Step Through the Magic Mirror with Anthony Browne for the final time
21 Feb 2012
Anthony Browne, former Children’s Laureate and award-winning author and illustrator, ended February Half Time with two exclusive events.
February Half Term was rounded off in style with an event on Sat 18 Feb which was packed full of apeing around. 50 cheeky monkeys piled into the Artist’s Attic for the chance to meet Anthony Browne, star of Seven Stories current exhibition, Through the Magic Mirror, the World of Anthony Browne. With the exhibition closing it’s doors on Wednesday 29 March, this was the perfect opportunity to wave goodbye to Gorilla, Willy the Champ, Little Beauty and all of their friends. Plenty of audience participation was needed to play a very special round of The Shape Game with Anthony, who’s laureateship was heavily influenced by the game he played as a child.
Adults looking for an insight into the world of a best-selling illustrator where invited to join Anthony for an exclusive Illustration Master Class on Friday 17 February. Anthony candidly talked about what it is like to illustrate for children’s books and divulged little known information about the picture book business. A mixture of presentation and practical application, the event captured the imagination of budding North East illustrators.
One attendee commented, “Anthony has given me the confidence to draw, something which I should have done for years”. While another added, “It was brilliant to see how a professional illustrator works, Anthony gave truly inspirational advice.”
Speaking prior to his events, Anthony said, ““I'm really looking forward to meeting the illustrators, young and old, looking at their work, talking about it and telling them about how I started. I hope to inspire them and be inspired by them. I'm also looking forward to seeing the fantastic Seven Stories, and having a last look at Through the Magic Mirror exhibition before it moves on."
With almost 40 books for children, Anthony Browne has been awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal for Zoo and is the first British illustrator to win the Hans Christian Anderson Award for services to children’s literature.
Anthony Browne, the Children’s Laureate 2009 – 2011, is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning author and illustrator who has been making picture books for over thirty years. He is well known all over the world for characters such as Willy the Wimp and Gorilla. Throughout Anthony’s Laureateship he encouraged children and adults to appreciate picture books, through the reading of pictures and words. Anthony believes firmly that being able to ‘read’ pictures helps us to understand both the world around us, and our own emotions.
Anthony explains, “I believe the best picture books leave a tantalising gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that’s filled by the reader’s imagination, adding so much to the excitement of the book.”
Through the Magic Mirror, the World of Anthony Browne immerses visitors into Anthony’s picture book world, pushing the boundary of exhibition design for children. Visitors are greeted with life size adaptations of his work combined with original illustrations from over 30 of his picture book titles including Gorilla, Into the Forest, Zoo, Little Beauty and Willy the Champ.
Through the Magic Mirror, the World of Anthony Browne will be on display at Seven Stories until Wednesday 29 February 2012.
Signed copies of some of Anthony’s books are available in the Seven Stories Bookshop while stocks last. Free entry Monday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm or Sundays and Bank Holidays: 10am – 4pm.
Aged 11+ and want to know about writing Young Adult fiction? Join critically acclaimed writer Keith Grey for a Creative Writing Workshop on Saturday 2 June.
