Mazza Offers Unique Summer Learning Experience
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
A busload of children’s picture book enthusiasts left Findlay on June 15 to visit nine children’s picture book artists
and authors as part of the 2006 Mazza Summer Study Tour.
Fifty-two people traveled through Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and
Kansas to see where artists find their inspiration, how they work and
how they live.
In its 11th year, the week-long Summer Study Tour attracts a variety of
people. Teachers, librarians and Mazza Museum patrons,
enthusiasts, staff and volunteers look forward to the trip each year
for its unique learning experience. This year, the tour attracted
participants from not only northwest Ohio but also from Cincinnati,
Ashland and Fort Wayne, Ind.
Tour participants visited the personal homes and studios of some of
the children’s picture book artists and authors featured in the Mazza
Museum. Artists scheduled for the 2006 tour included Lawrence Shles,
Angela Chostner, Cheryl Harness, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Brad Sneed,
Arthur Geisert, Lois Elhert, Kevin Luthardt and Eric Rohmann.
Each artist spent time with the tour group answering questions,
signing books and giving insight to his or her world of children’s
picture book illustration.
“Participants are able to take the things they learn from the artists
back to the classroom, or to the library or to the museum,” said
Benjamin Sapp, deputy director of Mazza Museum. Meeting each
artist face to face gives group members the opportunity to develop
their own personal stories that they are able to share with others.
Seventeen volunteer docents, otherwise known as art museum tour guides,
were among the tour group members. The docents will use their
new knowledge and stories to share with students who visit the museum
throughout the year.
The Mazza Museum is open to the public and to groups for docent-led tours. Call 419-434-5521 for more information.
The Mazza Museum International Art from Picture Books is the world’s
first and largest teaching museum devoted to literacy and the art of
children’s picture books. The Mazza collection was started in
1982 with just four pieces of art as part of the 100th anniversary of
what was then Findlay College. Today, the collection has grown to
more than 3,000 original illustrations.
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