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Date: 12/6/2022
AMHERST – The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is celebrating its 20th anniversary as of Nov. 22. Founded by the late Eric Carle and his wife Barbara in 2002, the museum has attracted over 800,000 guests in its history and provided programs for people of all ages to learn and create.
Sitting at 125 W. Bay Rd. adjacent to the Hampshire College campus, the museum is home to more than 9,000 illustrations done by over 250 artists. According to its website, the 43,000 square foot building boasts three art galleries, an art studio, a theatre, a picture book library and a scholarly library. The Carles found the inspiration for the museum on their travels to Japan, where they saw other museums dedicated to picture book art and decided to start one in Amherst.
“Since opening its doors in 2002, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has been an international champion for picture books…Our public programs encourage guests of all ages to read and create art and discover how words and pictures intersect to create meaning and broaden the lens through which we see the world,” Museum Director of Education Courtney Waring said.
She explained that the museum’s reach stretches far beyond Amherst.
“Over the last two decades, we’ve welcomed almost a million visitors to The Carle. We typically see 50,000 visitors each year, about half from our local area and the remainder for the greater U.S. and abroad. On top of that, over 500,000 museum goers see The Carle’s traveling exhibitions around the world. Right now, we have two exhibitions traveling in Japan,” she said.
Waring is very pleased with the museum’s last 20 years but said that the team has active plans so that it will continue to thrive and be a resource for the community over its next 20 years.
“As we look to the next 20 years, we want to see an even wider audience engaged with picture books. We love being a resource for our Western Mass community, and through our Carle Community Fund, we cover admission for low-income families, field trip fees for Title One Schools, and professional development fees for early childhood educators and Title One school teachers and librarians,” Waring said. “Nonprofit social service agencies in Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin Counties can enroll in our Access Pass Program to receive annual free family passes to share with families. Throughout our exhibitions, programs, and partnerships, we want people everywhere to experience joy, hope and understanding through picture books.”
There will be several upcoming special events at the museum.
“Author Corinne Demas will be here on Dec. 10 doing a special storytime for her new picture book, ‘The Perfect Tree,’ and author Tiffany Jewell will be facilitating a book talk with children ages 8-12 and their families about her recent book, ‘The Antiracist Kid,’” Waring said.
Waring summarized the 20th anniversary with a reaffirmation of dedication to Eric and Barbara’s mission, and encouraged everyone to come to the museum.
“Our beloved founders, the late Eric and Barbara Carle, dreamed of building a museum that would ‘delight, entertain, surprise and educate.’ And all of us here at The Carle are honored to be a part of that dream. We look forward to welcoming new and returning visitors to the museum and celebrating the joy, wonder, and power of picture books,” Waring said.
Visitors can enjoy the museum’s “Celebrating Collage: A 20th Anniversary Exhibition” collection until Dec 31. Also currently on display are “Facing Fears With Picture Books,” “Eric Carle’s Book Birthdays” and “The Carle Collection: Recent Acquisitions.” The Eric Carle Museum is open Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.