Penn College News

Illustrative gallery exhibit draws new generation

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Sporting her “The Poky Little Puppy” T-shirt, Lutz leads the next generation of art enthusiasts through the gallery exhibition.No trip to The Gallery at Penn College is complete without a peek out the large window that offers a glorious view of campus.Appropriately enough, youngsters from the Dunham Children’s Learning Center enjoyed an educational adventure across Pennsylvania College of Technology’s campus to see the Little Golden Books exhibition in The Gallery at Penn College.

On Thursday morning, 3- and 4-year-olds from the “Bears” group received a private tour of “Golden Legacy: Original Art from 75 Years of Golden Books” with Gallery Director Penny Griffin Lutz. (Next week, 4- and 5-year-olds from the “Birds” group will take their turn.)

On display through March 30, the exhibit showcases 65 original illustrations from Little Golden Books published from 1942 to 2017.



Book lovers, unite! One of the children (back row, third from right) holds the copy of “The Poky Little Puppy” that the gallery director gave the children as a keepsake for their classroom.After a full gallery tour, complete with curiosity-stirring visuals and ample questions posed to the gallery director (aka “Miss Penny”), the children were treated to a story time on the first floor of The Madigan Library with Nicole S. Warner, archives and special collections librarian.

“The Golden Books display at The Madigan Library is an amazing educational opportunity for children and adults of all ages to experience,” said Linda A. Reichert, director of the Children’s Learning Center. “I, myself, enjoyed seeing the children enjoy the display and story time along with a wonderful ‘trip down memory lane.’”

On the first floor of the library, Warner treats the “Bears” group to a story time ...... that enchanted the little listeners.The exhibit is free and open to the public. The Gallery at Penn College, on the third floor of the library, is open 2 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. (The gallery is closed on Saturdays.)

Prior to visiting, guests should view the college’s Continuity of Operations Plan page for current guidelines related to the pandemic.

Organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature in Abilene, Texas, the exhibition presents the rich history of the beloved book series, including a spotlight on the talented illustrators. In a unique outreach, Penn College graphic design students reenvisioned the classic illustrations for a display of their own on the library’s first floor.