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Words & Pictures Museum facts for kids

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Words & Pictures Museum of Fine Sequential Art
Established 1992
Dissolved 1999
Location 140 Main Street
Northampton, Massachusetts
Type the exhibition of narrative art, cartoons, comic books, and graphic novels
Collection size 20,000

The Words & Pictures Museum of Fine Sequential Art was a special art museum. It was located in Northampton, Massachusetts. This museum showed art that tells a story. This includes cartoons, comic books, and graphic novels.

The museum was open from 1992 to 1999. It had a huge collection of 20,000 original artworks. These pieces came from many famous artists. Some artists included Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, and Frank Miller.

What is Sequential Art?

Sequential art is a way of telling stories using pictures. These pictures are shown in a specific order. Think of it like a series of drawings that guide you through a story.

  • Cartoons are often single drawings. They can also be short animated films.
  • Comic books use a series of panels. Each panel has drawings and text. They tell a longer story.
  • Graphic novels are like long comic books. They are usually complete stories in one book.

History of the Museum

The Words & Pictures Museum started in 1990. It was founded by artist Kevin Eastman. He is famous for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Opening and Location

The museum first opened its doors on October 9, 1992. It was in the Roundhouse Building in Northampton.

In late 1994, the museum moved to a new spot. It went to the Beardsley Building. This new place had four floors. It was a modern facility in downtown Northampton. The museum stayed there until it closed.

Museum's Closing

Even with a big donation in 1996, the museum faced money problems. By mid-1997, reports showed it was having financial trouble. The museum closed its doors for good on July 16, 1999.

After the museum closed its physical building, it moved online. It became the Virtual Words & Pictures Museum. This online museum offered educational exhibits. It also had research guides. However, the virtual museum's website has not been updated since 2002.

Past Exhibitions

The museum hosted many exciting art shows. These shows featured famous artists and different types of sequential art.

Early Exhibitions

  • 1992-1993: Cartoonist John Severin's art was shown. It was part of the grand-opening show.
  • 1993: An exhibit called "War No More" was featured. It included art by George Pratt and Jack Kirby.
  • 1994: A special show focused on the art of Jack Kirby.
  • 1995: An exhibition featured the work of Frank Miller. It also showed art by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Later Exhibitions

  • 1996: "Oliphant: The New World Order" was a popular show. Other exhibits focused on classic EC Comics and Image Comics artists. There was also a Cerebus exhibit. It featured work by Dave Sim. A show about women in comics was also held. It included artists like Mary Fleener and Trina Robbins.
  • 1997: The museum celebrated 20 years of Heavy Metal magazine.
  • 1998: "The Best of Fantagraphics" show was put on. It featured artists like Peter Bagge and Dan Clowes.
  • 1999: A show highlighted work by contemporary African American comics creators. Artists like Rob Stull were featured.