On view in the Miles Gallery is original artwork and even some personal studio furniture of Hardie Gramatky — an early animator for Walt Disney Studios. He went on to become author and illustrator of 14 picture books, including the Little Toot series; inset: Lizzy Rockwell, “Page 13,” from 100 School Days, Harper Collins, 2001.
“I spend most of my time in the vault,” says Chudzinski, a Fremont native who originally set out to become a lawyer. A study-abroad trip to art-filled Rome changed his mind, though, and he found his calling to become an artist. He joined the Mazza Museum in 2015, and now oversees six galleries, where he curates exhibitions that change twice a year. One of the current exhibitions captivating visitors is the brainchild of Chudzinski, who’s also a sculptor. Titled “Show of Hands,” it features a selection of art from 31 illustrators along with a plaster cast of their hands, allowing visitors to see not only the art, but a replica of the hand that made it. “The idea started when I met Marc Brown, author of Arthur the Aardvark books,” he says. “I asked him if I could make a mold of his hand and he asked why. I told him a hundred years from now, someone might like to see what the hand that drew Arthur looked like. “So, I made a mold of his hand in alginate, and a plaster cast from that. We now make molds of the hands of every artist who comes through here. We have over 80 of them.” He says people have a powerful reaction to seeing the artists’ hands. “Our visitors are often already familiar with the creations of our illustrators, but it can be easy to forget that there is a human face and hand behind each work of art.” Just 3% of the museum’s holdings is on view at any given time, and the displays delight visitors from toddlers to senior citizens. Child-high shelves invite youngsters to leaf through “please touch” books printed with the same illustrations as the art displayed on the gallery walls above them. For
28 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • JANUARY 2021
Benjamin Sapp, director of the Mazza Museum (above), and Dan Chudzinski, the museum’s curator, ensure everyone follows safety protocols when visiting the museum.
