The First Owl Project
As a way of making money to support the Festival Gallery Collection, Festival Director Dr. David E. White asked 35 illustrators of children's books in April of 1997 if they would be willing to create an owl, the Keene State College mascot. The proceeds from the sale of items using these owls would be used only for the purchase and framing of original art for the gallery.

Illustrators Whose Owls Are Now in the Collection

Anna Alter
Jim Arnosky
Mary Azarian
Natalie Babbitt
Donna Berger
Jeannie Brett
Erik Brooks
Anthony Browne
Ashley Bryan
Eric Carle
Peter Catalanotto
Victoria Chess
Eileen Christelow
Marcia Christensen
Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Ken Compton
Lulu Delacre
Tomie dePaola
David Diaz
Sarah Dillard
Leo and Diane Dillon
Liz Goulet Dubois
Elizabeth Dulemba
Olivea Dunrea
Denise Fleming
David Frampton
Fiona French
Wayne Geehan
Alissa Imre Geis
Jean Craighead George
Mordicai Gerstein
Gail Gibbons
Diane Goode
Cheryl Harness
Kevin Hawkes
Will Hillenbrand
Ronald Himler
Trina Schart Hyman
Erick Ingraham
Laura Jacobsen
Elizabeth Jones
Steven Kellogg
Marty Kelley
Beth Krommes
Jarrett Krosoczka
Blair Lent
Betsy Lewin
Ted Lewin
Grace Lin
Peter Lourie
P. J. Lynch
Daniel Mahoney
Kathy Mallat
Abigail Marble
Robert McClung
Michael McCurdy
Gerald McDermott
David McPhail
Charles Mikolaycak
Wendell Minor
Jennifer Morris
Barry Moser
Jeff Newman
Ginger Nielson
Ann Sibley O'Brien
Jennifer O'Keefe
Denise Ortakales
Peter Parnall
Christine Patete
Tracy Campbell Pearson
Matt Phelan
Brian Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney
Ted Rand
James Ransome
Robert Rayevsky
Barbara Reid
Marcia Sewall
David Shannon
Amanda Shepherd
Chris K. Soentpiet
Robin Spowart
Janet Stevens
Cyndy Szekeres
Mark Teague
Kyra Teis
Vladimir Vagin
Wendy Watson
Marnie Webster
Hans Wilhelm Yoshi
Paul Zelinsky

Illustrators Who Have Said They Will Be Sending An Owl

Information for Illustrators Wishing to Donate an Owl

I began the Festival Owl Project with the intent of obtaining owls, Keene State College's mascot, by published children's book illustrators. It has been a very rewarding project! If you want to see small images of our first 60, go to this web site: www.keene.edu/clf. You then click on Store and it will bring you to the posters we have on sale. There are two owl posters. We will not continue having posters but will share this information on the Festival web site.

Our owls are ones that are specifically created for this project. I have had to unfortunately not accept ones that had already appeared in a published book or as a logo. We also need to be able to keep the originals since they are all hung together in one hallway. A group of owls is a parliament. Keene State College turns 100 in 2009. My goal is to have at least 100 owls for that centennial celebration. I will continue framing and hanging owls through #99 as they arrive. After that number is reached, I will have them framed but we will then have a special ceremony to mark the hanging of #100 and higher during the centennial, probably early October of 2008. Therefore, I will need all owls by early September 2008 at the latest. The only requirement for participation in this project is that the illustrator has published children's books.

Thanks so much for offering to do an owl! It can be any size and medium. When completed, send to:

Once I receive your donation, your name will also appear in a news item on our Festival web site as well as on The Festival Owl Project. Again, many thanks. David E. White

Appreciation Gift for Owl Donors
As a token of my appreciation for donating an owl illustration to this special project, I will offer each donor a free Festival registration and luncheon for the year the owl arrives. I am sorry that I cannot offer travel and lodging costs. When you receive your flyer in August before the Festival, simply fill out the form and write "Owl Donor" where the total cost figure would be. This free registration is non-transferable. It would be wonderful to have you at our event and to introduce you to our audience of approximately 600 registrants from around the United States and Canada.