Last night after work I dashed off to the New Art Center in Newton, to take a peek at their new exhibit, The Visions and Voices of Children’s Book Illustrators, and take part in an art and poetry workshop with Douglas Florian. About 50 of us (children and adults) listened and laughed as Florian introduced us to his poetry and entertained us with his drawings. Then we all put pencils and craypas and scissors to paper, churning out poetry and art of our own. The results were perhaps not *quite* as polished as Florian’s efforts, but the process was just as fun, as was the entire evening.

Florian is one of the 13 illustrators whose works are part of the exhibit at the New Art Center, a bright and airy space whose stained glass windows both hint at the building’s former life (as a church) and reflect its current role as a place committed to bringing art to the masses. More than just a place to view art, this is a non-profit community art center that offers art workshops and creativity classes for all ages — the perfect place to host an exhibit like this one.

For Visions and Voices… curators Julie Bernson and Ceci Mendez have assembled representative works from a culturally diverse and talented batch of illustrators: Douglas Florian, Timothy Basil Ering, Ashley Bryan, Maya Christina Gonzalez, Rebecca Doughty, Christopher Myers, Malcah Zeldis, Yumi Heo, Cece Bell, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Giselle Potter, Donald Saaf, and Grace Lin. The results are a panoply of color and intriguing mix of styles. The crisp lines and bold shapes of Grace Lin’s paintings for Fortune Cookie Fortunes stare back at the raucous, unorthodox pieces assembled by Timothy Basil Ering for The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone. The rounded shapes of Maya Christina Gonzalez’s illustrations for My Diary from Here to There contrast nicely with the torn edges and collaged features of Christopher Myers’ portraits from Harlem and Blues Journey. And then there are the joyous, playful contributions of Rebecca Doughty, who treats viewers to a few sketches from her forthcoming book, Some Helpful Tips for a Better World and a Happier Life. I laughed out loud at the sketch advising readers to “experiment with your hair-do’s,” and love that she chose to include her editors’ Post-it notes, jumbled along one side of the sketch montage.

If you’re lamenting the fact that you’re missing out on this fun, fear not! The Visions and Voices… exhibit runs through May 20, 2007, so you’ve still got time to get to Newton. If you want to double your fun, visit on Sunday, May 6th, when from 2-5 pm the New Art Center will be hosting a book festival with 10 or 11 of the exhibit’s illustrators in attendance.