The Pursuit of Everything: Maira Kalman's Books for Children

The Pursuit of Everything presents a colorful panorama of Maira Kalman’s picture book career. Perhaps best known for her quirky New Yorker covers and as a pioneering visual journalist for The New York Times, Kalman has also published 18 acclaimed children’s books. She illustrates the comic adventures of Max Stravinsky, the dog-poet in Max Makes a Million (1990), and the escapades of a gluttonous canine named Pete in What Pete Ate (2001). The exhibition features Kalman’s kaleidoscopic paintings from Sayonara, Mrs. Kackleman (1989) and Next Stop Grand Central (1999) alongside illustrations from her recent publications Beloved Dog (2015) and Cake (2018). Kalman addresses important historical figures and events in Looking at Lincoln (2012), Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote (2018), and the 9/11-inspired Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (2002). Balancing the ridiculous and the profound, Kalman’s beautifully crafted paintings and witty word play delight audiences of all ages.

This exhibition is curated by Jane Bayard Curley. 

This exhibition is made possible with generous support from Penguin Young Readers and Random House Children's Books. 

Now & Then: Contemporary Illustrators and their Childhood Art

Will you grow up to be an artist? Co-curators Grace Lin and Jarrett J. Krosoczka honor childhood creativity in the exhibition Now & Then, in which they display artists’ childhood drawings next to their published illustrations. The pairings inspire young visitors to make connections to their current creations—and future potential. In addition to Grace and Jarrett, the featured artists are Cece Bell, Nidhi Chanani, Jason Chin, The Fan Brothers, Julie Flett, Jeff Kinney, Elisa Kleven, Barbara Lehman, Rafael López, Oge Mora, Juana Martinez-Neal, Raúl the Third, Shadra Strickland, Don Tate, Evan Turk, and Tillie Walden.

This exhibition is curated by Grace Lin and Jarrett J. Krosoczka.