For more event details and to register, visit https://portsmouthhistory.org/events/imagine-that-members-only-celebration-reception/
Join us for a celebration of “Imagine That! The Power of Picture Books”
The galleries are open to the public 10:00 am – 5:00 pm at our Welcome Center at 10 Middle Street. We will host extended hours until 6:00 pm for reception guests. Please visit the exhibition prior to attending the reception. The Welcome Center is located across the street from the John Paul Jones House.
Parking is available at the Bridge Street parking lot or in the Foundry Place Garage.
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Join Cathryn Mercier, PhD, in-person and via Zoom, for a discussion on how the role of picture books and illustration has changed over the past one hundred years.
As an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College (BA ’81) Cathie Mercier was drawn to the scientific emphasis and empiricism of experimental psychology. A psychology major, she did not take her first course in children’s literature until her senior year. “Like Alice, I fell down the rabbit hole and I’ve yet to come up,” said Mercier.
will read from and sign copies of the newly released anthology celebrating the talents of our region. Copies available in the Museum Shop!
It’s finally cooled down a bit! Now is definitely the right time to go on one of our walking tours!
Tours go out every day, with specialty tours a few times a month. Get your tickets today!
Nothing fit your schedule? Book a private tour! Just reach out to tour manager Robin Lurie-Meyerkopf or give us a call, 603-436-8433
In advance of next year’s celebrations, this commemorative book will give readers a sense of “who we are” and “where we are” as Portsmouth continues its journey from our past before 1623 to our future beyond 2023. Each object is depicted with a full-page photograph accompanied by an essay by a local author – 80 different writers who are the historians, experts, participants, and observers of Portsmouth history best able to explain how each object’s story offers a path into our bigger 400+ year history.
Join us August 5 for Art ‘Round Town, featuring Portsmouth artist Bill Paarlberg! We’ve got lots of t-shirts featuring Bill’s drawing shown above; stop by and get one signed by the artist!
Due to COVID-related difficulties, the Music Hall has had to postpone the upcoming event featuring Chris Van Allsburg. The new date is Sunday, August 28, at 2pm at the Music Hall Lounge.
The GOOD NEWS for all of you ticketholders is that this gives you more time to stop by the Imagine That! exhibition and see his original artwork in person before the show! We’ve got artwork from The Polar Express, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
The $20 ticket not only grants access to all the participating historic houses for the Twilight Tour, but also for the remainder of this season! It’s an absolute steal!
Tickets are $20 for adults (advance purchase only), $10 for children, and $25 on the day of the tour.
Participating sites include:
Children’s Literature scholar, Cathryn Mercier, PhD, of Simmons University, will discuss how the picture book and the role of illustration has changed over the past one hundred years.
As an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College (BA ’81) Cathie Mercier was drawn to the scientific emphasis and empiricism of experimental psychology. A psychology major, she did not take her first course in children’s literature until her senior year. “Like Alice, I fell down the rabbit hole and I’ve yet to come up,” said Mercier.
Cathie was appointed to Simmons in 1985 and has been teaching in the graduate degree program in children’s literature ever since. She teaches criticism, contemporary young adult realism, the child in fiction, the picturebook, and a survey course. Her thesis, independent study, and internship advising embrace a wide range of topics, from a cultural analysis of Printz titles to an annotated bibliography of historical fiction for curricular use. “As advisor of a thesis that asked, ‘What can queer theory tell children’s literature?’ I met regularly with the student to discuss ideas. We both learned from the books, and I hope she learned from me. But I consider it my best teaching experience because of how very much I learned from her,” said Mercier, who was thrilled when part of her student’s thesis was included in a book of new voices in children’s literary criticism.
In addition to teaching, Cathie has contributed to the journal Children’s Literature and to The Horn Book Magazine. Her skill at “close reading, an ability to talk about books so that others see the book at its most ambitious and complex, and a talent for collaboration” has made her a valuable member of national book award committee. She currently serves on the Subaru Prize Committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences/Young Adult Division, and has served on multiple children’s literature award committees.