Exhibition pays tribute to the work of Maurice Sendak BOUNDLESS LEGACY

if you go

What: “Maurice Sendak: A 50 Year Tribute”

Where: The Butler Institute of American Art

When: Opening from 1 to 3 p.m. May 18

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

An exhibition by the late Maurice Sendak will open May 18 at the Butler Institute of American Art and run through July 6.

Titled “Maurice Sendak: A 50 Year Tribute,” the exhibition will honor the legacy and work of one of America’s most-beloved illustrators and storytellers. Sendak, whose book “Where the Wild Things Are” has been a children’s staple for decades, died in 2012 at 83.

Several special programs — including a new self-guided tour that uses cellphones —and events will accompany the exhibition.

Although Sendak expressed himself in many books, operas, films and art, “Where the Wild Things Are” remains his signature work. More than 22 million copies of the Caldecott Medal-winning book have been sold.

Illustrations and drawing from the classic book, as well as other favorites, are included in the 50 works in the exhibition.

“Sendak was a somewhat contradictory personality,” said Steve Brezzo, curator of the exhibition. “He loved people, but at a distance. Rather than his peers, his intimates were more likely to be Mozart, Keats and Blake, but in person, he was quick-witted, arch and vastly literate.

“Sendak was a true original. He is often described as having had a famously difficult childhood that left him churlish and withdrawn — a mix that along with his artistic skill and talent resulted in boundless originality and creativity.”

Butler Museum director Louis Zona called Sendak an unsentimental genius. “His stories and imagery form a legacy that has generations of devotees, and that will carry on for years to come,” he said.

The Sendak exhibition will see the launch of a new interactive cellphone tour at the Butler.

This mobile interpretive program has stops posted throughout the galleries. Visitors will be able to listen to the tour content at their own time and pace in several ways: by dialing it on their cellphone, streaming live audio using their smartphone, and by downloading the tour from home onto an MP3 player or tablet.

Through the feedback function, visitors can comment about the exhibition, the Butler and this new mobile tour experience.

The exhibition opening, from 1 to 3 p.m. May 18, will feature a free family day and reception, with Mayor John McNally reading “Where the Wild Things Are.”

The newly redesigned Sweeney Children’s Gallery will offer hands-on activities for children during the run of the show. Youngsters will have the opportunity to create their own “Wild Things” through a variety of media. The gallery is on the museum’s lower level and is open during regular Butler hours.

Here is a list of special programs that will take place in conjunction with the Sendak exhibition:

May: Hear the story “Where the Wild Things Are” and join in other fun activities. For ages 4-5.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Newport Library, next Monday, 5:30 p.m.; Canfield Library, May 13, 10 a.m.; Boardman Library, May 13, 10 a.m.; Poland Library, May 13, 1 p.m.; and Austintown Library, May 14, 11:30 a.m. Call the library for information at 330-744-8636.

Sunday, May 18: Opening reception, 1-3 p.m. and Free Family Day, 1:30 p.m. Join Sandy Trolio, a Butler art instructor, and Butler docents for an afternoon of fun. Listen to a reading of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” visit the exhibition and then create a work of art based on the book in the Sweeney Children’s Gallery.

Wednesday, June 18: Story time with Rick Shale at 3 p.m.

Saturday movie screenings, June 7, 14, 21 and 28: “Where the Wild Things Are” (2009), directed by Spike Jonze (Rated PG), at noon; and several short stories by Sendak, for ages 3-8, at 2 p.m.