The San Diego History Center has finalized plans for a major exhibit on the art of Theodor Geisel.
The centerpiece of the History Center’s “Celebrate San Diego!” presentations for the 2015 Balboa Park centennial, “INGENIOUS! The World of Dr. Seuss” will open Nov. 21 and continue into 2015.
The exhibit was developed in cooperation with the San Diego-based Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. and aims to make the case that as much as he was an author and illustrator, Geisel was also an artist.
“We will feature the artwork of Theodor Geisel, particularly works inspired by our locale, providing an exceptional opportunity to showcase him as a serious San Diego artist,” said Charlotte Cagan, the executive director of the History Center, in a statement. “And we will create a dynamic, immersive family experience inspired by the whimsically creative books of Dr. Seuss.”
Among the educational components of “INGENIOUS!” is a Seuss reading nook, which on weekends will feature celebrity readers. Already signed up are Mayor Kevin Faulconer, SDG&E Chairman Jessie J. Knight Jr., UCSD Extension Dean Mary L. Walshok, former Mayor Jerry Sanders (president & CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce) and his wife Rana Sampson (vice president and promotions manager at Union Bank), and Jerry Navarra, whose family and family business, Jerome’s Furniture, are underwriting the exhibition.
“Many locals know that Dr. Seuss lived here, and while they have read his books many have not yet seen his art,” said Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. “This exhibition will show the community another fantastical side of Dr. Seuss.”
For “Celebrate San Diego!” the History Center will also present “Masterworks of the Exposition Era,” which will include art and artists displayed at the 1915 exhibition, “San Diego Invites the World.” In addition, the History Center is planning a “multimedia commemoration” of the Panama-California Exposition and collaborating on a new documentary film on the history of Balboa Park.
