UPCOMING

Great Things Are Popping Up
at Nassau County Museum of Art

Pow goes the pop-up
Pop goes the page
Wow goes the reader
Whatever the age!

Nassau County Museum of Art’s Tee Ridder Miniatures Museum announces an exhibit that is sure to be pop-ular with families and children – POP UP Fairy Tales is on view
July 22 through October 12, 2008.

To hold, touch, turn, pull and play with a pop-up book is a stress-free alternative to today’s high tech world of computers and television screens. Children and adults alike appreciate the way a pop-up book invites surprise and fascination. POP UP Fairy Tales combines that “wow” factor of pop-ups with the classic appeal of children’s fairy tales.

Favorite storybook characters, including Cinderella, Goldilocks, Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh and much more, spring to life because of inventive multi-dimensional styles that only moveable books can offer. Museum-goers can expect to see dragons jump off the page and see castles and cottages opened up for viewing.

POP UP Fairy Tales is offered as part of NCMA’s ongoing effort to attract young audiences. “Showcasing this whimsical collection of pop-up books is a perfect complement to Tee Ridder’s dollhouse miniatures,” explains Guest Curator Debra Wells.

The exhibit showcases items lovingly selected from the bookshelves of Long Island collector Leah Fiterstein. Her personal collection consists of more than 1,500 pop-up books, both vintage and contemporary. Each book was chosen for its literary value, age, paper engineering and illustration techniques, as well as fitting into the fairytale theme. A member of the Moveable Book Society, Ms. Fiterstein has been collecting books and other treasures for many years at antique and book fairs, the Internet and from her travels throughout the world.

For those who want to handle the pop-ups at the show, there will be a quaint garden cart filled with specially selected books. Weekend activities are planned, including storytelling and children’s art activities. Free how-to sheets from award-winning author Robert Sabuda are available for those who want to try their skills at this unique 700-year-old art form. The Tee Ridder Gift Shop will also have many books from the displays available for purchase.

Following POP-UP Fairy Tales, the fun continues through January with POP UP Holidays, featuring books themes including Halloween, Hanukah and Charles Dickens’ Christmas stories. For more information and a schedule of events, call 516-484-9338 ext. 12.