Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

About

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, is the first museum in the United States devoted to celebrating picture books and picture-book illustration as a serious art form. Founded in 2002 by Eric Carle, beloved creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and his wife Barbara, the museum collects, preserves, and presents original picture-book art from artists around the world. The museum's permanent collection includes original illustrations from Eric Carle alongside work by other iconic picture-book artists from the United States, Europe, Japan, and beyond. Rotating exhibitions highlight both classic and contemporary illustration, exploring the visual languages that children encounter in their earliest reading experiences. The Story Board program brings picture-book storytelling into gallery spaces with immersive installations. The Art Studio is central to the museum's educational mission: visitors can engage in art-making activities inspired by current exhibitions, exploring techniques used by picture-book illustrators such as tissue-paper collage, printmaking, and drawing. The museum's Borrow Art program allows members to take original prints home for extended periods — an unusual offering that deepens the relationship between visitors and original artwork. Educational programs connect picture books to literacy, visual arts, and social-emotional learning for children from early childhood through the elementary years. The museum partners with Simmons University on graduate programs in children's literature and library science. The Carle also runs an international prize celebrating picture-book art from around the world.

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