“When you hide another story in a story, that's the story I am telling the children.”

—Maurice Sendak

Wednesday, August 27, 6:00 pm
Gallery Talk: Drawing Inspiration from Music
What kind of music does Maurice Sendak listen to? What kind of music do you hear when looking at In the Night Kitchen? Where the Wild Things Are? In this gallery tour we will listen to some of the music which has inspired Sendak. Starting with a book of “doodles” illustrating the music of some of his favorite composers, and finishing with part of a libretto from one of his books which was staged as a full-length opera. This gallery talk will be led by Farrar Fitzgerald, Education Coordinator.

Wednesday, September 17, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
For Members: Installation Reception

Members are invited to view the new display of artwork in There’s A Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak. Be one of the first to view over 130 new items from the Sendak collection.  Click here to RSVP. For more information about becoming a member, click here.

Wednesday, September 17, 6:00 pm
Gallery Talk: "I'll Eat All of You": Sendak and Food

From child-eating lion of Pierre to the nostalgic bakery of In the Night Kitchen, Sendak’s stories are stuffed with food and eating. Not surprising from a man who actually tried to bite into his childhood copy of The Prince and the Pauper. Join us as we explore Sendak’s varied foodscapes and discover how he uses food to express love, power, and desire. This gallery talk will be led by Kathy Haas, Curatorial Assistant.

Friday, October 3, 5:30 pm
Public Program: Authors of Mischeif. Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Did you know that Maurice Sendak’s books remain some of the most censored in American history? Join us to mark Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read that reminds Americans not to take that precious democratic freedom for granted. To recognize this event, the Rosenbach is joining with the Philadelphia Center for the Book to present a juried exhibition of contemporary artist books on themes related to banned books, censorship, and control that will be displayed in the Orientation Gallery of the Rosenbach September 23 – October 5, and then outside of the Print & Picture Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia from October 14 – December 5, 2008!

• 5:00pm - 5:30pm: For Members! Meet-and-greet the artists and be the first to see their work! Refreshments will be served.
• 5:30pm - 6:30pm: Artists reception for the juried exhibition, Authors of Mischeif.
• 6:30pm - 7:30pm: Reading aloud of passages from the many banned and censored books in the collections of the Rosenbach Museum & Library.

Click here to RSVP. For more information about the Philadelphia Center for the Book, click here.

Wednesdays, October 15, 22, 29, November 5, and 12, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Reading Group: Sendak as Literature

This five-week session will explore the literary aspects of Sendak’s work and the genre of children’s literature. In addition to historical and cultural influences, we will discuss contemporary issues and theories surrounding children’s literature influenced by Sendak’s work. We will explore different traditions, artists, and authors such as William Blake, George Cruikshank, and Ruth Kraus to consider and observe how they have influenced Sendak’s art.

Integral to the study of children’s literature is the relationship between text and image. Using the rich resources of the Rosenbach Museum, we will think about the many choices an illustrator makes when working with an author, and the different choices that an author/illustrator makes when writing a children’s book. Children’s literature is a truly interdisciplinary field so we must ask what differences in meaning are conveyed when an illustration is a woodcut, a steel plate engraving, a watercolor or a pen and ink drawing. What are some of the visual and literary allusions Sendak makes? What ideas or emotions do those allusions evoke? How do they enlarge the text and enhance our reading?

Discussions will be led by Margaret O'Brien, Professor of Children’s Literature, Temple University, and will incorporate short visits to the Sendak exhibit and transcripts from interviews with Sendak himself. $150 for members, $200 for non-members. RSVP required. Click here to sign up! For more information about becoming a member, click here.

Wednesday, October 29, 6:00 pm
Gallery Talk: Monster's Ink: The Boegeymen in Sendak's Closet

Let's face it, Maurice Sendak is most famous for his monsters.  But Sendak's relationship to scary and threatening creatures goes way beyond the Wild Things . Goblins, devils, giants, angels, griffins, gorgons and the odd haunted forest lurk throughout his books.  Meet some of these bogeymen face-to-face in this gallery talk, and find out where they come from in history, art, and Sendak's own imagination. This gallery talk will be led by Patrick Rodgers, Guest Curator for There's A Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak.

Wednesday, November 19, 6:00 pm
Gallery Talk: The Other’s Story and the Other Story: Sendak as Illustrator of Other Authors

What is an illustrator’s responsibility to a book’s text, especially a text written by someone else?  Explore how Maurice Sendak as a self-described “interpretive illustrator” chooses a style to fit the book in hand and makes pictures that serve the author’s text while adding something more, an Other Story, “something unique in this book, which perhaps not even the author was entirely aware of ... that you think is there.” This gallery talk will be led by Elizabeth Fuller, Librarian.

On Display in the Dining Room: A Mad Tea Party
Fall 2008

As the Rosenbach kicks off its Maurice Sendak exhibition, There’s a Mystery There, the dining room pays homage to another important children’s book: Alice in Wonderland. In honor of the 80th anniversary of Dr. R’s famous purchase of the Alice manuscript, the Rosenbach will set a place for the Hatter, March Hare, Dormouse and of course, Alice herself. The installation will feature selections from the museum’s collection of ceramic and silver tea equipage, but hopefully no real dormice.

Wednesday, December 10, 6:00 pm
Gallery Talk: Imagination and Transformation in the Works of Maurice Sendak

Whether by accident, magic spell, or imagination the characters in Sendak’s stories constantly shift form.  Max famously becomes King of the Wild Things, an unhappy boy becomes a wizard, kids become dancing bears, a baby sister disappears, and angels come and go.  This gallery talk focuses on transformations like these and the often surprising ways that Sendak identifies with his storybook characters. This gallery talk will be led by Karen Schoenewaldt, Registrar.

May 3, 2009
Sendak exhibition closing day.

Events are free with museum admission, unless otherwise noted. Stay tuned for more!