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Berenstain Bears Exhibition at Rockwell Museum
In 1962, illustrators Stan and Jan Berenstain published the first of many stories chronicling the adventures of a family of bears. The Berenstain Bears would go on to become one of the most successful children's book series of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 240 million books. At least four generations of children have eagerly followed the Berenstain Bears' exploits. Along the way, these young readers have picked up gentle life lessons with themes ranging from junk food and messy rooms to such complex issues as truth and the concept of God. Now, for the first time, a major museum exhibition will focus on the series' prolific creators in the Norman Rockwell Museum's presentation of "The Berenstain Bears Celebrate: The Art of Stan and Jan Berenstain." The exhibition will open at the Museum on February 8 and will run through May 26.
This retrospective examines the lives and careers of the husband-and-wife team and their evolution as artists, from their earliest drawings to their most recent works. Spotlighting the Berenstains' influences, iconography and techniques, the exhibition includes original drawings, paintings, collectibles, a book presented in storyboard format, and a video documentary on Stan and Jan Berenstain produced by the Museum. Special interactive stations for young visitors include "What is a Gag Cartoon?", a fun-filled matching game; "Read Along with Stan and Jan," an audio station where children can read a Berenstain Bears story aloud with the authors; an "Inside, Outside, Upside Down" box to explore; a life-sized floor game in which participants act as the game pieces on a journey through Bear Country; and a Bear Expressions drawing center, where visitors can put their best bear faces forward with a drawing lesson from the Berenstains. A family guide for the exhibition—as well as educational programs for students, children and families—will be offered throughout the run of the exhibition. Special activities at the Museum from 1-4 p.m. on the exhibition's opening day, Saturday, February 8, include a book signing by Jan and Stan Berenstain, interactive exhibition tours, and hands-on art activities.
The Berenstains, both 79, met as students on their first day of classes at the Philadelphia College of Art in 1941; they married five years later. From the beginning, the couple worked as a team, finding early success as gag cartoonists for such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, and The Saturday Review of Literature. Drawing upon their own domestic experiences for inspiration, the Berenstains soon produced a series of best-selling humor books based on family-oriented themes.
Through the Berenstain Bears series, which debuted with The Great Honey Hunt in 1962, Stan and Jan Berenstain have championed their belief in the importance of family to readers the world over. The foundation for these early works, which explored the challenges that families face, came from children's book legend Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss), who was then the couple's editor at Random House. In 1973, the Berenstains began writing and illustrating First Time Books (also published by Random House), a series of stories designed to help children learn to read.
This past September, to coincide with the 40th anniversary celebration of the first Berenstain Bears book, Random House published the couple's autobiography, Down a Sunny Dirt Road. The statistics of their success complement the story: 35 books in the series have made the Publishers Weekly list of the top 250 children's book titles of all time, with 15 books placing among the top 100 best-selling children's paperbacks. Through the years, the Bears have been featured on their own CD-ROM, numerous television specials, and a weekly cartoon series on CBS. A new animated PBS series inspired by the Berenstain Bears premiered on Canadian television last fall, and in the United States in January.
The Norman Rockwell Museum, located on Route 183 in Stockbridge, is open daily. General public admission is $12 for adults, $7 for students, and free for visitors 18 and under (four per adult); on Wednesdays from November to May, senior citizens are admitted at half-price. The Museum is open weekdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and weekends and holidays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Optional tours are available daily, beginning on the hour. For more info call 413-298-4100, ext 220; or visit <www.nrm.org>.
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