The first exhibition to delve into the events, people, and themes of the civil rights movement through children’s picture books, one of the most compelling forms of visual expression.

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children's Books is the first exhibition to delve into the events, people, and themes of the civil rights movement through children’s picture books. This exhibition showcases picture books—one of the most compelling forms of visual expression—as an effective bridge between art and storytelling, championing aspects of the movement that are both celebrated and forgotten. From Brown v. Board of Education and the Montgomery bus boycott to the March on Washington and Black Lives Matter, the artworks on display connect the past and present, emphasizing how historical moments and leaders continue to inspire the struggle for equal rights. The exhibition is curated by award-winning children’s book author Andrea Davis Pinkney. Coordinated at New-York Historical by Alice Stevenson, vice president and director of the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and Alexandra Krueger, manager of museum affairs

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children’s Books is co-organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts. Major support for the New-York Historical Society's presentation of Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children’s Books is provided by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation. Additional support provided by New-York Historical's Frederick Douglass Council.