Birmingham Museum of Art showcases artwork from local high school students, inspired by The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

• Art exhibition: every Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from 12-5 p.m. until May 23.

• Lecture by Dr. Graham C. Boettcher: “Bullies, Scamps and Whippersnappers: Childhood Mischief in American Art,” Sunday, March 7 from 2-3 p.m.

The Birmingham Museum of Art will display art created by area high school students inspired by Mark Twain’s classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The Big Read: Tom Sawyer Exhibition began Sunday, Feb. 28, and will be on display every Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from 12-5 p.m. until May 23. 

The artwork is based upon the idea that The Adventures of Tom Sawyer established America’s vision of childhood and reminded adults that children were not angels, but fellow human beings. The exhibit is in coordination with The Big Read: Alabama Reads The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a statewide campaign designed to encourage library usage and increase literacy rates. 

In addition to the exhibition, the museum will be presenting “Bullies, Scamps and Whippersnappers: Childhood Mischief in American Art,” on Sunday, March 7, from 2-3 p.m. It will bring Mark Twain’s characters to life through images of mischievous children in 19th century American visual culture. 

Dr. Graham C. Boettcher, curator of American art at the Birmingham Museum of Art, will explore the subject of the “bad child” in American art and examine how such images played a role in cultivating and promoting new attitudes in child rearing. After the lecture, the museum invites the audience to join in a reception honoring students who participated in The Big Read: Tom Sawyer Exhibition. 

Alabama Reads is an initiative inspired by the national reading campaign, The Big Read. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Big Read supports communities across the country in reading one book.  

Visit www.alabamareads.org