public Library February 2020
Enjoy ” Seek and find” activity sheets you can photograph to bring with you to the show or print out. (There are copies on site as well.) The first one is harder and may take longer. The mini one is geared to the youngest visitors.
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Notes:
*Inez Haynes Irwin (b. 1873 Brazil – d. 1970 Massachusetts) author of Maida’s Little Shop, was a renowned early 20th century, award-winning Massachusetts author, suffragist and feminist. She attended Radcliffe. Her parents were from Boston. Haynes married newspaper editor Rufus Gillmore in 1897; they later divorced. She married William Henry Irwin in 1916. She wrote fifteen books in the Maida series beginning with Maida’s Little Shop in 1909, first published by American publisher B.W. Huebsch**, and concluding with Maida’s Little Treasure Hunt in 1955. Haynes was the first fiction editor for The Masses. She served as Vice President and President of the Author’s Guild of America. In 1924, she received an O. Henry Award her short story, The Spring Flight. Her aunt, Lorenza Haynes (1820-1899), was the first public librarian in Waltham, Massachusetts, then one of Massachusett’s first three ordained female ministers. The aunt’s assignments began in Maine, where she also served as Chaplain to the Maine House of Representatives and Senate. Her ministries included two in Rockport: the First Universalist Church on Hale Street (1884) and the Universalist Society, Pigeon Cove. (“She was an acceptable preacher and did good work wherever her lot was cast.” Universalist Register, 1900. Scroll up and down – fascinating to compare the complimentary entries for the male pastors in these pages. For a more detailed entry see this nutshell on Lorenza Haynes ). Inez wrote about her aunt and big family in this major essay. In it she corrects the record that her aunt left posts because of unfair pay, not her frality as reported in biographies.
Artist Betty Allenbrook Wiberg did not know that the little Maida book she recalled so fondly was part of a series or about its author or the aunt’s ties with Rockport. “I haven’t thought about that book until I worked on this show. It’s almost providence at work when you hear connections like these!”
**About Inez Hayne’s first publisher, B.W. Huebsch– His eponymous firm sponsored writers and was credited with building interest for Joyce, Strindberg, DH Lawrence, Sherwood Anderson and others. His imprint was a 7 branch candlestick with his initials BWH. Later, he merged his firminto a nascent Viking Press and continued at the helm as editor in chief. According to the NY Times obit he was a leader in the A.C.L.U.
Read Chapter 1 Maida’s Little Shop:
The Bruce J Anderson 2020 application deadline is all heart: February 14, 2020
That’s more than a month away, and the stellar team at The Boston Fund is hosting a Webinar next week to help with any questions. They make it easy to participate.
Every year, we share the Bruce J Anderson announcement for its upcoming grant cycle which has supported wonderful local projects. After posting the 2020 call, Larry Anderson wrote a message for GMG readers about the fund honoring his brother and the family’s love for Gloucester and Cape Ann. It’s often difficult for families to get together in one place as years go by, and here six siblings gather again and again for something so positive. (I have another post in mind about sibling tributes which I’ll share with Larry soon.) Thank you so much for sharing the story and sparking ideas!
“Thanks for recognizing the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation. Bruce was my brother. He loved Gloucester, where he spent most of the summers of his life and where he lived and worked at the time of his death many years ago. His six siblings — three sisters, my two brothers, and I — have been fortunate to be able to keep his generous spirit alive through the modest but steady efforts of the foundation created in his name. We have been gratified to be able to support the worthy organizations you name, as well as many others on Cape Ann. We are always glad to hear from new community-minded groups. So please take advantage of the January 15 webinar offered by the capable, helpful folks at The Boston Foundation, who administer the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.” – Larry Anderson
Photos above show happy results from their support — installation views at Cape Ann Museum from the travel exbibit Once Upon a Contest Selections from Cape Ann Reads
A word from the Bruce J Anderson team at The Boston Fund
The Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, a supporting organization of the Boston Foundation, has launched its 2020 request for proposals.
and note the application deadline is Friday, February 14, 2020.
We will be hosting an informational webinar on Wednesday, January 15th from 12:00-1:00 pm EST. Those interested in attending can join us to hear about the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation’s grantmaking priorities, and the process for applying for funding. Please note that this webinar is not mandatory and your attendance will not affect how your application is reviewed. If you would like to participate in the webinar, please accept the attached calendar invitation so we can know your plans for attendance.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Loren Van Allen at loren.vanallen@tbf.org or 617-338-1621.
Walk ins welcome! Have fun, glean advice, and be inspired creating your own children’s picture books, stories and art.
“February Vacation Week at Cape Ann Museum” by Gail McCarthy, Gloucester Daily Times
Today Leslie Galacar leads a workshop all about the line. Cape Ann fans and beyond have enjoyed her iconic visual language on textiles, cards and wares. Have a go at Fun with Figures and Find Franklin the Cat. Did you know she hides drawings in her art?
Sneak peek of the imaginative & delightful 3D world awaiting visitors Wednesday with Betty and Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg
Courtney Richardson shares Cape Ann Museum Once Upon a Contest February 2019 Vacation Fun!
print out and share the flyer!- Cape Ann Museum February Vacation 2019 Flyer
Once Upon a Contest: February Vacation Fun! Special family workshops with local children’s book illustrators and authors
GLOUCESTER, Mass. (February 8, 2019) – The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present special February Vacation week programming from Tuesday, February 19 to Friday, February 22, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Cape Ann Museum. Each unique session will feature one of the illustrators from the Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads special exhibition. Daily registration is required, $15/member family; $25 nonmember family. To register call Courtney Richardson at 978-283-0455 or email courtneyrichardson@capeannmuseum.org.
Tuesday February 19: Fun with Figures and Find Franklin the Cat: illustration in marker and ink with Leslie Galacar, illustrator of the award winning “Where in the World is Catherine Abigail,” written by Michael LaPenna
Wednesday February 20: Make story headbands with “Small Elephant” Cape Ann Reads award winning book illustrator Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, written by Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg
Thursday February 21: Create nocturnal paintings on colored paper like “Henrietta’s Moon Egg,” a Cape Ann Reads Gulliver award winning book written and illustrated by Claire Wyzenbeek
Friday February 22: Cape Ann houses of illustration – paper collage with Alexia (“Lexi”) Parker – Bring a picture of your house! Lexi’s illustrated projects include Cape Ann Reads Gulliver Books “Bike’s Big Adventure” and “Pumpkin Carving”; also Crabs the Lobster, a volume of Poetry, and a historic coloring book for the town of Essex.
Continue reading “Special February school vacation week family workshops at Cape Ann Museum!”
“This is Adare who just returned from Kenya,” writes Deborah French, Library Director of the TOHP Burnham Library in Essex, Massachusetts. The family captioned the photograph “So here is Cape Ann Reads with a giraffe!” What a super travel photo, and kind shout out to Cape Ann Reads and Cape Ann.
Several captivating and compassionate picture books included in the Once Upon a Contest: Selection from Cape Ann Reads travel exhibition currently on view at Cape Ann Museum focus on animal friends. Stop by to read the new books and see if you can find all the giraffe illustrations.
More Cape Ann Reads and library news: Gloucester Daily Times visits TOHP Burnham Library, Essex, Ma.
Stop by and meet some of the participants featured in Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads at a special Cape Ann Museum CAM KIDS second Saturdays family activity on January 12, 2019, from 10AM-12PM. Later that same day, artists Mary Rhinelander and Julia Garrison are offering a printmaking linocut demo related to the Folly Cove designers and the major Virginia Lee Burton The Little House Her Story exhibition!
Thanks to the four public libraries of Cape Ann and Cape Ann Museum, Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads is a testament to the imagination and immense artistic talent of artists and authors. Below are photographs from the first reception for the exhibit at Cape Ann Museum January 5, 2019.
Courtesy photos from Ellen F. Kenny, Mass Center for the Book. Thank you for capturing the spirit of the reception at Cape Ann Museum! Mass Center for the Book Facebook [Folks featured in the big group shot from L-R: Anna Vojtech (Artist-Author), Claire Wyzenbeek (Artist-Author), Jean Woodbury (Author), Christina Ean Spangler (Artist), Maura Wadlinger (Author), Juni VanDyke (Artist), John Plunkett, Martha Geraghty ( Author), Barbara McLaughlin (Artist-Author)]
The Cape Ann Museum reception was beautiful. Everybody from the museum is so welcoming. The courtesy photos below document the start of the reception from Mayor Romeo Theken, Justine Vitale, and others. See Kim Smith’s photos from later in the afternoon and from another visit here! We’re so grateful to have a record of this joyous time. The show continues at Cape Ann Museum through February 24 before traveling throughout Cape Ann in 2019.
View and/or print out the Once upon a contest selections from cape ann reads trifold brochure. It’s paginated at 6pp but can be assembled like so:
The opening celebration for the beautiful new exhibit at the Cape Ann Museum, “Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads,” was fabulously well-received and well-attended. Artists, writers, Mayor Sefatia, Cape Ann Museum director Rhonda Falloon and staff, Cape Ann librarians, friends, families, and well-wishers were all there to join the celebration.
The exhibit highlights local writers and artists of children’s picture books from the Cape Ann Reads initiative. Cape Ann Reads, hosted by the area’s four public libraries (Sawyer Free, Rockport, Manchester, and Essex), was created to encourage literacy in young people through community and creative collaborations.
“ONCE UPON A CONTEST” RUNS FROM DECEMBER 20TH THROUGH FEBRUARY 24TH
Author/illustrators included in the exhibition:
Leslie Galacar, Martha Shaw Geraghty, Marion Hall, Steven Kennedy, Charles King, George King, Michael LaPenna, James McKenna, Barbara McLaughlin, Alexia Parker, Victoria Petway, Jim Plunkett, Diane Polley, Mary Rhinelander, James Seavey, Gail Seavey, Kim Smith, Christina Ean Spangler, Bonnie L. Sylvester, Juni VanDyke, Maura Wadlinger, Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg, Jean Woodbury and Claire Wyzenbeek
Exhibit Curated and directed by Catherine Ryan, with support from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.
Deborah Kelsey, director of Gloucester’s Sawyer Free Library
Cindy Grove, director of the Rockport Public Library
Sara Collins, director of Manchester’s Public Library
Deborah French, director of Essex’s TOHP Burnham Public Library
THE CAPE ANN MUSEUM IS FREE TO CAPE ANN RESIDENTS DURING THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JANUARY!
Our Catherine Ryan has curated and designed a wonderfully fun and beautiful exhibit, “Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads,” currently on view at the Cape Ann Museum. The exhibit highlights local writers and artists of children’s picture books from the Cape Ann Reads initiative. Cape Ann Reads, hosted by the area’s four public libraries (Sawyer Free, Rockport, Manchester, and Essex), was created to encourage literacy in young people through community and creative collaborations.
The exhibit is thoughtfully designed for little folks. The paintings are hung at just the right height for pint-sized readers and soon-to-be readers. Mock-ups of the books are placed on shelves within easy reach and petite chairs for little ones make for a cozy storytime feeling.
I took Charlotte to the Museum on Friday and she had a fantastic experience. We’re planning to return again this Friday!
Thank you to Charlotte and her Mom and Dad for the photos! The watercolor illustration Charlotte is sitting in front of is from my book, “Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly,” which was the original inspiration for the documentary film of the same name. The illustration shows a pair of Monarchs ascending into a maple tree, as they are mating.
Author/illustrators included in the exhibition:
Leslie Galacar, Martha Shaw Geraghty, Marion Hall, Steven Kennedy, Charles King, George King, Michael LaPenna, James McKenna, Barbara McLaughlin, Alexia Parker, Victoria Petway, Jim Plunkett, Diane Polley, Mary Rhinelander, James Seavey, Gail Seavey, Kim Smith, Christina Ean Spangler, Bonnie L. Sylvester, Juni VanDyke, Maura Wadlinger, Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg, Jean Woodbury and Claire Wyzenbeek
Exhibit Curated and Directed by Catherine Ryan, with support from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.
Deborah Kelsey, director of Gloucester’s Sawyer Free Library
Cindy Grove, director of the Rockport Public Library
Sara Collins, director of Manchester’s Public Library
Deborah French, director of Essex’s TOHP Burnham Public Library
Discover a world of new, original picture books through art! Courtney Richardson shares Cape Ann Museum’s news for the Once Upon a Contest group exhibition opening next week:
Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads
A special exhibition celebrating local children’s book authors and illustrators
GLOUCESTER, Mass. (December 14, 2018) – The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present Once Upon a Contest: Selections from Cape Ann Reads, a ground breaking show on view until February 24, 2019, stemming from the country’s first children’s picture book contest hosted by four public libraries. The exhibition brings special attention to award-winning local artists and writers and the art of children’s picture books. There will be an opening celebration on Saturday, January 5 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. This program is free for Museum members, Cape Ann Residents or with Museum admission. For more information visit capeannmuseum.org or call 978-283-0455 x10.
Once Upon a Contest was drawn from manuscripts recognized for distinction during the Cape Ann Reads 2017 original picture book competition. The special group show was organized and circulated by curator, Catherine Ryan, with support from the Bruce J Anderson Foundation | The Boston Fund. Visitors will find picture books created by traditional author-illustrators (individuals who create both text and illustrations), friends and family pairings, repeat partnerships, volunteer match ups, self-taught and master artists, storytellers, published authors, and educators.
The exhibit features work by: Leslie Galacar, Martha Shaw Geraghty, Marion Hall, Steven Kennedy, Charles King, George King, Michael LaPenna, James McKenna, Barbara McLaughlin, Alexia Parker, Victoria Petway, Jim Plunkett, Diane Polley, Mary Rhinelander, James Seavey, Gail Seavey, Kim Smith, Christina Ean Spangler, Bonnie L. Sylvester, Juni VanDyke, Maura Wadlinger, Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, Kirsten Allenbrook Wiberg, Jean Woodbury, and Claire Wyzenbeek.
For a few, inclusion in this show will mark their debut display at a museum. The works on view range from preliminary mock ups and unfinished pages to final published illustrations for original books. They cover diverse themes and points of view and provide glimpses into stories and methodologies. The exhibition will include a reading nook for visitors of all ages.
Cape Ann Reads came about in 2015 when the four public libraries on Cape Ann –Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Public Library; Manchester by the Sea Public Library; TOHP Burnham Public Library, Essex; and Rockport Public Library– began to work together to encourage and highlight community creativity, regional collaboration, and family literacy through a focus on children’s picture books. “A passion for writing literature and the arts is one thing that ties all four communities together making Cape Ann Reads a meaningful collaboration between our four libraries and the Cape Ann Museum,” explained Cindy Grove, Director, Rockport Public Library.
During the first year of implementation, the collaborating public libraries and Cape Ann Museum offered innovative monthly programming and free picture book themed workshops for families and adults as a vehicle for family literacy, a work of art and literature, and a form of engagement and recreation. The vibrant endeavor culminated in a public art call, Cape Ann Creates for Cape Ann Reads. “What an opportunity for a talented individual or individuals to produce a lasting piece of literature with such special meaning,” exclaimed Deborah French, Director, T.O.H.P. Burnham Library, Essex.
Scores of Cape Ann creatives responded to this open call for a chance to win a first edition printing. In fact, so much interest occurred that a writer’s group led by Gloucester Writers Center was established, and volunteer artists and writers stepped up to help people without a partner. Two jury panels selected Gulliver, Honor and Medal books in the spring of 2017.
The jury panel included librarians, acclaimed children’s book author-illustrators and a rare books dealer: Carol Bender, Pat Lowery Collins, Ann Cowman, Kate Strong Stadt, Giles Laroche, Bob Ritchie, Justine Vitale, Anna Vojtech, and April Wanner. Five children served on the kids panel. A reception and book fair was held in Gloucester’s City Hall in January 2018 thanks to Mayor Sefatia Romeo-Theken. Original sculpture trophies of the bespectacled Cape Ann Reads mascot, “Gulliver”, by fine artist Jason Burroughs, were presented to the Honor and Medal book recipients. Cape Ann Reads continues to foster connections among the children’s picture book network, and generate business. Six books have been self-published, reviewed, and sold in local stores. Reflecting on this boon, Sara Collins, Director of the Manchester by the Sea Public Library said “Cape Ann Reads has been an innovative incubator for authors and illustrators, with the offspring as marvelous and varied as you can imagine in this creative community.”
“The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to launch this important Cape Ann Reads exhibition just as it was to kick off the first Cape Ann Reads program with the Eric Carle Museum back in January 2016, ” said Ronda Faloon, Director Cape Ann Museum. The Museum scheduled the exhibition to coincide with the major Virginia Lee Burton retrospective, The Little House: Her Story, and the month of January when the Museum is free to area residents. The legacy of Burton is an inspiration for many Cape Ann Reads participants.
Once Upon a Contest opens in December 2018 and continues until February 24, 2019. Following its launch at the Cape Ann Museum, the exhibition will tour the four communities of Cape Ann throughout 2019 as follows: Manchester in April, Essex in May-June, Gloucester in August-September, and Rockport in October-November.
The Cape Ann Museum will offer weekly story time with Museum staff and guest readers on Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. through March 31, 2019. On Saturday, January 12 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. children and their families are invited to enjoy the special exhibition and participate in hands on art making and writing activities. This program is free and open to the public.
During February school vacation week, the Museum will host children’s book creation workshops for school age students from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19 through Friday, February 22, featuring Leslie Galacar, Betty Allenbrook Wiberg, Claire Wyzenbeek, and Alexia Parker. These workshops are $15 for CAM Members or $25 nonmembers. To register contact Sarah Flanagan at 978-283-0455 x16 or email sarahflanagan@capeannmuseum.org.
Image credits: A Community Effort
And here is a link to a printable Once Upon a Contest press release
The Cape Ann Reads inaugural reception celebrating original children’s picture books by local artists and writers was held at City Hall in Gloucester, Massachusetts, January 27, 2018. Linda Bosselman of Sawyer Free Library was the official photographer for the packed event and she captured all its positive energy and people. An upcoming group exhibition featuring these participants will travel to the four Cape Ann communities. As you can see from the celebration pictures, the touring exhibition and its related receptions and readings will be worth a visit! Cape Ann Reads is an initiative by the four public libraries of Cape Ann.
The Cape Ann Reads reception and awards ceremony opened in style – thanks to the red-ribbon cutting courtesy of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and Ken Riehl.
City Hall is a gorgeous venue for an art fair. Linda photographed all the local artists and writers at their individual picture book display booths. Effort was high. Kind friends manned booths for participants who were unable to attend: Ashley was there for Steven Kennedy and Victoria Petway, and Sinikka Nogelo represented Gail and James Seavey.
Awards ceremony program began with a warm welcome of support for the arts from Mayor Romeo Theken and opening remarks by the Library Directors and special dignitaries
Deliberations were held at Cape Ann Museum and Beauport Hotel.
Cape Ann Reads convened a nine member selection panel that included representatives from each of the public libraries: Justine Vitale Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Public Library; Carol Bender, former Children’s and Teen Librarian, Rockport Public Library (now at Manchester); Kate Strong Stadt, former Head of Youth Services, Manchester-By-The-Sea Public Library; Ann Cowman, Young Adult Librarian, Manchester-By-The-Sea Public Library; and April Wanner, Assistant Librarian at the TOHP Burnham Library, Essex. Joining these talented library staff members were three artists and award winning children’s book author-illustrators: Pat Lowery Collins; Giles Laroche; and Anna Vojtech. Bob Ritchie proprietor of Dogtown Book Shop provided another crucial area of book world expertise. Cape Ann Reads is grateful for their time and considerable talents to help the participants and the process.
Each library and the Cape Ann Museum designated one child representative for the second jury — a thoughtful panel of children: Eli Porter, Alycia Hogan Lopez, John Recroft, Lucas Rodi, and Josie West. They put in tremendous effort to read every entry, prepare notes, and come together for discussion. They were tasked with close reading and instructions to let us know any books that were favorites or that they wanted to compliment. Several came to assist the event as junior staff.
Good Morning Gloucester 