"Many people have confounded the aims and methods of illustration with those of fine art, which has its origins in an entirely different level of the unconscious. They forget that a book starts with an idea, whether or not it has text, and illustration is at its service. Successful illustration extends, embellishes, illuminates, but never obliterates the idea."

Once Upon a Drawing highlights over 50 years of work by internationally renowned childrenís book illustrator and author, Marcia Brown. Brown is a three-time recipient of the Caldecott Award---the highest honor an American picture book illustrator can receive. She received her first Caldecott Medal for Cinderella in 1955, followed by Once a Mouse in 1962, and Shadow in 1983. Brown has illustrated over 30 books, 14 of which are featured in Once Upon a Drawing.

Included throughout the exhibit are examples from all phases of the illustration process---notes, manuscripts, sketchbooks, book dummies, working drawings, linoleum and woodcuts, trial prints, color separations, and final illustrations. The variety of materials presented in Once Upon a Drawing highlights the spontaneous inspiration, the sustained vision, and the exacting discipline Brown brings to the art of illustrating books for children. An in-depth study of her work reveals that at its root is a boundless affinity for the drawn line ---hence the title of this exhibit, Once Upon a Drawing.

The exhibition is curated from the Marcia Brown Papers housed in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives at the University Libraries.

The conference, Once Upon a Time: Folklore and Fairytales in Children's Literature, is presented in conjunction with the exhibition. It will be held from Friday, March 14 - Saturday, March 15.

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