Storybook Look highlights southern children's illustrators

At the Saenger Theater, most of the action usually happens on stage, but for the next two months, one of the theater's biggest events will be on the floor, as the Storybook Look exhibit hits the theater's gallery.
   Running until May 30, Storybook Look features art from ten children's book illustrators hailing from the South. Between the ten artists, there will be 28 pieces ranging from paintings to photographs to mixed media pieces. Liz Conrad, of Suwanee, Ga., is bringing the exhibit some of its most out-of-the-ordinary pieces, as her works combine mixed media and cut-paper to animate her books "The Snow Ball" and "The Bunny Ball."
   The exhibit's featured artists range from all over the South, with two of the artists being Mississippi natives. Delta native Rick Anderson will be displaying work from his book "'N' Is For Natural State: An Arkansas Alphabet," which depicts the titular state in watercolors and giclée prints. Jackson resident Sara C. Campbell specializes in nature and wildlife photography, as seen in her book "Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator."
Other notable works include Elizabeth O. Dulemba's "Paco and the Giant Chile Plant," a modern day re-telling of "Jack and the Beanstalk," and Rick Spears's paleoart focused "Tales of the Cryptids: Creatures That May or May Not Exist." The exhibit's lineup is rounded out by Ami Blackford, Mark Braught, Karen Stormer Brooks, Laura Knorr and Daniel Powers.
   Though the Saenger has hosted art before, Storybook Look is set to be the first in a series of art exhibits coming to the area throughout the year. "[The Hattiesburg Convention Commission] has partnered with the City of Hattiesburg, Hattiesburg Arts Council, Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association, and Visit Hattiesburg to bring a series of art exhibits from the Southern Arts Federation to our area," Traci Rouse, Communication/Marketing Manager for the Hattiesburg Convention Center, said. Past exhibits that the Southern Arts Federation has brought to Hattiesburg include Breaking the Veils and Remembering the Freedom Summer of 1964.
 Along with the celebration of children's book illustrations, the event is part of the Saenger's 80th anniversary celebration. "We thought it would be great if the guests could check out the exhibit and the Historic Saenger Theater at the same time," Rouse said. "Our goal is to bring people into downtown. So, from April 2 to May 30, we're giving visitors to Hattiesburg and Hattiesburg residents just one more reason to visit downtown."
  The exhibit runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.