Cedar Rapids Museum exhibition explores world of children’s book illustrations

CEDAR RAPIDS - X marks the spot next to the most important piece in the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art's whimsical, nostalgic exhibition, 'The ABCs of Children's Book Illustration,” opening Saturday and continuing through May 17 in two main-floor galleries.

Z is for the late Evelyn Zerzanek, the longtime Cedar Rapids children's librarian whose collection features more than 1,400 illustrations and mementos from the likes of Dr. Seuss, H.A. Rey of 'Curious George” fame, Maurice Sendak who showed us 'Where the Wild Things Are” and Eastern Iowa's own Arthur Geisert, who turned the Bernard bank into his home studio.

The collection began in 1960 and continued to grow after Zerzanek's retirement from the Cedar Rapids Public Library in 1972 and her death in 1995 at age 91. It has been housed at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art since the Floods of 2008.

The collection's new caretaker is most appropriate, since these illustrations are more than just pretty pictures designed to stimulate young minds. They are fine works of art, done in pen-and-ink, colored pencils, pastels, watercolors, tempera and acrylics. But the Cedar Rapids Museum is one of the few in the nation to recognize them as such and regularly mount major exhibitions of them, said Sean Ulmer, the museum's executive director. He curated this upcoming show, featuring more than 70 illustrations and memorabilia spanning 60 years. The oldest illustration dates back to 1931, in which Garrett Price depicts children sledding for 'JoAnn and the Good Resolution.”

'It all starts with Miss Evelyn Zerzanek, and the vision that she had,” Ulmer said. 'I think her vision truly was a simple one: to encourage children to read more, as any good children's librarian probably would. Her way of doing it was quite novel, by writing to these illustrators and asking if they would donate a piece that could be used in the library to encourage children to read - at a time when children's book illustrators were not revered as artists.

'Thankfully, that position has changed, largely. What was once more or less work for hire has now been elevated to a true art form. There's still work to be done in that arena. There are still many museums that do not present children's book illustration as an art form.”

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art has been exhibiting such illustrations since the 1980s, highlighting works by Tomie dePaola ('Strega Nona”), Peter Sis and Dr. Seuss, Ulmer noted.

Adjacent to the ABCs exhibit is a gallery devoted to 25 book and magazine illustrations by Grant Wood and Marvin Cone, as well as framed prints from mid-19th century oil portraits of Native American chiefs with Iowa ties. The portraits were part of a much larger grouping created in Washington, D.C., then turned into prints for luxury bound books.

Titled 'Drawn to Illustration: Selections from the Collection of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art,” this main-floor exhibition also runs from Saturday through May 17.

Visitors are encouraged to travel to the second floor, as well, to see how a book goes from concept to completion, in 'Drawing on History: Jeni Reeves' Illustrations for ‘Voice of Freedom: A Story about Frederick Douglass.'” This display, featuring works by Cedar Rapids-based artist

Reeves, opened in January and concludes May 3.

All of these exhibitions, plus one on decorative African door locks, will be feted in a free opening reception Friday. A Museum Members preview will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a public reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Not everything in the Zerzanek exhibit was bound for publication. Several pieces congratulate her on her retirement after 47 years with the library. Theodor Seuss Geisel sent a blue-pencil sketch of his dog, Owlser, who looks more like a Sneetch than the Grinch's dog Max.

'Sometimes (Zerzanek) received images that came directly out of books. The artwork had been made into a book, then returned to the illustrator (who) donated one or more from a book. Then there were works that you could tell were meant for a book. They related to a known story, but for one reason for another, didn't make the final cut, either by the illustrator's choice or the publisher's choice,” Ulmer said.

'And then are images that are completely unique. They were never meant for a book and they never appeared in a book - for example, the Dr. Seuss, which was a letter directly to Miss Zerzanek from Dr. Seuss: ‘To Miss Zerzanek and the children of Cedar Rapids.'”

Ulmer said Geisel's popularity required him to keep his original works, so they could be used when the Seuss books were reprinted.

Visitors to the ABCs galleries will find an interactive display that's fun for all ages. Everything is laid out in alphabet book fashion, and while some pieces clearly reflect their display letter, like ants and alligators under A, others will require a little sleuthing from the viewers to find the character or object that links to the letter.

'It's much more participatory, much more interactive than a lot of our exhibitions,” Ulmer said. 'That's part of the fun of the ABC approach. It allows the visitor to complete the story. Grandparent with grandchild, parent with child, or just the individual visitor will be much more fully engaged in the exhibition by looking at the image and determining what within the image fits that letter.

'There's no right or wrong answers; there's no quizzes here. It's a much more fun way to approach (them). A lot of these illustrations really are fun illustrations. They're meant to be enjoyed,” Ulmer said.

'While they served as illustrations for a particular story, they have this other life as free-standing imagery. Arranging them in this somewhat novel way allows people to have a little bit more fun with the exhibition.”

The collection's variety also promises discoveries across the generations of childhood readers.

'New worlds have the potential to be opened up and revealed in this exhibition,” Ulmer said. 'In addition to seeing some familiar faces, from an art standpoint, it's really remarkable to see original drawings that artist/illustrators created that ended up in books, which is a very different way of experiencing them - in the book versus experiencing the original work of art.”

IF YOU GO

What: 'The ABCs of Children's Book Illustration: Selections from the Zerzanek Collection of the Cedar Rapids Public Library” and 'Drawn to Illustration: Selections from the Collection of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art”

Where: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 Third Ave. SE

When: Saturday (2/14) to May 17; noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday; noon to 8 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Admission: $5 adults; $4 college students and seniors ages 62 and over; free ages 18 and under; free to all ages 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday

Opening reception: Friday; Museum Members' preview 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with tour by Sean Ulmer at 5:15 p.m.; public reception 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; celebrating four exhibitions, including 'ABCs,” 'Drawn to Illustration.” 'Drawing on History: Jeni Reeves' Illustrations for Voice of Freedom: A Story About Frederick Douglass” and 'Guardians of Grain: Bamana and Dogon Door Locks”; free admission

More information: (319) 366-7503 or Crma.org