An Arkansas Book: Author, Illustrator, Museum
A dog, a museum, and an incredible opportunity
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A Friendship Inspires a Book
When the University of Arkansas Press approached me about writing a book about Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, I was thrilled.
They wanted a book called “Friday Comes on Tuesday.” Um. That is odd and specific.
Alice Walton, founder of the Crystal Bridges Museum, had a dog named Friday. He appeared on her Texas ranch on a spring morning, the Friday of Easter Week. She named the orphaned puppy Friday Walton, and he became her best friend for years and years.
When Alice started Crystal Bridges, she often went to the offices on Tuesday, when it was closed to the general public. The staff started laughing and joking: Ha! Ha! Friday comes on Tuesday.
Alice’s friendship with an orphaned puppy was the beginning of this book.
An Arkansas Book: Author, Illustrator, Museum
When I was asked to write the story, I was given amazing access to the museum collection and freedom to choose any piece of art to include that fit the story. We chose Rich Davis, illustrator from Siloam Springs, to create the art.
First, the museum curators gave us a tour of the museum, pointing out artworks they thought might or might not work for the story. They loved some artworks for the inspirational, political, or timely message. But a children’s book would reproduce those images in miniature, which meant the art chosen needed to be simple and bold.
In the end, we balanced the choices with different time periods (17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21th centuries) and ethnic groups (African-American, Asian-American, European-American, Native-American, and South American-Americans). We tried to balance male and female artists, with it tipping slightly in favor or males. Overall, it was as balanced as possible. Quite a feat for choose such a limited number of art objects. We also tried to include paintings and sculptures. It was impossible to know the disability of the artists, since that information wasn’t available.
I wrote a draft of the story. It was rejected. Shrug. It happens.
I wrote a new draft of the story. It was accepted. Celebrations!
Artwork for Friday Comes on Tuesday
Then, Rich went to work on the illustrations. Crystal Bridges handled all the permissions, talking to the artists or their estates about including their art in the book.
Rich Davis is the ONLY illustrator EVER given permission to do derivative work from iconic pieces of American Art. As you read through the book, think about this. Normal Rockwell’s estate gave Rich permission to adapt the famous painting for the purposes of this book! Wow! What a privilege. Every artist included gave Rich permission to do a derivative work from their iconic works. Wow!
Friday Comes on Tuesday - Visit the Museum FREE
Crystal Bridges welcome and encourages school visits through its Walker School Tour Program. They offer reimbursement for transportation and substitute teachers. If you’re an Arkansas school, it’s a great day for kids.
A Friendship - A Book
This story began with a friendship between a woman and a dog. Friday has passed away, but his spirit lives on through the woman he loved.
Read the story of Friday Comes on Tuesday
Secret! Let the Kids Find This
P.S. Twice in the book, you can see Friday reading this book. It’s a metafiction reference that adds to the intrigue of the story. Here’s one time. Can you find the other time?
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