108th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art features children's book illustration

Jerry Pinkney, The Tortoise and the Hare, 2016, watercolor and pencil on paper. Courtesy of the artist.

Randolph’s 108th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art will officially open Friday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. at the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College. The event is free and open to the public and includes refreshments and a cash bar (beer, wine), plus a cookie bar for children.

Sophie Blackall

For the first time in 108 years, the Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art will focus on children’s book illustration. The art of several illustrators, including the current 2019 Caldecott Medal winner, Sophie Blackall, will offer a magical time for visitors of all ages.

This fall, the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College presents an exhibition of visual storytelling, inspired by the imaginations of the young, and young-at-heart. Curated by Randolph art professor Kathy Muehlemann, the 108th Annual Exhibition features illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Larry Day, Douglas Florian, E.B. Lewis, and Jerry Pinkney.

Also included is the retrospective Finding Sophie Blackall. Blackall’s whimsical, yet thoughtfully realistic artwork, invokes nostalgia at its purest. She skillfully employs Chinese ink and watercolor to record some of life’s greatest moments, both victorious and sorrowful. She will give a special artist talk at the Maier about her work on September 21 at 11 a.m.

The 108th Annual Exhibition is generously sponsored by Mary Gray Shockey ’69.