Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

INDIANAPOLIS (July 17, 2020) – Colorful adventures await in the traveling exhibit, “Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit,” now open at the Indiana State Museum.

At this play-and-learn exhibit, visitors can step into the pages of author and illustrator Eric Carle’s colorful picture books while discovering and playing with the characters from his well-known children’s books. His classic “Very” series, all illustrated in his hand-painted tissue paper collage technique, introduces five special insects who take journeys of discovery. Each story is a testament to Eric Carle’s love of nature, his respect for the emotional lives of children, and his recurring themes of friendship, creativity and the power of imagination.

Visitors will become the Very Hungry Caterpillar as they follow his path, weave a web with the Very Busy Spider, find their light with the Very Lonely Firefly, make the Very Clumsy Click Beetle flip and jump, compose a night symphony with the Very Quiet Cricket, create artwork using many of Eric Carle’s techniques, enjoy a gallery of prints from Eric Carle’s “Very” book series and more.

“Our visitors have an opportunity to discover, explore and learn with the characters from Eric Carle’s beloved ‘Very’ children’s book series in this experience,” said Cathy Ferree, president and CEO of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “This exhibit is a wonderful way for children – and adults – to use their imagination, learn new artistic skills and connect with their creativity.”

Because nothing is more important than the safety of our visitors, the Indiana State Museum requires visitors to pre-register for timed tickets for this experience so that we can limit gallery capacity. Visitors can enjoy a 45-minute time slot with no more than 15 visitors in the space at one time. This allows visitors to follow social distancing recommendations due to COVID-19 and for our staff to deep clean all hands-on interactives every hour. Time slots can be reserved at www.indianamuseum.org/very-eric-carle.

This exhibit will be open through Sept. 7 and is included with the purchase of general admission.

Co-organized by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts, “Very Eric Carle” is the first North American traveling exhibit for children inspired by the art of Eric Carle.

For photos of the experience, visit this link: https://bit.ly/390M6Xq

# # #

About the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is a statewide museum system with 12 locations, offering visitors a chance to engage with Indiana’s past and present and see how their actions help shape the future. At each location, visitors are invited to explore big questions and create lasting experiences that will resonate long after each visit ends. Whether interested in art or architecture, history or science, there’s something for everyone and every interest. The Indianapolis museum is located in White River State Park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The historic sites are located statewide, stretching from Rome City in northeastern Indiana to Evansville in the southwest.

About Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is a place that delights and inspires children, where they can take off on fantastic flights of imagination daily, and return to earth to splash in a river, hammer a nail and ink a silkscreen. With 80,000 square feet of space, the Museum welcomes nearly 275,000 visitors annually and provides tons of fun and loads of “real stuff” experiences for play and learning. Permanent hands-on, interactive exhibit areas at the Museum include The Studio, Theater, Waterplay, Attic, Nursery, Backyard and MAKESHOP®. The Museum’s award-winning, three-story, center building is screened by a shimmering wind Sculpture and connects two historic structures (Allegheny Post Office Building & the Buhl Building). In 2006, the Museum was named as one of the nation’s ten top children’s museums by Parents magazine. For further information, call 412-322-5058 or visit www.pittsburghkids.org.

About Eric Carle and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Eric Carle is the renowned author and illustrator of more than 70 books, including the 1969 classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The mission of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, a non-profit organization in Amherst, MA, is to inspire a love of art and reading through picture books. The only full-scale museum of its kind in the United States, The Carle collects, preserves, presents, and celebrates picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world. In addition to underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form, The Carle offers educational programs that provide a foundation for arts integration and literacy. Eric and Barbara Carle founded the Museum in November 2002. Since opening, the 40,000-square-foot facility has served more than half a million visitors, including 30,000 schoolchildren. The Carle houses more than 13,000 objects, including 6,600 permanent collection illustrations. For further information, visit the Museum’s website at www.carlemuseum.org.