Our family went to the Maurice Sendak exhibition : ‘There is a Mystery there:Sendak on Sendak’ at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. The exhibition opened on September 8th and will close its doors on January 19th, 2010, so you have plenty of time to go and discover it.
The exhibition features original watercolors, drawings, and sketches from Sendak’s books.
What we liked
It is a small exhibition but that worked for us. Why say in 10 galleries what you can say in 4 or 5?
I learned a lot about the Man. I have read ‘where the wild things are’ to my children, it is one of their favorite books but I did not know much about the author and his other books.
Maurice Sendak books are available to read by the exhibition entrance. My youngest (7) spent a lot of time there.
Beautiful artworks, we loved discovering what his first idea for the 'Where the Wild Things Are' book cover had been.
The kids (7 and 11) got a gallery discovery booklet, courtesy of the museum. They were not in the mood to play the games or answer the questions, they just took the cut-outs inside and looked for the matching figures on the walls. It was not the purpose of the figures but that definitely kept them busy and had them look at every single artwork.
There is a video showing Maurice Sendak talking. We liked that we could put a face and voice on the author.
What we did not like so much
I have to say that we found the exhibition very enjoyable.However, my 11 years old daughter regretted that there was not enough watercolors and drawings from 'Where the Wild Things Are'.
Should you go?
If you like Maurice Sendak or even if you know only ‘where the wild things are’, give it a try. We had a nice time, the exhibition is small enough that you can be looking at some part of the exhibition and your children (unless they are toddlers) at another part. It is a feel good exhibition. Go check it out. The museum is free this Sunday October 18th as part of the Target Family Day event.
For a younger children approach, read Amy Graff story on her visit with her 5 years old son.
The movie 'Where the Wild Things Are' is being released on October 16th. You could do a Where the Wild Things Are themed week-end by going to the exhibition and to the movies!
MUSEUM INFORMATION
Jewish Museum San Francisco
www.thecjm.org
736 Mission Street, San Francisco
(415) 655-7800
Museum Hours
Daily (except Wednesday) - 11 AM - 5 PM
Thursday - 1 PM - 8 PM
Tickets
Adults: $10
Seniors (65 and older) and students with a valid ID: $8
Members and youth 18 and under: Free
Thursdays after 5 PM: $5 for all visitors (free for children 18 and under and Members)
Admission includes entry to all galleries/exhibitions.
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