Award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Oge Mora visits the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine
Oge Mora at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine.
Julie Butcher Pezzino, Oge Mora, Nancy Gibson-Nash, and Scott Nash pose in the Museum & Theatre's Beautiful Blackbird exhibit.
Portland, ME - Dozens of children, families, and literary fans were delighted by a unique appearance by award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Oge Mora at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM) Thursday, September 18. The author’s appearance was in coordination with the Portland-based Illustration Institute. Mora read from her first book, Thank You, Omu!, and participated in a meet-and-greet in the Museum & Theatre’s Beautiful Blackbird exhibit, where her artwork is on display.
“Oge’s visit is an exceptional example of community partnership and reinforces a love of reading and critical thinking,” shared CMTM Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino. “We are grateful to the Illustration Institute for their continued partnership and the opportunity to offer incredible experiences like this to children and their caregivers.”
Stomping with joy.
Oge’s narrations made her books come to life in Maddy’s Theatre.
Oge Mora is a collage artist and storyteller. Her picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, and Ezra Jack Keats Book Award recipient. Her second book, Saturday, won the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award. Oge’s artwork has been applauded by The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe. She also recently made the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 list in Arts & Style.
Since CMTM opened its doors in June 2021, the organization has featured illustrators connected with the Institute on several pieces of its marketing collateral. Mora’s visit provided an exciting opportunity for continued partnership and community engagement.
" Oge Mora's event at the Children's Museum exemplified our mission exactly," said Illustration Institute's co-founder Nancy Gibson-Nash. "A diverse audience was spellbound by Mora's reading and also gained an in-depth appreciation for her creative process. There is little that is more exciting than meeting the creator of books that you love, especially as a child, so we were thrilled to bring Oge to the museum's audience."
The Children’s Museum and Theatre is open six days a week, Wednesday to Monday, from 9 am to 4 pm, and offers after-school programming, workshops, special events and programming, and a visiting artists series throughout the summer and school year. See www.kitetails.org for more information.
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About the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine - The Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM) inspires discovery and imagination through playful exploration, focusing on science learning, community engagement, performing and visual arts, and early childhood education. CMTM is an indispensable resource for families and educators, helping to create a broad community devoted to our children's development and learning. CMTM is committed to providing access for children of all economic means and all abilities through various access initiatives. With almost one hundred years of children’s theatre history and nearly fifty years as a children’s museum, the award-winning organization is considered one of the top children’s museums in the country.
About the Illustration Institute - The Illustration Institute’s mission is to raise appreciation and awareness of illustration in its many forms. Illustration Institute seeks to provide people of all ages the opportunity to learn directly from master artists and working professionals through exhibitions and workshops at public libraries, museums, schools, and other community venues.