Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is thrilled to announce that The Pigeon Comes to Pittsburgh!: A Mo Willems Exhibit is now open. The exhibit runs until May 8, 2022.
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh will be open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. starting February 1, 2022. MuseumLab is open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 5 p.m. Advance tickets are strongly encouraged as walk-up visits and capacity are limited.
Masks are required at the museum for all guests who are two years of age and older regardless of vaccination status. Capacity is limited and social distancing is enforced. Masks may be removed while eating or drinking in our Café.
The Pigeon Comes to Pittsburgh! debuted at the Children’s Museum in 2018 and has traveled to more than 8 locations throughout North America, delighting countless children and families.
“Our collaboration with Mo Willems continues to inspire curiosity, creativity and joy at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and beyond," said Jane Werner, Executive Director of Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. "We are delighted to welcome back this exhibit that features some of the most loved children’s book characters, and can’t wait for kids and families to explore and imagine what can be in the Mo Willems universe.”
Tickets are now available for The Pigeon Comes to Pittsburgh!, where families can explore activities and settings from Mo Willems’ books featuring best friend duo Elephant and Piggie, faithful companion Knuffle Bunny, and The Pigeon, the wily city bird best known for his antics in Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Activities will give visitors the opportunity to make art that is inspired by Mo Willems and to learn about the rich social and emotional lives of the author’s characters. The exhibit will also feature prints of illustrations, including sketches and other preliminary materials, by Mo Willems.
In this play-and-learn exhibit, visitors can:
- Have a hilarious conversation in the voices of Elephant Gerald and Piggie at a double-sided phone booth.
- Make Elephant and Piggie dance with old-time animation.
- Put on a wearable bus and take a drive around the exhibit.
- Spin the laundromat washing machine and uncover Knuffle Bunny and other surprises!
- Dress up Naked Mole Rat and send him down the runway for a one-of-a-kind fashion show.
- Stack lightweight blocks to create their own terrible monster or funny friend.
- Launch foam hot dogs at The Pigeon and play the plinko game to give the Duckling a cookie.
- Try out art techniques that Mo uses for his own books.
The exhibit is co-organized by Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. For images of the exhibit, go to pittsburghkids.org/exhibit/pigeon
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is located on Pittsburgh’s historic North Side at 10 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. For more information, visit www.pittsburghkids.org, call (412) 322-5058, or email hi@pittsburghkids.org.
Beginning February 1, the Children’s Museum will be open daily from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Admission is $18 for adults, $16 for children 2-18 and senior citizens. Children under two are free. MuseumLab is open Saturday and Sunday from noon – 5:00 pm and is included with Children's Museum admission.
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About Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is a place that provides innovative and inclusive museum experiences that inspire kindness, joy, creativity, and curiosity for all learners. We forge connections with artists, community partners, and neighbors to work on behalf of children, youth, and families. Permanent interactive exhibit areas at the Museum include The Studio, Theater, Waterplay, The Kindness Gallery, Backyard, and MAKESHOP®.
About The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
The mission of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, a non-profit organization in Amherst, MA, is to inspire a love of art and reading through picture books. A leading advocate in its field, The Carle, collects, preserves, presents and celebrates picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world. In addition to underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form, The Carle offers educational programs that provide a foundation for arts integration and literacy.
Eric and Barbara Carle founded the Museum in November 2002. Eric Carle is the renowned author and illustrator of more than 70 books, including the classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The Carle houses more than 11,000 objects, including 7,300 permanent collection illustrations, three art galleries, an art studio, a theater, a picture book, scholarly libraries, and educational programs for families, scholars, educators, and schoolchildren. Educational offerings include professional training for educators around the country and four onsite graduate programs in Children's Literature in collaboration with Simmons College. For further information, visit the Museum’s website at www.carlemuseum.org.
About Mo Willems
Mo Willems is an author, illustrator, animator, playwright, and the inaugural Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence, where he collaborates in creating fun new stuff involving classical music, opera, comedy concerts, dance, painting, and digital works with the National Symphony Orchestra, Ben Folds, Yo-Yo Ma, and others. Willems is best known for his #1 New York Times bestselling picture books, which have been awarded three Caldecott Honors (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, Knuffle Bunny Too), two Theodor Geisel Medals, and five Geisel Honors (The Elephant & Piggie series). Mo’s art has been exhibited around the world, including major solo retrospectives at the High Museum (Atlanta) and the New York Historical Society (NYC). Over the last decade, Willems has become the most produced playwright of Theater for Young Audiences in America, having written or co-written four musicals based on his books.
He began his career as a writer and animator on PBS’ Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards (writing). Other television work includes two series on Cartoon Network: Sheep in the Big City (creator + head writer) and Codename: Kids Next Door (head writer). Mo is creating new TV projects for HBOMax, where his live action-comedy special Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! currently streams. Upcoming projects include an animated rock opera special based on Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed and a series based on his Unlimited Squirrels books. His papers reside at Yale University’s Beinecke Library.
