While researching to put together our website’s celebration of children’s book illustrators, I’ve come across some wonderful things that never made it into the site. I learned, for instance, that in 1997 Keene State College Children’s Literature Festival director, Dr. David E. White, came up with an interesting way to add to the Festival Gallery Collection of original artwork related to children’s book illustration. He started the Festival Owl Project, by inviting children’s book illustrators to donate owl renditions, in honor of the schools’ mascot, to the gallery. The project also had another goal: to raise money, through sales from materials featuring the owls, for the purchasing and framing of original pieces for the gallery.
The gallery currently counts with 93 original owls, and the first 60 can be seen in these two gorgeous posters, available for sale. The posters include works by Grace Lin, Alissa Imre Geis, David Diaz, Lulu Delacre, Chris Soentpiet, Yumi Heo and many more.
Keene State College turns 100 in 2009 and Dr. White would like to have at least 100 owls by the time of their centennial celebration. Illustrators wishing to spread the wisdom have until early September 2008 to donate their owls. Owl #100 and additional ones will be unveiled during a special ceremony in October. There is no limit to the number of owls that can be in the collection, and the only requirement for participating is that the illustrator has published children’s books and that the owl itself hasn’t been previously published.
Now, who is answering the owls’ call and joining the parliament?… If you already have, please send us a link to your owl and we’ll post it here.