University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum will be holding their 2020 annual Summer Conference July 13-15. As a commitment to the continued health and safety of patrons and staff, the Museum has decided to offer this year’s event virtually through Zoom.

While being held as never before, this year’s virtual Mazza Museum Summer Conference is a three-day conference that brings together internationally known authors and illustrators from across the country to share information about themselves and the art they create for picture books.

Inspiring keynote presentations will be held daily along with multiple breakout sessions covering everything from library topics to information for aspiring authors and artists. All presentations and breakout sessions will be presented via Zoom and recordings of each will be available for up to 3-months after the conference to paid attendees.

Benjamin Sapp, director of the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum, said the Summer Conference, “is a yearly tradition. We need each other and the message that each of the presenters will be giving through picture books. The Conference is like a family reunion and we hope to make it that way even in this virtual format.”

Join the Mazza Museum in welcoming this year’s keynote speakers, authors, and artists:

• Keynote Speakers:
  • Daniel Minter’s books for young people are read in schools and libraries around the world. He has illustrated over a dozen children’s books, including Going Down Home with Daddy, which won a Caldecott Honor.
  • Wendell Minoris nationally known for the artwork he has created for over fifty award-winning children’s books. In 2009 Wendell and Florence’s If You Were a Penguin, was chosen by Pennsylvania for their “One Book, Every Young Child” 2009 early literacy program.
  • Elizabet Vukovicis a freelance illustrator born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she still resides. She now devotes herself fulltime to illustration for children and other venues.

• Authors, Illustrators, and other Speakers:
  • Will Hillenbrand – Author/Illustrator
  • Barbra Rutledge
  • Lindsey Buddelmeyer
  • Amy Harley
  • Michaela Pinzone
  • Deep Mehta
  • Brooke Wallace
  • Hitomi Otani – Author/Illustrator
  • Amy Schlessman, D.H.Sc., D.P.T.
  • Holly Dragisich
  • Joe Cepeda – Author/Illustrator
  • Kevin D. Cordi
  • Christina Dorr, Ph.D.

For more information on the Summer Conference including the full itinerary, Zoom meetings, and event registration, visit the Mazza Museum’s website.