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Tomie dePaola Papers Acquired for Northeast Children's Literature Collection
Teacher's Conference and Retrospective Exhibit Are Planned
Tomie dePaola, internationally acclaimed children's book author and illustrator, has donated an extensive archive of his materials to the Northeast Children's Literature Collection. Items in the collection range from images he created as a child to some of his most recent illustrations for children's books. Mr. dePaola has also provided financial support for the processing and storage of the collection. Tomie dePaola's career spans over thirty years, during which time he has sold over five million copies of his books. His work has been translated into fifteen different languages. Born in Meriden, Connecticut, he has won every significant award in his field. Since 1965 he has illustrated over two hundred books and written the text of almost ninety of them.DePaola is best known for his character Strega Nona ("Grandma Witch" in Italian). She is portrayed as a chubby, wise, loving, kind, old woman who has great magical powers at her avail. The original Strega Nona book was so popular that there are now seven different books based on her. Mr. DePaola's autobiographical works include 26 Fairmount Avenue, The Art Lesson, and The Baby Sister. He became so loved by children and adults alike that he receives over 100,000 pieces of fan mail every year.DePaola's work will be the focus of a major exhibit at the William Benton Museum of Art and in the Dodd Center in October. Included will be a rich variety of illustrations, drawings, sketches, paintings, collages, books, posters and commercial applications that constitute a lifetime retrospective. The Benton will also feature a special sampling of some of his collected folk art, which fills his extraordinary home and his renovated 200-year-old barn studio in New London, NH. The exhibit is supported in part by a grant from the Meriden Community Foundation.Two days of special events are planned around the exhibit. A teacher's conference on Friday, October 22 will focus on the work of children's book illustrators. In addition to Mr. dePaola, speakers will include: Susan Jeffers, Mary Azarian, Barbara Kiefer, Cecilia Yung, Tony Stead, Barbara Elleman, and Robert Sabuda. The conference is supported in part by a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.On Saturday morning, October 23, Mr. dePaola will give a public lecture. In the afternoon, he will speak again, at the official opening of the exhibit in the Benton Museum. Coinciding with the exhibition will be the publication of a major book on dePaola's life entitled Tomie dePaola: His Art & His Stories by Barbara Elleman with a forward by Trina Schart Hyman. On Saturday evening, Mr. dePaola will receive an honorary degree from the University of Connecticut. For information about attending or registering for any of these events, please call (860) 486-6346.
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