Civil rights protesters marching in a long line.
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PJ Loughran, Illustration for Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery. Collection of the artist. © 2015 PJ Loughran. Used by permission of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children’s Books

June 19, 2020 - July 28, 2024

This exhibition is the first of its kind to delve into the events, people, and themes of the civil rights movement as told through picture books. Eighty artworks evoke the power of the era that shaped American history and continues to reverberate today. Picture the Dream presents three thematic sections exploring the forces that sparked the civil rights movement, its key players and events, and stories about the reemergence of activism in contemporary America. From Brown vs. the Board of Education and the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the March on Washington and Black Lives Matter, the picture books’ topics bridge the past and present, emphasizing how historical moments and leaders continue to inspire the struggle for equal rights.

Curated by Andrea Davis Pinkney.

Co-organized by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia.

Schedule 

June 19 – November 8, 2020 
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA 

February 7 – July 3, 2021
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

April 1 – July 24, 2022
New-York Historical Society, New York, NY

April 1 – July 28, 2024
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, Topeka, KS
(Exhibition of reproductions)

Exhibition Highlights
Illustration of boy looking at artwork that says "Black Lives Matter."
An illustration of Martin Luther King with his chin resting on his hands
Illustration of girl sleeping on bed without blanket.
Girl in white dress and pink coat looking up with hands clasped.
Illustration of two children drinking at water fountains with signs overhead that read "white" and "colored."
Illustration of child praying with bird flying overhead.
A black boy is show with a wreath around his face and a black crow is on the left.
Girl helping boy over fence.
Earl Bradley (E. B.) Lewis, Illustration for The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson. Collection of Harriet and Michael A. Seidman. © 2001 E. B. Lewis. Used by permission of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Featured Artists

Stephen Alcorn, Benny Andrews, Keturah A. Bobo, R. Gregory Christie, Bryan Collier, Raúl Colón, Floyd Cooper, Shane W. Evans, AG Ford, George Ford, Laura Freeman, Vashti Harrison, Ekua Holmes, Brittany Jackson, Gordon C. James, Charlotta Janssen, Leonard Jenkins, Tim Ladwig, Philippe Lardy, Earl Bradley (E. B.) Lewis, PJ Loughran, Frank Morrison, Innosanto Nagara, Kadir Nelson, Vanessa Brantley Newton, Brian Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney, Andrea Pippins, Nate Powell, Sean Qualls, Selina Alko, James E. Ransome, Peter Reynolds, Faith Ringgold, Van Thanh Rudd, Jared Andrew Schorr, Brian Selznick, Shadra Strickland, John Thompson, Eric Velasquez, Purple Wong 

Explore Further
Illustration of boy looking at artwork that says "Black Lives Matter."
Past Exhibition

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children’s Books

February 7 - July 3, 2021
The historic events, people, and themes of the civil rights movement are brought to life in original picture-book illustrations by 40 artists.  
An illustration of Martin Luther King with his chin resting on his hands
News & Press

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children's Books

The first exhibition of its kind to delve into the historic events, people, and themes of the civil rights movement as told through picture books.
Visit the shop

In the Bookshop

Close up illustration of a young Black boy's face. Colorful collage flower petals and a starry night sky can be seen behind him.

All Because You Matter

Three children are in the forefront standing holding hands in front of a crowd of protesters holding signs.

Let The Children March

A Black girl wearing a yellow shirt and purple headband sits against a white background.

I Am Enough

An woman with grey hair and can stands in front of the American flag.

Lillian's Right to Vote

A child jumps with arms stretched overhead and smiling exuberantly against a sunny backdrop.

Hands Up!

Cover image for Boycott Blues shows a top illustration of a person spotlight at night waiting for the bus. The lower illustrations shows a crowd of people passing a bus on foot.

Boycott Blues