The first public exhibition of items in The Maurice Sendak Collection at UConn is “Into the Night: Inspirations and Influences in Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen,” which celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of the most important books by the award-winning children’s author and illustrator. The exhibition, curated by UConn’s Archives and Special Collections, is on display in the gallery at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center in Storrs through Dec. 20. In 1969, Sendak wrote excitedly of In the Night Kitchen. “I’m mad for it-and it’s mad,” he noted about the book that tells the tale of a sleeping boy’s dream about searching for milk to help bake a cake. Published a year later, the exuberant nakedness of its hero, Mickey, led to its being banned from certain libraries, and even today there are those who think it is inappropriate for children. The exhibition includes the multi-layered and various inspirations and influences found in In the Night Kitchen such as Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Winsor McKay’s comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland. Other highlights are the artwork and process materials for the book as well as an exploration of the book’s censorship and public reaction. A symposium focusing on In the Night Kitchen will take …
First Look at Sendak Collection Items: In the Night Kitchen Exhibit
