By Casey Church

Barry Moser’s, Albert Schweitzer, 2004, watercolor, 8 x 6.5 inches

Barry Moser is one of the most sought-after children’s book illustrators today, with more than 300 books illustrated and/or designed to his credit, for both adults and children, and numerous awards for his work. The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is offering a rare opportunity to view 23 original Moser watercolor paintings from his 2005 collaboration with author and humanitarian Marian Wright Edelman for the book “I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children.” Moser’s paintings are on display in the Museum’s Reception Room through April 22. The show opened March 1.

I Can Make a Difference compiles a set of stories, poems, songs, quotations, and folktales from a wide range of cultures, all offering children the assurance that they can make a difference in today’s world. Materials have been drawn from a wide range of notable figures including Pablo Casals, Emily Dickinson, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Aesop, the Bible and the Prophet Mohammed.

Author, civil-rights and human-rights activist Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), and has been a tireless advocate for disadvantaged Americans throughout her career. She helped organize of the Poor People’s Campaign of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. As head of CDF, she worked to persuade Congress to overhaul foster care, support adoption, improve child care and protect children who are disabled, homeless, abused or neglected.

Among her numerous awards are the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, the Heinz Award, the Community of Christ International Peace Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings. On April 21, she will add membership in the South Carolina Academy of Authors to the list, in a 6 p.m. ceremony to be held in Wheelwright Auditorium at Coastal Carolina University.

In addition to “I Can Make a Difference,” Edelman is author of “The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours,” a #1 New York Times bestseller, and eight other books.

Moser’s illustrations appear in works ranging from The Bible and “Moby-Dick” to “My Dog Rosie,” a collaboration with his granddaughter, Isabelle Harper, named a Best of the Year by Parents magazine in 1994. “Jump, Again! The Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit” was named by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 1987, as well as one of Redbook’s Best Books for Children for that same year.

In addition to being an illustrator, Moser is also a printer, painter, printmaker, designer, author, essayist, and teacher. His works have been displayed in venues including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the British Museum, the Vatican Museum, the Library of Congress and numerous universities, including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and Cambridge.

This program is an I ♥ Art event in honor of the Art Museum’s fifteenth anniversary and is sponsored Pyle-Cunningham Wealth Management.

For further information, contact the Museum at 843-238-2510 or visit www.MyrtleBeachArtMuseum.org. The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is a wholly nonprofit institution located across from Springmaid Pier at 3100 South Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.  Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Admission is free, but donations are welcomed.