2023 CALF Welcomes Largest Crowd Ever

JUNE 10, 2023 – The Children’s Art + Literacy Festival registered 5,824 people for this weekend’s festival, which is the largest number of people in the festival’s 11 year-history. CALF experienced a 7% increase in registrations, welcoming people from 190 cities in 21 states and as well as Mexico!

The festival started Thursday with Group Day followed by the Storybook Parade and unveiling of the newest Storybook Sculpture and will conclude Sunday with programming at the Abilene Zoo, where people can wear their CALF passes and enter for free. All the festival imagery and books celebrated the work of Caldecott Medal artist and author Brian Lies, whose original artwork went on display this week in the gallery of the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature (NCCIL). The museum hosted Brian and his family during the festival. Books signed by Brian are still available at the NCCIL gift shop and you can see his exhibition through September titled “Brian’s Magnificent Garden.”

People can see the new Storybook Sculpture in the Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden, “Evan and His Dog,” inspired by the award-winning book by Mr. Lies titled “The Rough Patch.”  Abilene is home to the largest Storybook Sculpture collection of its kind in America and is one of the reasons – along with the CALF and the NCCIL – that Abilene is the official Storybook Capital of America©.

Next year’s CALF honoree and summer NCCIL artist will be award-winning artist/author LeUyen Pham. Mark your calendars for June 13-16, 2024.

“This year’s festival built around the beautiful artwork of Brian Lies was extremely popular with festival goers,” said Lynn Barnett, Abilene Chamber Vice President of the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council. “Plans are already in place to start planning another great festival for next year.”