Art show and Opening: Wendell Minor, American Stories. Curated by Stephanie Plunkett. November 22, 2025 through January 11, 2026. Exhibition Opening Event: Saturday, November 22 from 5pm to 7pm.

Award-winning illustrator Wendell Minor drew his way through childhood in Aurora, Illinois, inspired by America’s heartland and the richly illustrated magazines that were so much a part of life at the time—from nature-themed favorites like Outdoor Life and Field & Stream to the vastly popular Saturday Evening Post, which showcased the work of Norman Rockwell and many others. Determined to forge a career as an artist, he sold his beloved 1955 Chevy to pursue his studies at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida and moved to New York in 1968 with little more than his portfolio in hand. Since then, his striking visual narratives and elegant designs have appeared on nearly two thousand book covers and scores of children’s books inspired by his love of art, history, science, and the natural world.

A long-time resident of Washington, Connecticut, Wendell has created almost every jacket for books by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, David McCullough, and works by Jean Craighead George, Robert Burleigh, Pat Conroy, Larry McMurtry, and many others. The exhibition will feature a selection of the artist’s striking book jacket art, as well as original watercolor paintings for his many children’s books, which include Pumpkin Heads, Smitten with Kittens, Tiny Bird, Wild Orca, and Night Train, Night Train, among others. Registration is requested for the opening reception at cornwalllibrary.org