LET'S ALL GO BACK TO THE SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS MUSEUM & 128 BAR

Let's all go back to the Society of Illustrators Museum of Illustration & 128 Bar on Saturday August 9th from 11:30am - 1:30pm to share in and see some wonderful illustrations, and to enjoy a coffee or a cocktail as well!

TICKETS
Please purchase tickets at the link below for the 11:00am - 12:30pm timeslot. You WILL NOT have to leave at 12:30pm, this just means that you can show up during those times. You can also purchase tickets on site if you want, however, I recommend purchasing in advance. Tickets include admission to the Museum and 128 Bar.

https://societyillustrators.org/shop/admissions/admission-tickets/

NOTE: Please request Saturday August 9th for your ticket at the link above.

Adults : $18.00
Seniors (65+): $12.00
Students (full-time undergraduate and below with current ID): $12.00
Culture Pass: FREE (Provide receipt from third-party site)

HISTORY

Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators is the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. Notable Society members have been N.C. Wyeth, Rube Goldberg, and Norman Rockwell, among many others. Our Museum of Illustration was established in 1981. We offer year-round themed exhibits, art education programs and annual juried competitions. Our Permanent Collection houses 2,500 pieces that are cataloged for scholarly use and displayed periodically. In 2012, we created the MoCCA Gallery with a focus on curated exhibits of comic and cartoon art.

The Society’s 128 Bar is located within the third floor Garden Gallery. Visitors to The 128 Bar will find a perfect pairing of new and old, with modern touches to classic favorite cocktails. The bar is situated under Norman Rockwell’s “The Dover Coach”, a large-scale oil painting featuring Christmas travelers created for The Saturday Evening Post. Donated by the artist in 1939, this famous painting has become a favorite of visitors and members to the Museum. 128 Bar offers a full bar with wine, mixed drinks, coffee, espresso, etc. A wonderful place to wind down after the exhibition in their beautiful bar and outside garden area with tables to relax in your own private oasis within the city.

THE EXHIBITIONS WE ARE GOING TO SEE:

# The Journey From Home: Illustrations of James E. Ransome

The solo exhibition The Journey from Home will feature 26 works spanning the 35-year career of the illustrator James E. Ransome. Many of the works are from the over 73 children’s books that he has illustrated, including four books that he wrote, and 20 books authored by his loving wife Lesa Cline-Ransome. The show also includes Bikers in the Park, his first student illustration exhibited at the Society, editorial illustrations for Alta magazine, and theater posters for Arena Stage.

# Peter Kuper’s Insectopolis: A Natural History

Explore the extraordinary world of insects and their deep connections to humanity throughout the ages. This graphic nonfiction work, Insectopolis: A Natural History, illustrated by acclaimed cartoonist Peter Kuper, is a visual feast layering history and science, color and design, to tell the remarkable tales of dung beetles navigating by the stars, hawk-size prehistoric dragonflies hunting prey, and mosquitoes changing the course of human history. The exhibition also shines a light on pioneering naturalists, celebrating both renowned figures like E. O. Wilson and Rachel Carson, and unsung heroes such as Charles Henry Turner, a Black American scientist whose groundbreaking research documented insect intelligence, and Maria Sibylla Merian, the 17th-century artist and naturalist widely considered the mother of entomology.

# Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey • Edel Rodriguez

When Fidel Castro opened the Mariel harbor to let Cubans sail for America, Edel Rodriguez and his family took their chance. From the town of El Gabriel to the Mariel port to a rickety shrimping boat bound for Florida, they joined the 1980 boatlift, becoming “worms,” as Castro called the departing Cubans. Years later, Edel Rodriguez has become one of the most prominent political artists of our age, hailed for his iconic work on the cover of Time, Der Spiegel and on jumbotrons around the world. In stunning visual detail, Worm tells his story—of a boyhood in Cold War Cuba, of a family’s courage and displacement, and of coming of age as an artist, activist, and American. This exhibition brings together a large collection of original drawings from Rodriguez’s graphic memoir “Worm”, along with the source material, artifacts and photographs which inspired the author to write and illustrate his award winning graphic novel memoir. The exhibition also delves into Rodriguez’s political art. On display are the artist’s renowned magazine covers, original paintings, silkscreened posters and short films which tell the story of an immigrant artist fighting for freedom in today’s America.