‘The Pigeon Comes to Pittsburgh’
Children’s Museum exhibit features author Mo Willems
A life-sized blue bus is visible even from the hallway leading up to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s newest feature, “The Pigeon Comes to Pittsburgh: A Mo Willems Exhibit.”
The children — and any stray pigeons that wander through — aren’t allowed to drive the bus. But the reading area inside is one of many areas in the exhibit, opening Saturday, where they can interact with the work of beloved children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems.
The exhibit pulls from some of Mr. Willems’ most popular books, such as “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” “Knuffle bunny” and the “Elephant and Piggie” series. Mr. Willems, who began his career as an animator on “Sesame Street,” has won three Caldecott Honors and numerous Theodor Seuss Geisel Medals and Honors.
“At the core of the stories are these evergreen messages that everyone can relate to,” said Anne Fullenkamp, director of design at the North Side museum, of Mr. Willems’ books. “They have this engaging, simple style, and at the heart, they’re really smart.”
Mr. Willems was heavily involved in the development of the exhibit, which was produced in partnership with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass. Museum officials first flew up to Massachusetts to meet with Mr. Willems in the summer of 2016, she said.
At one end of the exhibit, an art studio includes a video of Mr. Willems showing step-by-step how to draw his characters, a light table where visitors can trace some of the characters and a giant scroll of tan butcher paper for doodling, just like Mr. Willems has at home.
“What I’ve learned from him is that he was very inspired by Charles Schulz and Snoopy — mimicking and practicing and tracing other people’s work is one way to learn,” said Ms. Fullenkamp. “His work is based on simple shapes. You don’t need to think of yourself as a talented artist. People say, ‘I can’t draw,’ and we want them to get over that.”
Other parts of the exhibit encourage visitors to immerse themselves in the stories. In one area, children (and
adults) can catapult foam hot dogs about 8 feet toward targets near either the Pigeon or the Duckling, inspired by the book “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.” A game nearby involves giving a cookie to either the Duckling or the Pigeon and watching it bounce down the Plinko-like game board.
From the book “Knufflebunny,” children can spin three clothes dryers, looking to find a stuffed bunny inside or any other interesting objects mixed in with the clothes. Next to the giant bus that serves as a library and reading area there are wearable buses for children and adults. And features from lesser-known books include a Naked Mole Rat fashion show from the book “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” and stackable monster blocks from “Leonardothe Monster.”
“We really want to create a space and experiences that are the starting point for creative play and exploration,” said Ms. Fullenkamp. “We want the visitor to come in and bring their own imaginative play. That way they can come back again and again and the experiences can be different.”
The exhibit also features animation, from early 20thcentury praxinscopes to a flip book machine with a crank to a short film created just for the exhibit from the book “WaitingIsn’t Easy.”
And as is becoming increasingly common in children’s exhibits, there are great photo opportunities, including a wall wallpapered withElephant and Piggie.
“It’s very Instagrammable,” said Ms. Fullenkamp. “Since Instagram is becoming so ubiquitous for families, we’ve really been thinking about that.”
Visits to the exhibit are included in regular admission and free for members. The exhibit will stay in Pittsburghuntil September when it starts traveling around the country. The first year has already been booked by other museums.