|
A #1 New York Times Bestseller, Mo Willems’ groundbreaking books and film adaptations have been awarded 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Theodor Geisel Medals, and 2 Carnegie Medals. His debut book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, was one of the inaugural inductees to the Picture Book Hall of Fame (along with Where the Wild Things Are and Make Way for Ducklings). The Pigeon has been called “one of this decade’s contributions to the pantheon of great picture book characters” by the New York Times Book Review. Mo’s drawings, wire sculpture, and ceramics have been exhibited in museums and galleries nationwide, including a recent traveling solo exhibit organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is planning a major retrospective of Mo’s work. Mo was recently commissioned by the Kennedy Center to write a musical adaptation of one of his books, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, a show that is currently touring the country. Mo began his career as a writer and animator for PBS’ Sesame Street, where he garnered 6 Emmy Awards for his writing. SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS | |
| 2010 | Jon J Muth & Mo Willems, sculpture and works from Elephant & Piggie’s Can I Play Too?, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY; Books of Wonder, New York, NY |
| Storytime!, works from Elephant & Piggie’s Elephants Can Not Dance!, Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco, CA | |
| 21st Annual Illustrators Exhibit, sculpture, various book illustrations and ink drawings, Richard Michelson Gallery, Northampton, MA | |
| 2009 | Storybook Stars, work from The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, I am Invited to a Party!, I Love My New Toy!, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH |
| 20th Annual Illustrators Exhibit, various book illustrations and ink drawings, Richard Michelson Gallery, Northampton, MA | |
| Picture Perfect: Art from Caldecott Medal and Honor Books, 2006-2009, work from Knuffle Bunny Too: a Case of Mistaken Identity, Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL | |
| 2008-10 | Knuffle Funny: The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems, Solo retrospective of picture book art, wire, and ceramics; The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, TX; Toledo Library, Toledo, OH; Los Angeles Public Library, Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, FL |
| 2008-09 | 19th Annual Illustrators Exhibit, various book illustrations and ink drawings, Richard Michelson Gallery, Northampton, MA |
| Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration, work from Elephant and Piggie, The Society Of Illustrators, New York, NY, Traveling | |
| 2007-08 | Children Should Be Seen, work from Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah NY; The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA, Los Angeles Public Library |
| Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration, work from Knuffle Bunny Too: a case of mistaken identity, The Society Of Illustrators, New York, NY | |
| 2006 | Guest Curator and Artist, Process, work from Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA |
| Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration, work from Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, The Society Of Illustrators, New York, NY; Richard Stockton State College, NJ | |
| Picture Book Illustrators, work from Picture Books, drawings, and watercolors, Washington Art Society, Washington Depot, CT | |
| 2005 | Fantasy, Facts, and Furry Friends: Caldecott Medal and Honor Books, 2001-2005, work from Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL |
| Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration, work from The Pigeon Loves Things that Go!, The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too and Time to Say “Please!”, The Society Of Illustrators, New York, NY | |
| 2004 | Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration, work from The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog! and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, The Society Of Illustrators, New York, NY |
| The New York Public Library 100 to Read and Share Exhibit, work from Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Donnell Public Library, New York, NY | |
| 2003 | Shoes, ink drawing, Project Room 88, New York, NY |
| 2002 | 9-11, The World’s Greatest Comic Book Writers And Artists Tell Stories To Remember, pen and ink comix, Exit Art, New York, NY; U.S. Library of Congress (exhibition and permanent collection) |
| The Art of Cartoon Network, pencil drawings from Sheep in the Big City, The Museum of Radio and Television, New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA | |
| 1999 | Sesame Street’s “Art From the Fuzzy and Famous”, pen and ink drawing, Every Picture Tells a Story, Los Angeles, CA; International Children’s Art Museum, San Francisco, CA; Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA; Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago, IL; Minnesota Children’s Museum, St. Paul, MN; African American Museum at Fairpark, Dallas, TX; The Children’s Museum of Houston, TX; Detroit Science Center, MI; Capital Children’s Museum, Washington, DC; The Miami Children’s Museum, FL; Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, PA; The Museum of Television and Radio, New York, NY |
| 1997 | Father and Son, carvings on pottery, wire sculpture, sand-blasted tiles, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY |
| 1995 | Bends, candle lit wire sculptures, Curious Pictures, New York, NY |
| 1994 | Wires, candle lit wire sculptures, Ersatz Space, New York, NY |
| Faces II, carvings on pottery (with potter father), Casey Willems Pottery, New Orleans, LA | |
| 1993 | Klee Bowls, carvings on pottery inspired by Paul Klee (with potter father), Guggenheim Museum gift shop, New York, NY |
| 1992 | Faces, carvings on pottery (with potter father), Casey Willems Pottery. New Orleans, LA |
