Thursday, June 28, 2012

CATCHING UP


Members of CBIG’s board were delighted to speak at the NYPL’s Children’s Literary Salon, hosted by Betsy Bird earlier this month. This program is for adults interested in children’s literature. Maria Madonna Davidoff (our postcard designer), H. Ruth Karpes (one of our hostesses for our seminars), Diana Ting Delosh (communications officer/blogzine manager), Vicky Rubin (webmaster/listserve manager), and myself, Donna Miskend (president/exhibition curator) were on the panel. A few of our members came by to cheer us on! 
To give an idea of who we are as a Group I showed a brief visual presentation that included artwork from past and upcoming exhibits, general illustrations and examples of published books and other products by our members. This was followed by a discussion about the history of CBIG, how we have evolved and our future plans for the group. There were questions about the children’s book industry, being an illustrator in today's market and how the Group supports our members’ careers. As an added bonus, the group was listed in the NYPL’s program brochure for May-August, and they chose Vicky’s artwork to feature. The brochure is available at all NYPL branches. 


It was a wonderful afternoon and gave us a chance to highlight the talented artists that make up CBIG.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED


2010 marked the beginning of our exhibition program and we kicked it off at the NYPL’s Jefferson Market branch with illustrations based on two children’s book classics chosen by the library staff: The Reluctant Dragon, by Kenneth Grahame and The Magic City, by E. Nesbitt. Dragons and Magic included work by 19 members of CBIG.

The Jefferson Market Library branch is housed in a historic building at 425 Avenue of the Americas at 10th Street. It was originally a courthouse, designed by Frederick Clark Withers and Calvert Vaux in the 1800’s. In 1961 it was saved from demolition and became a library.  Today, the clock tower is a Greenwich Village icon. It was a great venue for the theme of our show with a spiral castle-like staircase lined with stained glass windows that led to the second floor adult section where the original works were on view. 
 
A child-friendly version of the exhibit with copies was on display in the children’s room.    
The exhibiting members of CBIG for this show:
 Claudia Carlson • Lisa Cinelli • Madonna Davidoff • Diana Ting Delosh • Laura Goetz • Tatyana Starikova • Sara Kahn • Maxine Lu • Doreen Mulryan Marts •  Robin Meeks • Jennifer Merz • Donna Miskend • Ginger Nielson • Marilyn Papas • Clare Pernice • Vicky Rubin • Leeza Hernandez • Teresa Tyler

Thank you to Frank Collerius, Library Manager and Rebecca Schosha, Children's Librarian and the staff for choosing the books and hosting us for our inaugural exhibit!
For a look at the work click here:

And to read an interview with 9 of the participating artists click here: 

In 2011 CBIG’s second exhibit was held on-line with the theme of Aesop’s Fables. 

Participating artists: CLAUDIA CARLSON - LISA CINELLI - MARIA MADONNA DAVIDOFF - DIANA TING DELOSH - LAURA GOETZ - LEEZA HERNANDEZ - SARA KAHN - MAXINE LU - DOREEN MULRYAN MARTS - ROBIN MEEKS - JENNIFER MERZ - DONNA MISKEND - GINGER NIELSON - MARILYN PAPAS - CLARE PERNICE - VICKY RUBIN - TATYANNA STARIKOVA - TERESA TYLER 
To view the catalogue, click here: