Get ready to go on an adventure with the whole family and explore the art and imagination behind Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator and author Brian Selznick. Families will create art projects inspired by Selznick’s illustrations and stories as well as enjoy an entertaining magic show. Selznick will give a talk and Q&A followed by a book signing.
Sponsored by:
Schedule
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Art Stations
Fusco Hall & East Court
Create works of art inspired by Brian Selznick’s illustration with a variety of media and techniques.
11:15 a.m. – Magic Show
DuPont Auditorium
Enjoy an entertaining and engaging magic show by Peter Pitchford of Magic by Manipulation.
12:30 p.m. – Artist Talk: Brian Selznick
DuPont Auditorium
Brian Selznick will talk about his career and the making of his book The Invention of Hugo Cabret and book-inspired film, Hugo followed by Q & A’s.
12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. – From Houdini to Hugo Family Tour
Fusco Gallery
Explore the art and imagination of Brian Selznick on this family-friendly tour of From Houdini to Hugo.
1:30 p.m. – Brian Selznick Book Signing & Mingling Magic
East Court
Meet Brian Selznick, get your favorite book signed, and participate in mingling magic with Peter Pitchford.
This exciting new series brings notable writers to the Museum from Delaware and beyond for enthralling readings of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.
Jeanne Murray Walker
Thursday, October 23 | 7:30 p.m.
Join poet, memoirist, and playwright Jeanne Murray Walker for an engaging reading of selected poems. Walker is the author of eight volumes of poetry, including Helping the Morning: New and Selected Poems and A Deed to the Light. Her memoir, The Geography of Memory: A Pilgrimage through Alzheimer’s, tells the hair-raising, often funny story of the decade she and her sister cared for their mother. Walker is Professor of English at The University of Delaware, where she heads the Creative Writing Concentration.
JoAnn Balingit and Teresa Burns Murphy
Thursday, November 13 | 7:30 p.m.
JoAnn Balingit is Delaware’s Poet Laureate, appointed in May 2008 by Governor Ruth Ann Minner. She teaches poetry in schools, libraries, and community centers across the state and advocates for poets-in-the-schools programming. She is the author of Words for House Story, a collection of poems, and Your Heart and How It Works. Balingit is winner of the 2010 Global Filipino Literary Award and the Whitebird Chapbook Prize.
Teresa Burns Murphy is the author of a novel, The Secret to Flying. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in several literary journals and anthologies, including The Tower Journal. She won the 1996 WORDS: The Arkansas Literary Society Award for Fiction. Murphy was also a finalist for the 2006 Kate Braverman Short Story Prize and the 2009 Janice Farrell Poetry Prize.
Sponsors:
This program is partially funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This exciting new series brings notable writers to the Museum from Delaware and beyond for enthralling readings of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.
Jeanne Murray Walker
Thursday, October 23 | 7:30 p.m.
Join poet, memoirist, and playwright Jeanne Murray Walker for an engaging reading of selected poems. Walker is the author of eight volumes of poetry, including Helping the Morning: New and Selected Poems and A Deed to the Light. Her memoir, The Geography of Memory: A Pilgrimage through Alzheimer’s, tells the hair-raising, often funny story of the decade she and her sister cared for their mother. Walker is Professor of English at The University of Delaware, where she heads the Creative Writing Concentration.
JoAnn Balingit and Teresa Burns Murphy
Thursday, November 13 | 7:30 p.m.
JoAnn Balingit is Delaware’s Poet Laureate, appointed in May 2008 by Governor Ruth Ann Minner. She teaches poetry in schools, libraries, and community centers across the state and advocates for poets-in-the-schools programming. She is the author of Words for House Story, a collection of poems, and Your Heart and How It Works. Balingit is winner of the 2010 Global Filipino Literary Award and the Whitebird Chapbook Prize.
Teresa Burns Murphy is the author of a novel, The Secret to Flying. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in several literary journals and anthologies, including The Tower Journal. She won the 1996 WORDS: The Arkansas Literary Society Award for Fiction. Murphy was also a finalist for the 2006 Kate Braverman Short Story Prize and the 2009 Janice Farrell Poetry Prize.
Sponsors:
This program is partially funded by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The renowned Pyxis Piano Quartet returns for an engaging concert that features Pedro Tintorer’s Un Souvenir de L. van Beethoven, Alexandre Tansman’s Suite-Divertissement, and Robert Schumann’s powerful Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47.
Learn more about Concerts on Kentmere.
Noted for her fusing of music and the visual arts, pianist Rosanne Vita Nahass offers an impressive program that explores music created in the era of the Pre-Raphaelite artists and their pursuit of earthly passion and spirituality. The program includes two major works by Franz Liszt (the Funérailles, composed in the same year as the founding of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, 1849, and the 1853 Sonata in b minor) as well as works by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Alexander Scriabin.
Learn more about Concerts on Kentmere.
Explore Elliott Erwitt’s beautiful and funny photographs of canines with dog-themed art activities, story readings, and a gallery scavenger hunt. Families will also enjoy Blue Sky Puppet Theatre’s puppet show The Barker of Seville—a musical comedy about a day in the life of an opera singer.
Learn more about the exhibition Elliott Erwitt: Dog Dogs.
Schedule of Events
Noon – 3:30 p.m. Canine-inspired Art Activities (East Court)
12:30 p.m. Story Reading: Go Dog Go! by P.B. Eastman (Kids’ Corner)
1:00 p.m. The Barker of Seville by Blue Sky Puppet Theatre (DuPont Auditorium)
2:00 p.m. Gallery Scavenger Hunt (Gallery 10)
2:30 p.m. Story Reading: Art Dog by Thachur Hurd (Kids’ Corner)
** This is an indoor event and dogs will not be allowed in the Museum. Dogs are always welcome in the Copeland Sculpture Garden!**
Cristina Garcia is the author of seven novels, including: Dreaming in Cuban, The Agüero Sisters, and, most recently, the darkly comedic King of Cuba. One of the most acclaimed contemporary American novelists, García’s work has been nominated for a National Book Award and translated into 14 languages. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers’ Award, a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, and an NEA grant.
The beloved Pyxis Piano Quartet returns for their final concert of the season, featuring two of the greatest works of classical chamber music: Beethoven’s Piano Quartet in e-flat major, Op.16 and Schubert’s Piano Quintet in a major, D.667, the famous “Trout” Quintet. Pyxis will be joined by guest artist Dan McDougall, a master of the double bass and a faculty member of the famed Curtis Institute of Music.
Learn more about Concerts on Kentmere.
Film begins at 4:30 p.m. (79 minutes)
Families are invited to explore the photography exhibition Elliott Erwitt: Dog Dogs and enjoy a screening of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians (1961). This family film includes popcorn and an art activity for kids. Food and beverages available for purchase in the Thronson Café.
Join us for a family-friendly celebration of Latino art and culture! Families are invited to build a collaborative ofrenda (offering), make art that tells their family’s story, watch performances by visiting artists, and take a mini family tour of the exhibition Our America. Music and dance performances of Mexico Beyond Mariachi will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Día de la Familia Nuestra América
Sábado 9 de abril | 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
¡Únase a nosotros para una celebración familiar del arte y la cultura latina! Las familias están invitadas a elaborar una ofrenda de colaboración, hacer arte que cuente la historia de su familia, ver las actuaciones de los artistas visitantes y realizar una mini visita familiar de la exposición Nuestra América. Gratis.
The Volta family, our Family-in-Residence, is installing Kaleidoscope Cove in Kids’ Corner now through the end of April and families are invited to participate in the creation process! Kaleidoscope Cove is an interactive installation that explores Howard Pyle’s work through a kaleidoscopic lens. The temporary installation will feature a cascading paper garland waterfall and curtain of paper gold coins, a kid-sized geometric cove, and details of Pyle’s work patterned on the walls. Drop-in on select Saturdays in April for a series of Family Workshops and contribute to this interactive work of art! Free.
April 23: Polyhedron Gems and Jewels
Join us for a grand opening of Kaleidoscope Cove, an interactive installation designed by our Family-in-Residence, the Voltas! Kaleidoscope Cove explores Howard Pyle’s work through a kaleidoscopic lens. The temporary installation features a cascading paper garland waterfall and curtain of paper gold coins, a kid-sized geometric cove, and details of Pyle’s work patterned on the walls. Drop-in on May 7 to meet the artists, make kaleidoscopes, and explore the space!
Refreshments will be served. Registration required.