LOUISVILLE, KY.- The Speed Art Museum is proud to host Building Books: The Art of David Macaulay, on display through May 13, 2007. Recent “genius awards” winner, David Macaulay is the author and illustrator of such best-selling titles as The Way Things Work and The New Way Things Work, Cathedral and Castle. His novel Black and White received a Caldecott Medal in 1991.

This exhibition includes over 100 original works of art, studies, sketchbooks, book dummies, manuscripts, correspondence and artifacts (including hand-built ship models). There will also be interactive family activities within the exhibition.

The exhibition has been divided into three significant aspects of Macaulay’s work: Big Ideas, Building Ship: Exploring the Artist’s Process, and Journey Books: The Evolution of Ideas. A biographical section displaying personal artifacts, memorabilia and photographs will also be on view.

An author and artist who has helped us to understand the workings and origins of everything from simple gadgets to monumental architectural structures, David Macaulay employs pictures and words to reveal the secret lives of objects and emphasize the common sense behind the design of things.

As a young boy living in Lancashire, England, Macaulay was fascinated by simple technology. Out of cigar boxes, string, and tape, he constructed elevators; using yarn, he made intricate systems of moving cable cars. At a very early age, he became interested in how objects are constructed. Many of his books reflect his love of travel and explore the places that the imagination takes us when we least expect it.

In 2006, Macaulay was named a recipient of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowships, also known as “the genius awards.” The awards recognize people in a broad range of disciplines who show exceptional creativity and the potential for continued innovative work.

Exhibition tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children and free for Museum members. A combination exhibition and Art Sparks ticket is available at $9 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Building Books: The Art of David Macaulay has been organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. In Louisville, exhibition support has been provided by BellSouth The Real Yellow Pages ®.