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Time Out New York Kids

Marvel at the breathtaking original collages from best-selling children’s book.

It’s necessary to begin with a disclosure: Unlike most of the installations at this Upper West Side tot spot, this exhibition is not interactive. But don’t take that to mean it’s not engaging. On our visit, even the lure of nearby blocks and Tinkertoys didn’t stop curious kids from running over to examine the show’s colorful collages. The attraction of Susan L. Roth’s work is undeniable. The collagist has created illustrations for 40 children’s books, including Listen to the Wind, the best-selling adaptation of the adult tome Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Journey to Change the World…One Child at a Time, Greg Mortenson’s award-winning memoir about building schools in Pakistan. All of the original collages made for the work are featured in this small but satisfying exhibit.

Although the illustrations pop off the printed page (a copy of the book is available to leaf through), when seen in their three-dimensional glory, they dazzle in their intricacy. Finely sliced paper looks like real-life hair; paper apricots somehow have the texture of fruit. Roth’s tools are also showcased, and there’s not a pen, pencil or paintbrush in sight. (She cuts and glues her collages by hand, eschewing preliminary sketching). Inspired by Pakistani artifacts made from recycled items (such as a hat beautifully ornamented with broken zippers and fractured computer chips, which is also on display), Roth primarily used found objects to create the pictures for Listen to the Wind.

In addition to the framed collages, you’ll see a bright yellow banner adorned with an array of paper dolls running atop the exhibition wall. These are self-portraits created by kids from all over the world. All of the figures in the multicultural mélange are holding hands, a moving representation of the book’s message about reaching across the divide to help one another.—Raven Snook

“Listen to the Wind: Artwork of Susan L. Roth” is on view at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan through Jan 11. The artist will lead collage workshops at the museum on Fri, Nov 6, Sun, Nov 8 and Sun, Dec 6.