SUMMIT, NJ — Escape the winter cold and enter into a world of wonder at Reeves-Reed Arboretum’s first art exhibition of 2023, “Imaginature: Children’s Book Art.” This exhibition features illustrations, paintings and wood block prints by artists Margaret Peot and Giselle Potter. The show runs from Tuesday, Feb. 7, through Sunday, May 14, and comprises book art, editorial illustrations and fine art pieces.
Peot works and resides in New York City. She writes and illustrates fiction and nonfiction books for children, and how-to books for adults. Her most recent publications for young children include “The Science of Light: Things That Shine, Flash and Glow,” a foundational science book, and the picture book “At Night,” a story about nocturnal animals and babies. She maintains a studio practice in woodcut carving and printing, with works informed by the plants and animals from her rural Ohio upbringing, as well as those she encounters in her current urban environment. Peot also paints fabric for costumes with Parsons-Meares LTD. Her costume projects have appeared in numerous theater productions, including for Broadway; for the American Ballet Theater; and for arena and ice shows.
Potter was brought up in a family that encouraged creativity and expression. As a child, she spent time traveling and performing throughout the United States and Europe with her parents’ theater company, the Mystic Paper Beasts. Potter later attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where she created works that would become the book “Lucy’s Eyes and Margaret’s Dragon: The Lives of the Virgin Saints,” published by Chronicle Books. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Upstate Diary and in self-authored books, as well as in books by Toni Morrison, Mary Pope Osbourne and Gertrude Stein. She currently resides in the Hudson Valley with her husband and children.
All works in this exhibit are for sale, and the artists will donate 30 percent of each sale to the Reeves-Reed Arboretum. There will be a reception for the artists on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., except when closed for private events. Visit reeves-reedarboretum.org to confirm gallery hours before visiting. For more information, call 908-273-8787, ext. 1010, or email [email protected].
Reeves-Reed Arboretum is a nonprofit public garden located at 165 Hobart Ave., Summit. The grounds are free and open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of Giselle Potter and Margaret Peot