Books and their art bring Carnegie celebration full circle

Art from the page to art on the walls bind the varied eras of the Carnegie Arts Center at a special 100-year celebration event this weekend.

A Children’s Book Fair on Saturday and Sunday brings a host of regional authors to the Turlock center, a companion to the current exhibit of original illustrations from popular children’s stories over the past 100 years.

When Turlock’s original Carnegie building opened in 1916, it housed – like many named for Andrew Carnegie across the country – the community library. One hundred years later, it’s an arts center that’s featured works by masters like Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Joan Miró and Ansel Adams.

A full-circle nod to its library history was an important element to the yearlong centennial celebration, according to Director Lisa McDermott.

There will be 17 authors, with a Sunday keynote speaker, Los Angeles-based Joe Cepeda, illustrator of the award-winning picture books “What a Truly Cool World,” “Nappy Hair,” “Mice and Beans” and “The Swing,” which he also wrote.

Cepeda also has illustrated books for notable authors – including Gary Soto and Toni Morrison – and was selected to illustrate the cover of Shaquille O’Neal and Reading is Fundamental’s “Biggest Book in the World.”

“He was so responsive and eager to come to the Central Valley,” McDermott said of Cepeda, whose 45-minute talk and question-and-answer session will be followed by a reception to close out the book fair.

One of Cepeda’s original illustrations is included in the current exhibition, “Childhood Classics: 100 Years of Original Illustration from the Art Kandy Collection.” The admission-free book fair is a complement to that exhibit, which features more than 50 artists from 75 books that explore the history of children’s book illustration.

The exhibit came about as McDermott was hunting to emphasize the center’s book-art connection. The Turlock library moved out in 1968 and the historic Carnegie building eventually became an arts center in 1979. A 2005 arson fire gutted the structure and it took six years for it to reopen.

While planning the centennial celebration, McDermott put out the word that she was looking for an exhibit that would relate to the bookish history. Ultimately, her connections led to Lois Sarkisian and Lee Cohen, the husband-and-wife team that runs Art Kandy, an online retailer of art from children’s books.

She contacted the pair and found that they’d “never thought of putting together an exhibit,” McDermott said. She went to Southern California to meet with them and found them eager to do so.

“They were literally pulling things out of drawers and binders” to show her, she said. Soon, they started looking at themes for an exhibit and eventually did all the framing and photography for the Carnegie show.

McDermott handled the writing for labels and other text for the display, making for “a real collaborative effort,” she said. After debuting at the Turlock arts center and completing its run there in January, the collection will become a touring exhibit.

Among the more than 130 original works are turn-of-the-century pen-and-ink drawings by Sarah Noble Ives for Mother Goose, drawings by Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak and Richard Scarry, up to digital creations of Mo Willems. Beloved characters such as Babar, Eloise, Madeline, the Cat in the Hat, Stuart Little and Dick & Jane also are on display.

Already, about 700 regional students have toured the exhibit on field trips, from kindergartners to high schoolers, McDermott said. Families who visit find something to touch their hearts, whether for the adults or for the children.

The Art Kandy Collection will be available for viewing during the book fair; exhibit admission is $10, $8 for seniors and students; free for ages 12 and under.

With their stories geared for children to young adults, the book fair authors also have agreed to 15-minute presentations over the course of the two days to share their techniques while also promoting, signing and selling their works.

Among the Central Valley authors will be Ken White, whose new children’s book is “That Happiness Thing;” Modesto illustrator Linda Knoll; Christina Smith of Modesto, author of “Joseph’s Journey;” and Turlock’s John Paul Padilla, who writes anti-bullying books. Also participating will be Michelle A.B. McKenzie of Oakdale, Debbie Brown of Denair and others from the Bay Area, San Joaquin County, and the Fresno, Sacramento and Santa Cruz areas.

In addition, there will be activities for children, including a story corner and crafts.

McDermott hopes the center’s foray into a book fair will attract many of the region’s parents and their children, particularly since the event is spread out over two days.

“There’s a lot of opportunity,” she said, “for people to come.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Books and their art bring Carnegie celebration full circle."