Community Spotlight: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Oct 1

Meet our October 2025 Community Spotlight organization: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

When was your organization founded and for what purpose was it established?

Eric and Barbara Carle founded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, in November, 2002. The inspiration for the Museum came to the Carles in the 1980s and 90s when they made several trips to Japan and visited museums dedicated to the art of picture books. Intrigued, they began to consider what their legacy should be. What if they built an art museum in the United States to foster a love for picture-book illustration? “It has been said that picture books are an introduction to literature for young children,” Carle said. “We also wanted to introduce our youngest guests, so new to museums, to the joys of looking at art.”

Learn more about the museum here

How would you describe the impact of the work your organization does?

Picture book art has a pivotal role in shaping young minds and fostering a world of hope

Since opening its doors more than 20 years ago, The Carle has welcomed more than one million visitors—plus more than four million additional museumgoers who have enjoyed its touring exhibitions around the world. The Carle houses a rich and deep collection of art of more than 300 picture book artists, including Eric Carle (author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and illuminates its collection through exhibitions, education, programming, and artmaking—making it a critical resource for picture book artists and authors, and artloving communities locally, nationally, and abroad.

We care for more than 20,000 original works of more than 300 picture book artists, and are committed to sharing these, providing broad access and inspiring scholarship to recognize, celebrate, and elevate the transformative power of this unique art form.

For more context read this article entilted The Power of Art, Stories, and Imagination from director Jen Shantz.

What program or project are you most excited about developing/expanding over the coming years, and why?

We’re excited to be developing an exhibition with Dr. Lee Francis IV (Laguna Pueblo) that celebrates and centers Indigenous picture book artists from what is now the United States and Canada. Opening in 2027, this exhibition will be the first of its kind.Covering over 200 years of publishing history, the exhibition culminates with the rise in children’s book art and stories created by Indigenous artists over the past two decades. Learn more about The Precious things We Share

We also look forward to growing our traveling exhibitions that reach audiences around the world–including Japan, where our traveling exhibition “Eric Carle : Art, Books, and the Caterpillar” will be on view throughout 2026-2027.

What is one simple thing an individual can do to make a difference in the lives of the folks you serve

Read a book together! Sharing stories invites us to connect and make sense of the world in a joyous, playful way. In particular, finding picture books that highlight perspectives different from our own can foster deeper empathy and understanding.

Get involved:

Volunteers:

https://carlemuseum.org/about/work-volunteer

Ways to Give:

https://carlemuseum.org/give-join/ways-to-give

Our annual fundraiser would have just concluded in Sept 2025: https://carlemuseum.org/give-join/carle-honors

Visit Their website

© The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Inc. All rights reserved.

And, join us at Sanctuary for a special benefit event

Magical Relaxation: Restorative Movement & Image Bath

Friday, October 24, 2025 7:00 PM 8:30 PM

w/ Terre Parker

Restore body and mind with gentle movement while you bask in beautiful images from the world of picture books. We’ll explore somatic practices that help us slow down, connect with our breath, and play with easeful, expressive movement. Images from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art’s upcoming exhibit Sprites, Spells, and Splashes: Magical Beings in Picture Book Art will provide a rich backdrop of colors, textures, and magical beings to help our imaginations unfurl as our bodies relax.

All bodies welcome. No movement experience needed. Accessibility inquiries encouraged, please contact us to share ant details studio@yoga-sanctuary.com.

Terre Parker is a dancer and educator with twenty years experience teaching somatics and dance. A member of Anna Halprin’s Dance Company, Terre’s performance and video has been presented nationally and internationally. She develops arts integrated and community-engaged curriculum for K12, higher education, and community settings, and leads the professional development program for Museums10 at Five Colleges, Incorporated. Terre holds an MFA Interdisciplinary Art and certification in Anna Halprin’s Movement Ritual somatic practice. https://vimeo.com/terreparker IG @terreparker

Donation based ($5–$50), benefiting The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art