Don Freeman: Museum of The City of New York

Don Freeman at The Museum of The City of New York

Recently, I had the honor of teaching drawing to New York City school teachers for the fourth year in a row at The Museum of The City of New York. Working with New York City teachers always furthers my understanding of the city I love, one that has as many facets as people who live here.

I had a little time before class to look around MCNY, a museum that delivers powerful experiences at every exhibition it presents. That’s when I discovered their show, A City for Corduroy, the work of artist Don Freeman, the creator of the children’s book series Corduroy.

I have to admit that I had never heard of this artist or this series which made discovering his drawings that much more exciting. In his work, I found someone like myself, who loved both drawing and New York. His drawings are sensitive love notes to the city he lived in. They express the people and critters that live here, their antics and the city itself in a thoughtful and caring way.

If you already know his work I recommend seeing the original drawings you may have come to love in books growing up. If you don’t yet know his work, I encourage you to discover this fellow traveler who loved his city and the art of drawing.

Discovering artists and exhibitions is yet another reason to get out there in this amazing city if you can.