In A Nutshell: The Worlds Of Maurice Sendak

Let the wild rumpus start! Join us Thursday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Second Floor Gallery, as we celebrate the opening of In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak. Lakewood Public Library is one of only 35 North American libraries to be awarded this travelling exhibition by the American Library Association. 

Best known for Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, Maurice Sendak has illustrated more than 100 books. Growing up in Brooklyn during the 1930s, Sendak’s childhood was typically American. However as the son of Polish immigrants, he was fascinated with old photos of his relatives who died during the Holocaust.  This collision of the Old and New Worlds of his Jewish upbringing is revealed in his classic children’s books and is explored throughout the exhibit.

Rabbi Alan Lettofsky will give the opening remarks at the reception, discussing Jewish expression in the work of Maurice Sendak. Lettofsky currently serves as the part-time rabbi at The West Temple, and also teaches Modern Hebrew and Jewish History at Kent State University. 

For the reception, Lakewood-native Max Mueller will play his original musical score of Where the Wild Things Are.  Mueller is currently the director of a music education project called Music on the Verge based in Los Angeles.  The project aims to foster in young people a love of creating music, while also building confidence and encouraging collaboration.

The exhibit will be on display from December 28th through February 24th in the Main Library Second Floor Gallery. The opening reception marks the first of five events being held in conjunction with the exhibit. To find out more about the other events, go to www.lakewoodpubliclibrary.org/calendar/ or check out the current Fall and Winter Program Guide. Also, look for future events in the next issue of The Lakewood Observer.

In a Nutshell was organized by the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia, and developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture, and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by grants from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, and an anonymous donor, with additional support from Tablet Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life. The exhibit was curated by Patrick Rodgers of the Rosenbach Museum & Library. The local contributors to this special exhibit and the accompanying programs are The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, CityMusic Cleveland and The Friends of the Lakewood Public Library.