Banner Image Credit: PJ Loughran (American, born 1973), Headed for Montgomery, Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March, 2015, written by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, india ink and acrylic with digital components. Collection of the artist. Courtesy of the High Museum of Art.
The High Museum of Art is encouraging educational dialogues within families through the most accessible tool: children’s stories.
Just the facts
Now through Nov. 8, 2020, Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children’s Books, is on display at the High Museum of Art. Organized in collaboration with The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, the exhibition features pieces by Brian Pinkney, Laura Freeman, Jerry Pinkney, Faith Ringgold, and more.
Sparking important conversations
“One of the guiding aspects of our mission is a commitment to family audiences. Through our children’s book exhibitions, we aim to help adult visitors open meaningful dialogues with the children in their lives and create memories that will last a lifetime,” says Rand Suffolk, the Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr. director of the High.
“This exhibition will spark important conversations across generations about a crucial period in our nation’s history that connects directly to our city, a birthplace of the civil rights movement.”
Books featured in Picture the Dream
- Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
- Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, illustrated by Laura Freeman
- A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
- If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks written and illustrated by Faith Ringgold
- My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King III, illustrated by A.G. Ford
- Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton, illustrated by Raul Colón
- I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., illustrated by Kadir Nelson
A natural collaboration
To accompany the exhibition, the High’s next-door neighbors, the Alliance Theatre, will present a world premiere production of Sit-In written by local award-winning playwright Pearl Cleage, as Encore previously reported.
“Working with the creative teams on this exhibition and theatrical production has underscored the power picture books have in reaching readers of all ages,” says guest curator Andrea Pinkney.
“Through an immersive tapestry of images and ideas, the artwork in Picture the Dream and the depictions in the Sit-In play take viewers by the hand, guiding them through times of bravery and triumph. It’s an honor to collaborate in this page-to-stage experience that delivers a front-row seat to the dramatic events that continue to shape our world.”
Visit the High Museum of Art’s website for more information on Picture the Dream and other exhibitions.
About those tickets…
Tickets to the High are $14.50 general admission for non-members and free for children under age 6. As Encore previously reported, all patrons must reserve a time slot to visit the museum, and they can do so by clicking here.
In the interest of keeping our city’s arts organizations alive and well, patrons may donate to the High Museum of Art here.
