My Eric Carle Museum NEA Grant Visit

What an honor to participate in the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art's very first National Endowment for the Arts grant. Read the press release.

The NEA grant brings three author-illustrators, Jerry Pinkney, Raul Colon, and myself to the Donahue School in Holyoke, Massachusetts.


The purpose of our visits is to guide second grade students to write and illustrate personal narratives in preparation for their very own exhibition at the gorgeous Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA in June 2012. The students were going to create 3D collages based on my book A CITY IS.


More about the museum here.

October 19 was Day 1 of my two day visit. I was facilitated by the museum's Curator of Education, Rosemary Agoglia. The day started very early and was spent presenting my author-illustrator elementary school programs in three classrooms sessions. At the end of each session the students shared what they saw in their city. I drew their images on a large pad, breaking down each idea into easy shapes they could draw and cut for collage.
I was very tired after the long day, but by a stroke of good luck I was invited to a meeting with the area's prestigious local authors and illustrators at the Richard Michelson Gallery in Northampton.

Luckily, my hotel was across the street. I signed 60 copies of SUPERMARKET while resting in bed and watching TV. My publisher, Holiday House, was incredibly generous to donate a copy of the book to each student in the second grade. Thank You, Holiday House!!


Day 2 of my visit was in the art room working with Art Teacher, Martha Mulcahy
and the Eric Carle Museum's Public Art Program Educator, Diana Mackenzie, pictured here with Margaret Bartley, Language Arts Media teacher at the Donahue School who helped bring the NEA grant alive.

There were lots of paper materials to choose from both the art room and the museum who donated neon papers and pre-cut shapes.


The young artists got busy.



When a student got stuck I helped out,

but most artists like to work on their own. I observed quietly and offered encouragement watching their art progress.


Here are the results from one day of art work.


After I went home the students followed up with another day on their collages. I cannot wait to see how it will all turn out for their exhibition at the museum.

THANK YOU, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the M.A. Donahue School!

We are close to the Holiday Season. My FREE Coloring Page is a holiday detail from the book, SUPERMARKET. Here it is in the book.


And here is the sketch I used to create the original art. Click on the sketch to enlarge. Print and color! Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!



Photo Credits: Melanie Hope Greenberg Copyright 2011 and Diana Mackenzie/Eric Carle Museum Copyright 2011