Free to Be You and Me: Curator Margi Hofer on This Once In a Lifetime Exhibit

When I heard that the Eric Carle Museum was hosting an exhibit on, of all things, that 70s chestnut Free To Be You and Me I was . . . well, quite frankly I was thrilled. That’s my youth, that is! But why would a picture book illustration museum do an exhibit on a musical revue? Turns out, the connections between the show/music and the world of children’s books is enormously strong.

Here’s the description of the show:

“Free to Be…You and Me: 50 Years of Stories and Songs celebrates the profound and enduring impact of the groundbreaking 1972 record and its subsequent picture books and TV specials. The exhibition features original artwork from the 1974 publication by Barbara Bascove and Arnold Lobel along with original illustrations by John Steptoe, Susan Jeffers, Jerry Pinkney, Leo and Diane Dillon, Lonni Sue Johnson, Stacey Schuett, Susan Stillman, and Martha Perske from Free to Be…A Family, published in 1987.The exhibition also displays art from the 35th anniversary edition, including pieces by Joe Mathieu, Peter Reynolds, Tony DiTerlizzi, and LeUyen Pham. Music, video, photographs, and ephemera bring the multimedia enterprise to life and illustrate the origins and impact of Marlo Thomas’s radical project.”

Still, it took my conversation with guest curator Margi Hofer to get down to brass tacks and learn more about it all.

---

Betsy Bird: Hi Margi. Thank you so much for speaking with us today about the FREE TO BE… YOU AND ME exhibit. Like a lot of Generation Xers I’ve fond memories of the original music. My elementary schools performed it like a school play (complete with Cabbage Patch Kids being puppeteered to the voices of Mel Brooks and the like). Tell us a little about how this exhibit came to be. Where did the idea for it originate?

Margi Hofer: The idea for the exhibition originated with Jennifer Schantz, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art’s Executive Director. Jen was interested in exploring ways to cross-pollinate picture book art with aspects of the performing arts. On her commute to Amherst one day she listened to the Free to Be…You and Me album, which she had adored as a kid. It occurred to her that an exhibition exploring Free to Be’s trio (record, book, TV show) would not only be a perfect way to broaden The Carle’s exhibition program; it would also serve to mark the 50th anniversary of Marlo Thomas’s visionary project. In addition, she recognized that its themes of freedom, tolerance, and respect for diversity would have particular resonance today. 

BB: Inevitably after 50 years there are aspects of the show that have shown their age, but there are also aspects that feel just as prescient and fresh as the day they were created. What do you, personally, connect to most when it comes to FREE TO BE… YOU AND ME? And what do you feel the exhibit can say to kids today?

Margi: As a Free to Be kid (born in 1965) who read and listened both at home and at school, I absorbed the message that my aspirations should be limitless, and that I should be accepted for who I was regardless of any choices I made. I think these notions subconsciously shaped my dreams and influenced my future. I hope kids who visit the exhibition are similarly inspired to dream big and to celebrate the differences that define us as individuals.

BB: From what I understand the exhibit gathers together not only the original illustrations from the 1974 publication of the FREE TO BE book, but also the 35th anniversary edition art as well. Was it always the plan to display both eras of the book?

Margi: Marlo Thomas and her collaborators continued to evolve the concept of Free to Be, and I felt it was important to capture their commitment to expanding its themes and refreshing it for successive generations. In addition to original illustrations for the 1974 book, the exhibition includes artwork from the 1987 sequel Free to Be…a Family, which explored the many facets of the term “family,” from children growing up with divorced parents to the global family we’re all part of. The 35th anniversary edition includes all new illustrations for 21st-century readers, so I wanted to include examples of original artwork from that iteration as well.

BB: I was delighted to hear that the exhibit also displays children’s books that reinforced stereotypes and that Marlo Thomas disliked, such as I’M GLAD I’M A BOY! I’M GLAD I’M A GIRL (1970) by Whitney Darrow Jr. What are the logistics involved in including a book of that sort? Are permissions required or is that not a concern when more than 50 years have passed since the original publication date?

Margi: The Carle purchased a copy of Darrow’s book to display in the exhibition and did not need to seek special permission to include it. With its overtly sexist page spreads with male/female binaries like “Boys can eat. Girls can cook,” the book is a powerful example of the problem that Marlo was determined to address. 

BB: I know that you had a Scholars Advisory Council working with you on this exhibition. How were they selected and how did they support your work curating this show?

Margi: Advisors Lori Rotskoff and Laura L. Lovett had explored the history and impact of Free to Be…You and Me in their 2012 book When We Were Free to Be: Looking Back at a Children’s Classic and the Difference it Made, so we knew that they would provide helpful insights. Rachel Conrad and Karen Sanchez-Eppler, professors of Childhood Studies and American Studies/English at neighboring colleges, also provided guidance and advised on programming. The advisory team reviewed an outline of the exhibition and provided feedback, including suggestions for items to include in the show. Several advisors also reviewed draft exhibition text.

BB: In putting together this show, was there anything you uncovered or discovered along the way that surprised you?

Margi: It was an enormous undertaking to track down the original artwork, which had all been returned to the artists. Every illustration we found felt like a victory, and in just about every case our excitement in locating the work was matched by the owner’s enthusiasm to lend it to the exhibition. I was particularly delighted when advisor Lori Rotskoff led us to an unpublished illustration for Emily Perl Kingsley’s touching poem Like Me (included in the 1987 book) by illustrator Martha Perske, who is known for her sensitive portrayals of children with disabilities. 

BB: Finally, what do you hope people take away from the exhibit?

Margi: Adults who grew up with Free to Be will enjoy a nostalgic journey back to their childhoods, but I hope they also come away with a better understanding of the social issues that prompted Marlo Thomas’s groundbreaking project. My hope is that visitors of all ages will be inspired to reflect on Free to Be’s messages of individuality, freedom of expression, and mutual respect, which are as urgent today as they were 50 years ago and which reflect The Carle’s own commitment to valuing everyone and encouraging self-expression through the arts.

---

The Free To Be… You and Me: 50 Years of Stories and Songs exhibit at the Carle is up from now until April 6th. Many thanks to Sandy Soderberg and the team at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for helping to put all of this together.

Filed under: Interviews