UPDATE (April 13, 2011): The Rosenbach Museum & Library celebrated the completion of conservation work on The Chertoff Mural – the only surviving mural painted by famed author and illustrator Maurice Sendak – with a special unveiling and reception on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. The mural is installed on the first floor of the museum in the Maurice Sendak Gallery and is now on permanent display. View the newly conserved mural here. 

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PHILADELPHIA– The restoration of a previously unknown 1961 mural by Maurice Sendak and an extensive offering of Sendak programs and exhibitions will be highlights of this year’s programming at Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum & Library. The sole repository of Sendak’s original artwork, the museum will offer visitors a fresh perspective on the author and illustrator’s work and influence through exhibitions, a children’s festival, a film screening, and other special events. Public visiting hours to view the mural restoration in progress will also be announced soon. A full schedule of programs follows below.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library is located at 2008-2010 Delancey Place in Philadelphia and is open Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and free for children under 5. For more information, please call (215) 732-1600 or visit www.rosenbach.org.

Beginning in February, the Rosenbach will present Elements of Style: Color, Line, and Texture in Maurice Sendak’s Artwork, a kid-friendly exhibition highlighting the three main elements in Sendak’s picture book artwork, showcased in the museum’s Drawing Room (February 9 – April 6).

The museum will host a special event for enthusiasts of children’s literature and theory with a panel discussion and film screening of Library of the Early Mind (March 12). The documentary explores the art and impact of children’s literature in our culture. Special guests include filmmakers Edward Delaney and Steven Withrow, and Christine Nelson of Manhattan’s Morgan Library & Museum, alongside the Rosenbach’s Patrick Rodgers.

Sendak in Spring (March 19-20), the Rosenbach’s annual festival for kids follows with a weekend of family-oriented activities geared toward kids of all ages, from toddlers to pre-teens, including workshops and performances of the musical Wild Things Whirligig.

Beginning in April, the Rosenbach will explore Sendak’s musical influences through the exhibition Grace Notes: A Sendakian Rhapsody (April 6 – August 7)in the museum’s Maurice Sendak Gallery. Grace Notes curator Patrick Rodgers will lead a Sendak Jam Session (May 26), an informal conversation with the curator about the influence of music in visual arts.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library will soon be home to The Chertoff Mural, a gift to the museum by Nina and Larry Chertoff in loving memory of Roslyn and Lionel Chertoff and Eugene Glynn. Painted by Maurice Sendak on the wall of his friends’ New York apartment and completed in 1961, The Chertoff Mural depicts a procession of children and animals, including figures that would become familiar in Sendak’s later work, such as Jennie the dog, who leads the parade, and other recurring characters, like a bear and lion. The mural will be restored on-site at the Rosenbach in early 2011 and permanently installed on the first floor of the museum in the Maurice Sendak Gallery. The Rosenbach will host public viewing hours and invite visitors to see the mural during the conservation process. Viewing hours and other mural-related programs will be announced soon.

Sendak & The Rosenbach

Maurice Sendak chose the Rosenbach Museum & Library to be the repository for his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests. His collection of nearly 10,000 works of art, manuscripts, books and ephemera has been the subject of many exhibitions and has been enjoyed by visitors of all ages. One of the most famous creators of contemporary children’s books, Maurice Sendak has challenged the norms of children’s literature over time and continues to entrance both children and adults to this day. His innovative techniques and honest portrayal of childhood emotion are celebrated worldwide and have earned him several prestigious honors, including the Caldecott Medal (1964), the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal (1970), the National Medal of Arts (1996), a Library of Congress “Living Legend” medal (2000) and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature (2003). The Rosenbach regularly features Maurice Sendak related exhibitions, programs, and events.

Schedule of Maurice Sendak Programs & Events

Programs related to The Chertoff Mural will be announced soon. For up-to-date information, contact Canary Promotion or visit www.rosenbach.org.

Exhibition: Elements of Style: Color, Line, and Texture in Maurice Sendak’s Artwork
Wednesday, February 9 – Sunday, April 6, 2011
This kid-friendly exhibition highlights three main elements in Maurice Sendak’s picture book artwork. Explore the many ways that Sendak’s drawing techniques, color palettes, and even choice of paper affect the appearance and style of the books we have loved for generations. The mini-exhibition is co-curated by the Rosenbach’s Patrick Rodgers, Travelling Exhibitions Coordinator, and Karen Schoenewaldt, Registrar.

Film Screening: Library of the Early Mind Screening and Panel Discussion
Saturday, March 12, 2011, 1 – 3pm, Free with museum admission.
The Rosenbach will screenLibrary of the Early Mind, a documentary film which explores the art and impact of children’s literature on our kids, our culture, and ourselves. The film focuses on prominent children’s book authors and illustrators, including Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, Lemony Snicket, and Natalie Babbitt. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers Edward Delaney and Steven Withrow; Patrick Rodgers, Travelling Exhibitions Coordinator, Rosenbach Museum & Library; and Christine Nelson, the Drue Heinz Curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

Special Event: Sendak in Spring Festival for Kids
Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20, 2010, Noon – 4pm daily, Free with museum admission.
On this very first weekend of spring, join the Rosenbach in celebrating Maurice Sendak with Sendak in Spring, the museum’s annual festival for kids of all ages. Sendak loves books, the Rosenbach loves books, and you do too, right? Sendak in Spring promises an exciting, fun-filled day for the whole family, with activities geared toward kids of all ages from toddlers to pre-teens, including children’s workshops, performances of the musical Wild Things Whirligig and a chance to explorethe Rosenbach’s current Sendak exhibition Elements of Style: Color, Line, and Texture in Maurice Sendak’s Artwork.

·         Sendak in Spring Drop-in Activities, Noon – 4pm, Free with Museum Admission.
Spend an afternoon with your family taking part in a variety of drop-in activities geared toward kids of all ages.

·         Wild Things Whirligig Performances, 1pm and 3pm,
Free with Museum Admission, ticket reservation required for entrance.
Go wild at the Rosenbach with a dynamic, interactive performance inspired by the wonderful workof Maurice Sendak. Created by Karen Saillant, Artistic Director of the International Opera Theater, this musical performed by and for children weaves together classic Sendak characters with figures who have inspired the author, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Seating is limited for the performances. To ensure seats, tickets may be reserved in advance (in person only) at the Rosenbach. Tickets will also be available on event days. Performances last approximately 45 minutes.

·         For questions about Sendak in Spring, please contact Emilie Parker, Director of Education at (215) 732-1600 or eparker [at] rosenbach [dot] org (subject: SendakInSpringQuestion) .

Exhibition: Grace Notes, A Sendakian Rhapsody
Wednesday, April 6 – Sunday, August 7, 2011
“Music inspires grace…I don’t want a book to be just a book, I want it to suggest something as beautiful as Mozart,” Maurice Sendak reflected in 2007. This multimedia exhibition uses 30 objects from the Rosenbach’s Sendak collection to reflect the range of musical influences on the author’s work and invites visitors to make connections of their own. The exhibition will be installed in the Maurice Sendak Gallery, curated by the Rosenbach’s Patrick Rodgers, Travelling Exhibitions Coordinator.

Special Event: Conversation with the Curator – Sendak Jam Session
Thursday, May 26, 2011, 6pm
Curator Patrick Rodgers, Travelling Exhibitions Coordinator at the Rosenbach, will be on hand to jam about the new exhibition Grace Notes: A Sendakian Rhapsody. Join us for a discussion about how music influences the visual arts, and how Maurice Sendak riffs on his favorite composers in his illustrations. No backstage pass required. Free with museum admission.

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IMAGE CREDITS

file name: Rosenbach-Sendak-Some Swell Pup 26 27 mashup.jpg
caption: Final drawings for Some Swell Pup, or Are You Sure You Want A Dog?; Pen and ink; watercolor. © 1976 by Maurice Sendak. All rights reserved.