Maurice Sendak art exhibit to open at the Butler

IF YOU GO

What: Maurice Sendak exhibit

When: Public reception Sunday, 1 to 3 p.m.

Where: The Butler Institute of American Art

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

An exhibition of works by the late Maurice Sendak opens Sunday at the Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave.

Sendak, who died in 2012 at age 83, remains one of America’s most-beloved illustrators and storytellers. His body of work includes books, opera, film and art, but his signature piece remains the children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are.”

At a public reception for the exhibit from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Mayor John McNally will read the book.

The Sendak exhibit will also include a new interactive cellphone tour. Selected stops will be posted through the gallery, where visitors will be able to listen to the tour content at their own pace by dialing in with their cellphone or streaming it on a smartphone.

The newly redesigned Sweeney Children’s Gallery will offer hands-on activities for children during the run of the Sendak exhibit, which will be on display through July 6.

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.

Sunday also is Art Museum Day, an annual event sponsored by the Association of Art Museum Directors.

Art Museum Day emphasizes the role museums play in their communities, and highlight the value of visual arts in society.

“With free admission and parking daily, and an active program for families, the Butler remains one of America’s most accessible museums of art,” said Louis Zona, Butler director. “We are proud to be a part of the AAMD celebration, and happy to participate in national Art Museum Day.”

Sunday also is International Museum Day.

The Butler is open Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.