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| 2019 Carle Honors honorees Takeshi Matsumoto and Melissa Sweet, Eric Carle, and honorees David Saylor and Kenny Garcia (photo: Johnny Wolf) | |
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art celebrated the 14th annual Eric Carle Honors and held the 11th annual Carle Honors Art Auction at Guastavino's in New York City last Thursday. Presented by author/illustrator Grace Lin and editor Alvina Ling, the Carle Honors highlighted "four outstanding luminaries for their creative vision and long-term dedication to the world of picture books": Melissa Sweet, REFORMA, the Chihiro Art Museum and David Saylor. Artwork from 29 picture book artists--including John Parra, Eric Carle and 2019 Artist Honoree Melissa Sweet--was featured in this year's auction, which alone brought in $127,000 of the $350,296 raised by the evening.
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| Carle Honors co-hosts Grace Lin and Alvina Ling | |
The museum's executive director, Alexandra Kennedy, and director of development, Rebecca Miller Goggins, opened the event, greeting the more than 350 attendees and welcoming recent-90th-birthday-boy Eric Carle to the stage. With his customary charm and wit, Carle began the evening with laughs, pulling off a well-timed phone gag and a likely unplanned (but still very funny) glasses bit. Leonard S. Marcus, the creator of the Carle Honors, introduced the evening's hosts, lifelong friends and publishing coworkers Grace Lin and Alvina Ling, who have now made more than "12 books together over the years." In complementary ensembles with equal exuberance and spirit, Lin and Ling did a very fine "Amy Poehler and Tiny Fey at the Golden Globes" imitation, taking turns introducing the four honorees. Kennedy and Goggins jumped in occasionally to grace the crowd with videos--such as a "members" video that interviewed only children--and surprises, like Kwame Alexander's recorded reading of his picture book illustrated by Melissa Sweet, How to Read a Book.
Takeshi Matsumoto was the first honoree to speak, representing the Chihiro Art Museum and accepting the Bridge Honor, "for those who have found inspired ways to bring the art of the picture book to larger audiences through work in other fields." The pioneering museum devoted exclusively to children's illustration was, as Miller Goggins put it, "a significant inspiration for the Eric Carle Museum during Eric and Barbara Carle's early visits to Japan." Next was David Saylor, v-p and creative director for Scholastic Trade Publishing Group, who received the Mentor Honor "for the editors, designers and educators who champion the art form." Saylor is the first creative director to receive the Mentor award, and Miller Goggins noted that his "groundbreaking graphic novel imprint, Graphix," changed "the landscape of children's literature through engaging, age-appropriate and wildly popular graphic novels for children and teens." Kenny Garcia represented REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, and accepted the Angel award "for individuals whose generous resources make picture book art exhibitions and education programs a reality." Garcia spoke passionately about the mission of REFORMA and how the organization, as Miller Goggins expressed, brings "invaluable resources to the Latino community, ensuring that their rich culture is upheld and affirmed through quality literature and library services."
Before a giant Very Hungry Caterpillar waltzed across the stage to signal the end of the presentations, Melissa Sweet accepted the last award of the evening: the Artist Honor. Lin expressed great appreciation for Sweet's art, saying Sweet's work tells children "here's joy. Here's beauty. I will give it to you with all of my heart." Sweet, who crafts all of her work by hand, closed the event saying that, while the Honor celebrates "lifelong innovation in the field," she's "just getting started."
Following the speeches were dinner and the culmination of the auction. All proceeds from the auction go to "support our mission to inspire a love of art and reading through picture books," Miller Goggins said. Last year's event raised $275,000, which "helped to fund everything from our first graphic novel exhibition to art classes for seniors, both of which proved to be incredibly popular and brought an ever more expansive audience to the Museum." The $350,296 raised in the 2019 event, Goggins stated, "will contribute to the cost of our seven exhibitions and hundreds of programs... onsite in Amherst, as well as our traveling exhibitions in Germany and China, and in several locations in the United States. We are... also expanding access to the Museum through programs like the Carle Community Fund." The Carle Community Fund is a new initiative that "offers professional development workshops to preschool teachers and elementary teachers in Title One schools, free admission to EBT cardholders and local service agencies serving families in need and matching funds for grant-supported outreach to low-income communities." --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA Editor, Shelf Awareness