Katy Thompson, Children’s Education Associate
It’s World Read Aloud Day! Started by LitWorld in 2010, World Read Aloud Day celebrates shared stories and advocates for literacy.
Why does an art museum blog care about World Read Aloud Day?
Because, at its core, art tells a story, too! Art museums specialize in exhibiting visual narratives from artists near and far, dead and alive! We hold many artworks that illustrate a scene from a fictional story, history, or even the artists imagination! Sometimes, the artist manages to get multiple scenes into one work.
Think, for a moment, on your favorite children’s book, either growing up or now. What did you love about it? The illustrations, perhaps? As an adult, I love when my fictional stories include maps of the setting and illustrations of the characters, as it helps me, as the reader, move further into the story and away from reality. And what is the written word, and artwork, but a form of escapism?
Over the last year, we asked the FWMoA volunteer docents to read aloud some children’s books that relate to art: from stories about specific artists to museum visits to exploring the art of looking. Let our FWMoA Docents read to you by following this link: Let Us Read to You.
Below, you’ll find a few of our favorite artworks from the FWMoA permanent collection that tell a story or that ask you to tell a story about them! Grab a friend and have a conversation: what story is illustrated or what story can you make up and tell aloud?
Irving Amen chose to illustrate a moment from the story Don Quixote and the Windmill by Miguel de Cervantes. Irving Amen, American, 1918-2011. Quest. Color lithograph. Gift of Irving Amen, 1981.06.1. Photo courtesy of FWMoA. 
Inspired by the fairy tales her mother read to her as a child, artist Kirsty Mitchell creates the costumes and chooses the scenes for her photographs. Kirsty Mitchell, British, b. 1976. The Journey Home. Archival pigment print, 2013. Museum purchase, 2018.92. Photo courtesy of FWMoA. 
A scene of everyday life, Carmen Lomas Garza has illustrated the art of tamale-making. What can we learn about this family from their kitchen? Carment Lomas Garza, American, b. 1948. Tamalada (Making Tamales). Color lithograph, 1990. Gift of June E. Enoch, 1997.13. 
What happens directly following this scene? Or right before the child touches the toadstool? William Forsyth, American, 1854-1935. Fairy Ring. Gouache, watercolor, and graphite on paper board. Gift of Eleanor A. Golden, 2002.07. Photo courtesy of FWMoA.
