LeUyen Pham’s Colorful Characters Inhabit NCCIL Exhibit

What does it look like when you bring a bear, a unicorn, a kitty, a turtle, a vampire, a mouse, a princess, and a child together? It looks like a LeUyen Pham exhibit at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature.

Pham was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) but left with her family in the final days of the Vietnam War. After settling in southern California, she found her love for illustration while studying political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1996 from the Art Center College of Design and went on to work at DreamWorks Animation after graduating. Pham is most notably recognized for her popular Princess in Black children’s book series, the Vampirina Ballerina series, which went on to be an animated Disney series, Bear Came Along, her Caldecott Honor, and the New York Times best-selling Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn.

Pham has illustrated more than 135 books and is a national, award-winning illustrator. The Abilene community was proud to host her in June during the annual Children’s Art + Literacy Festival, put on by the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council in partnership with the NCCIL and other downtown businesses, volunteers, city officials and art organizations. The festival brought thousands to the downtown area for storybook readings, art projects, character encounters, and more, all in celebration of LeUyen’s illustrations and picture books, which are currently on display at the NCCIL.

When NCCIL curator Sewon Kang first sat down with Pham’s art to organize the exhibition, she kept coming back to one thing – the characters. Every piece in Pham’s current exhibition celebrates the imaginative nature of art, pushing the boundaries of reality into a world of creativity. Kang knew immediately what the overarching theme of the exhibit had to be: the characters!

As children and adults alike walk through the gallery, they will meet all kinds of unique new friends. Some are colorful reflections of ourselves, while others are clever creations that compliment the author’s vision. In Pham’s Caldecott Honor book, Bear Came Along, each unique character brings something new to the story as they are introduced.

“It was one of those rare stories that, the moment I read it, I knew exactly how it would look,” LeUyen said.

She said sometimes “it takes a small thing, like animals in a forest falling into a river” to realize that although we often become divided, we all live on the same earth.

At the NCCIL, guests can interact with characters, create beautiful projects based on her art, and immerse themselves into the story while reading through the books that are paired with the original artwork on the walls. Pham’s exhibition “LeUyen Came Along” will be on display at the NCCIL through Sept. 13 and admission is always free! The NCCIL hosts Family Fun Saturdays every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for families to see the art and create a free project together. Don’t miss a chance to see LeUyen’s exhibit, where every character is welcome!

Contributed By The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature