IN THE East Gallery

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children's Books

This exhibition is the first of its kind to delve into the events, people, and themes of the civil rights movement as told through picture books. More than 80 artworks evoke the power of the era that shaped American history and continues to reverberate today. Picture the Dream presents three thematic sections exploring the forces that sparked the civil rights movement, its key players and events, and stories about the reemergence of activism in contemporary America. From Brown vs. the Board of Education and the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the March on Washington and Black Lives Matter, the picture books’ topics bridge the past and present, emphasizing how historical moments and leaders continue to inspire the struggle for equal rights. 
 
Picture the Dream is co-organized with the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, where the exhibition debuts on August 15, 2020. Curated by Andrea Davis Pinkney, a Carle trustee and New York Times-bestselling and award-winning children’s book author, the exhibition features work by 44 artists including Benny Andrews, Bryan Collier, Raúl Colón, Floyd Cooper, R. Gregory Christie, Ekua Holmes, Kadir Nelson, Brian Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney, Sean Qualls and Selina Alko, and Faith Ringgold.