Artist Brings 'Goodnight Moon' To Life In Alexandria Installation

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Whether it be as a child or a parent, you've probably read the iconic children's book "Goodnight Moon" at some point. Now the book has been brought to life with an art exhibit at Alexandria's Torpedo Factory Art Center.

Lisa Schumaier, a longtime artist at the Torpedo Factory Art Center based in Studio 16, had been commissioned to create seasonal installations through the winter. The latest installation re-creates the 1947 book by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations by Clement Hurd. The Goodnight Moon Room was created largely from recycled materials with furnishings from local recycling businesses, personal collections or discarded cardboard.

"The Goodnight Moon Room is a literary hug for these days when we are all feeling on edge," said Schumaier via a news release from the city's Office of the Arts. "This brings us back to when we were young and snuggled in bed while a grown-up read us to sleep, or when we were doing the same for our own children."

Aside from re-creating the children's book illustration, Schumaier added a bookshelf full of banned books from Alexandria-based The Company of Books and Orchises Press. "Goodnight Moon" had been kept out of New York Public Library from the time of publication until 1972.

"The room is a safe and cozy space, but also talks about the importance of a free press and a reading public to the strength of our democracy," Schumaier said.

The artist completed the Goodnight Moon Room with help from a team of artists from the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Contributing artists were Chris Cardellino (Studio 313), Marcel Artes Deolazo (Studio 332), Judy Heiser (Studio 332), Tracie Griffith Tso (Studio 22) and Jenae Michelle (Studio 226).

The Goodnight Moon Room is available to visit through March 13 at Studio 9 at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. The art center is home to the largest number of working artists in one location in the U.S. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.