Go behind the scenes with two-time Caldecott award-winning author and illustrator Sophie Blackall, as she details her creative process, inspiration, and how she used unconventional materials to create a five-foot-long mixed media and collage dollhouse—now on view in "Rooted: Family and Nature in Contemporary Children's Illustration"—for her book "Farmhouse."

Sophie Blackall is a two-time Caldecott award-winning author and illustrator of over 50 books for children. In Farmhouse (2022), Blackall tells a story based on a real-life family who long ago occupied a farmhouse and dairy farm in the Catskills of New York. Using hand-collaged elements—such as printed wallpaper, old photographs, and remnants of clothes that Blackall salvaged after she purchased the property—she imagines their daily lives in exquisite detail.

Focused on the enduring bonds of family and nature, this exhibition features more than 75 original artworks from eight children's books. Rooted: Family and Nature in Contemporary Children's Book Illustration is on view through Feb. 28, 2024.