Illustrating Alaska: Artists Making Children’s Books Exhibit on display @ UAS Egan Library, June 2023

The exhibit, curated by Sarah Asper-Smith, highlights the process of four different Alaskan illustrators: Jim Fowler, Evon Zerbetz, Michaela Goade, and Mitchell Watley.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: May 30, 2023

Illustrating Alaska: Artists Making Children’s Books explores the colorful and intriguing process of illustrating children’s books. The exhibit, curated by Sarah Asper-Smith, highlights the process of four different Alaskan illustrators: Jim Fowler, Evon Zerbetz, Michaela Goade, and Mitchell Watley. Each has a unique perspective on creating illustrations for a children’s book. The 10-panels of the pop-up exhibit show the milestones in the process of making a 32-page children’s book.

The exhibit is open to the public during regular library summer hours (M-Th 9:00 AM-7:00 PM, Su 1:00-7:00 PM). Please note, this is not the full exhibit originally displayed at the Alaska State Museum in 2021. Anyone unable to visit the exhibit is encouraged to explore the online exhibit.

The exhibit coincides with and complements the UAS summer course offering, Education 603: Alaska Literature for Young People taught by UAS School of Education Professor Emerita Katy Spangler. Students in the course take a deep dive into the library’s Katy Spangler Children's Alaskana Collection. This special collection features over 2,000 titles and includes Alaska-related books for children and young adults. Much of the collection has been donated by Spangler.

Please direct questions and press inquiries to Jonas Lamb, UAS Public Services Librarian, j.lamb@alaska.edu 907-796-6440.