Exhibit Feature Friday: Beautiful Blackbird
Exhibit Feature Friday
At the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM), we use the word exhibit to describe the interactive experiences, spaces, and displays spread across three floors and immediately outside the facility at 250 Thompson’s Point Road. CMTM is home to over 15 exhibits, each designed to encourage experiential learning through open-ended play.
Our team at CMTM decided to give each exhibit the spotlight it deserves, and is dedicating Fridays to highlighting a new exhibit, diving a little deeper into the WHY and HOW behind each playful space and experience.
EXHIBIT: Beautiful Blackbird
LOCATION: Lunder Arts & Culture Gallery, 2nd Floor
Located on CMTM’s second floor in the Lunder Arts & Culture Gallery, the Beautiful Blackbird exhibit combines art, audio, creative play, and movement for a dynamic and memorable celebration of identity.
The Beautiful Blackbird Exhibit, featuring artwork by Ashley Bryan.
At the very heart of the Beautiful Blackbird exhibit is Ashley Bryan. Bryan was a prominent and much-beloved children’s book author and illustrator. He was the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award winning author and illustrator of over 50 books, including “Beautiful Blackbird,” for which the exhibit is named. His creative spirit resonates throughout the gallery, from the exhibit’s design, to the interactive displays, to the messaging itself.
Marcia Minter, Co-founder and Executive Director of Indigo Arts Alliance, stands in front of the Artist Gallery.
Bryan wrote “Beautiful Blackbird” to emphasize that there is beauty in all of us. His themes of individuality, self-worth, and joy through expression are central tenants of the Beautiful Blackbird gallery. Bryan’s voice echoes through the space as he reads his work aloud, reminding everyone that, “Black is beautiful, UH HUH!”, and “Just remember, whatever I do, I'll be me and you'll be you."
Guests of all ages delight in strutting, leaping, and twirling in time with the Beautiful Blackbird gesture animation experience (designed by Sputnik Animation), where visitors become dancing birds projected onto the gallery walls. Visitors can listen to a story, put on a puppet show, read a book, or reflect on the incredible artwork. The Artist Gallery, curated by Marcia Minter (Co-founder and Executive Director of Indigo Arts Alliance) features sixteen prints from fourteen renowned children’s book illustrators. Each piece’s accompanying children’s book is available in the gallery for visitors to read, contemplate, and discuss together.
Visitors will occasionally find pop-up experiences happening in the Beautiful Blackbird gallery, from beat-boxing workshops, to theatrical story times, to staff-lead illustration investigations. It is also the central hub for CMTM’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend events, and the Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival. No matter the occasion, there’s a special energy in this gallery that children and adults love.
We all have things about us that make us unique. At CMTM, everyone has value and worth. We strive to create a safe space for people to come as they are and feel accepted to be themselves. We empower our community to embrace what makes us unique, understanding that our differences are what makes us strong. CMTM invites you to embrace your individuality, and carry the spirit of Beautiful Blackbird within your heart. Always remember, no matter who you are or how you play, you belong here!
The Beautiful Blackbird exhibit was produced in collaboration with Marcia Minter (exhibit consultant), Daniel Minter (exhibit consultant), Indigo Arts Alliance, Ashley Bryan and the Ashley Bryan Center, and Chris Sullivan Creative Consulting LLC. CMTM extends sincere thanks for their contributions, and continued support.
The Lunder Arts & Culture Gallery was made possible by a generous gift from The Lunder Foundation. The Beautiful Blackbird Exhibit was made possible by a generous gift from The Valdmanis Family, and supported by a generous gift from the Maine Humanities Council’s Major Grants Program.
The Artists Gallery in the Lunder Arts & Culture Gallery.
Learn more about Beautiful Blackbird here:
https://www.kitetails.org/beautiful-blackbird
Learn more about Indigo Arts Alliance here:
https://indigoartsalliance.me/
Learn more about the Ashley Bryan Center here:
https://ashleybryancenter.org/
Coming up next:
Tune in next Friday to learn about the MakerSpace!