Drawn Apart

FEATURED ARTIST:Stephen Gammell

 

Curator’s Statement

When Stephen Gammell first approached the Mazza Museum about donating his personal works, he was reluctant to include some of his most iconic illustrations. During the 1980s, his artwork was considered the highest standard of picture book illustration, earning the Caldecott Medallion and two additional Caldecott Honors. At the same time, Stephen earned a less desirable distinction: he created the artwork for the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, which became the most-banned books of the 1990s.

Yet, for every critic that called for censorship, the Scary Stories books led scores of young readers to discover a passion for illustration and reading. In 2011, Harper Collins published a new edition of the series, featuring art by Brett Helquist. After a public outcry from fans, the publishers issued a new printing, reinstating Stephen’s original artwork.

In the thirty years since their creation, the Scary Stories series has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning documentaries, tribute exhibitions, a 2019 feature film, and the highest praise a fan can offer an artist: tattoos. Yet, Stephen was hesitant to share the original artwork from these books, knowing that they often provoke a powerful response.  He sent a hand-written disclaimer, which the museum has posted beside his works, as requested.

Throughout Stephen’s career, he approached each book as a separate project, employing whichever techniques were most conducive to the narrative. Although they were drawn apart, the Mazza Museum is honored to exhibit these pieces together, in the first retrospective of Stephen Gammell’s illustrations. In this celebration of Stephen’s career, you will find artwork from his first and last published books alongside original Caldecott-winning illustrations and their preliminaries. You will even find a few of Stephen’s personal items on display, which offer a glimpse into the mind of a master storyteller.

Dan Chudzinski
Curator, Mazza Museum