Palm Beach Florida Weekly

ArtCenter hosts children’s illustrations



Floyd Cooper’s cover illustration for “Sisters and Champions.” COURTESY PHOTO

Floyd Cooper’s cover illustration for “Sisters and Champions.” COURTESY PHOTO

It’s not New York. Heck, it’s not even Miami.

But this summer, tiny Tequesta, of all places, will host an installation of works by some of the biggest names in the world of children’s publishing.

For the third year in a row, Lighthouse ArtCenter Gallery & School of Art will bring together works by the likes of Peter H. Reynolds (“The Dot,” “Ish,” “The Word Collector”), Floyd Cooper (“The Blacker the Berry”), Brian Lies (“The Rough Patch,” “Bats at the Beach”), Emily McCully (“Mirette on the High Wire”) and Erin E. and Philip Stead (“A Sick Day for Amos McGee”). Today’s elementary school generation know and love the books, teachers and librarians around the country watch closely for their new titles and you should, too.

Picture books are often a child’s first introduction to the arts. They act as a mirror as well as a window on the world, show organizers say.

About 500 ArtCampers (some who hail from as far away as California or New Jersey) come to the School of Art each summer to exercise their creative muscles using traditional media like clay and paint. But for the second year in a row the campers will also spend a portion of each day inside the gallery, surrounded by the artwork they already recognize.

Erin E. Stead’s “A Good Friend to Lenny,” an illustration for “Lenny & Lucy.” COURTESY PHOTO

Erin E. Stead’s “A Good Friend to Lenny,” an illustration for “Lenny & Lucy.” COURTESY PHOTO

Different from any other summer, in 2019, the Lighthouse ArtCenter ArtCampers are working collaboratively with the students of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts to craft a play with music based on the bestselling book “The Word Collector,” by Peter H. Reynolds.

Visitors interested in acquiring new paintings for their collection will find many pieces available for purchase. Summer camps looking for cultural experiences for their students are able to schedule docent-led tours of the exhibition, along with make-and-take art projects.

Lighthouse ArtCenter ArtCamp runs for eight weeks, from June 3 to Aug. 2. Hours: 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (before and aftercare can be arranged). It’s closed the fourth week of July. Scholarships are available with proof of need. Docentaccompanied group tours with make-andtake art projects are $5 apiece. They must be prepaid. Call Sheri at 561-746-3101 to schedule.

Lighthouse ArtCenter Gallery is at Gallery Square North, 373 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta. Info: 561-746-3101 or www.LighthouseArts.org

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