The traveling exhibit, titled “In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak,” has brought the works of this legendary author and illustrator to the Monroe Township library. The works will be on display until Aug. 19. JEFF GRANIT staff MONROE— Perhaps best known for his monstrous yet entertaining illustrations in the classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are,” Maurice Sendak has been captivating audiences for over 40 years.
Now a touring exhibit of the works of this legendary author and illustrator has come to the Monroe Township library and will be on display untilAug. 19. The library is also hosting free programs and other events for the public in connection with the exhibition.
The exhibit, titled “In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak,” was organized by the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia and developed by Nextbook Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture and ideas. The American Library Association Public Programs Office was also a contributor.
The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by grants from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, and an anonymous donor, with additional support from Tablet Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life, library officials said.
The exhibit is an exploration of illustrations and picture books revealing connections between these iconic works and Sendak’s childhood, family and the popular culture of the time. Sendak was born to Polish immigrants in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1928, and some of the exhibit touches on his own Jewish culture and history.
Monroe Township Library Director Irene Goldberg said that the event has sparked excitement throughout the facility.
“We are delighted to have been selected as a site for this exhibition,” she said.
The library applied to be a host to the exhibit through the American Library Association. They were one of 35 libraries across the country chosen to be a site and one of three libraries chosen in the state of New Jersey.
Goldberg said the library staff was fascinated by Sendak because he succeeds at crossing different artistic lines.
“One of the most intriguing things about Sendak is the fact that he designed sets for operas,” she said, adding that she has had the opportunity to attend some of the productions. “He is highly creative and really imaginative. I realized he does more than just children’s books.”
For the opening celebration of the exhibit, Patrick Rogers, a curator of the Rosenbach Museum of Philadelphia, spoke about the museum’s collection of Maurice Sendak’s work. The Rosenbach is the major repository for the illustrations and manuscripts of Sendak. The museum currently houses over 10,000 Sendak objects, including original drawings, preliminary sketches, manuscript materials, photographs, proofs, and rare prints of Sendak books, Goldberg said.
On July 27, Chris Jaehnig, an associate arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, will speak about the stage design of Sendak in a lecture titled “The Stage Design of Maurice Sendak.”
Jaehnig has been a fan of the famous author since he was a child, like many kids growing up in the 1960s, he said.
“ ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was an amazing journey of imagination that wasn’t purely a child’s story. I loved the illustrations and am excited to have the opportunity to re-examine his work now, as an adult,” Jaehnig said.
During his talk, he will focus on Sendak’s work on the children’s opera “Brundibar.” Composed by Hans Krása with the libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister, “Brundibar” was first performed in a Jewish orphanage in Prague and subsequently in a concentration camp called Theresienstadt. Sadly, most of the participants involved with the original opera were killed in the Auschwitz concentration camps, Jaehnig said.
In 2003, Tony Kushner and Sendak adapted “Brundibar” for a children’s book. The book was eventually adapted for the stage and has received full productions at the Chicago Opera Theater and a production that recently was shared by the Yale Repertory, Berkley Repertory and the New Victory Theater in New York. Jaehnig will be showing the audience at Monroe Library some of the original design work.
“A study of Sendak’s work proves that his illustrations and stories aren’t just for children. He explores immigration, urban life, nostalgia, the New World versus the Old World, even the legacy of the Holocaust, weaving these seemingly adult themes into his imaginative and playful illustrations,” Goldberg said.
Free tickets for the July 27 event are available at the library’s Welcome Desk.