The Wade Center is pleased to present a lecture by Dale Ahlquist (President of the G.K. Chesterton Society)
on Thursday, October 23, followed by a Wheaton College
chapel talk on October 24 by Chris Mitchell. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be held
at 7:30 pm in the East Wing of Edman Chapel (on the west side of Wheaton College campus).
On Friday, Oct. 24,
Chuck Chalberg presents "G.K. Chesterton On Stage". This one-man dramatization of the literary figure
whose vigorous words shaped the thought of many influential writers such as C.S. Lewis and
Dorothy L. Sayers fills an evening with sparkling humor, bracing truths, and ever-surprising paradoxes.
The performance will be held at 7:30 pm at Barrows Auditorium in the
Billy Graham Center (on the south side of Wheaton College campus). Tickets are $8 in advance
(for sale at the Wade Center) or $10 at the door. Tickets are $5 with a Wheaton College ID.
Publicize this event at your church or school with
this poster.
The Wade Center museum is proud to present an exhibition featuring the life and works of Pauline Baynes,
including new paintings by Ms. Baynes based on Psalm 8. The Psalm 8 illustrations have been
published in a limited edition book entitled Psalm 8: How Excellent is Thy Name,
available only at the Wade Center.
This 30-page hardbound art book is priced at $30.00 (additional $3.50 if shipped). To order, phone 630-752-5908 or
email wade@wheaton.edu
Staff and friends of the Marion E. Wade Center are saddened to learn of the passing of Pauline Baynes
(1922-2008) late last week at her home in Surrey. Pauline may be best known to friends of the Wade Center
for her highly original illustrations that helped shape the reader’s imaginative entrance into
The Chronicles of Narnia as well as a number of J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories.
However, those stories
comprised only a small example of the broad and diverse body of paintings she produced throughout a
career that spanned over a half-century and include classic fairly tales, nursery rhymes, educational
books, cook books, religious texts and more. In 1968 she won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for her
lavish illustrations of Gran Uden’s A Dictionary of Chivalry. Every morning Pauline spent time sketching
and painting at her desk.
Some of her more recent work includes The Elephant’s Ball,
Psalm 8: How Excellent is Thy Name and forthcoming illuminations for select passages from The Koran.
In the past few months she was painting delightful depictions of many of Aesop’s Fables. Those who knew
her well will remember Pauline not only as a talented artist with a keen eye for detail, color and the
magic of the story, but also as a gracious, thoughtful friend who cherished and delighted in life’s
little pleasures.
--Kurt Berends (photo copyright A. Berends 2008)
Dr. Rolland Hein leads a reading discussion on Saturday mornings (10 am - 11 am) starting
September 20, and running through November 22.
Books covered in this session will be Williams's All Hallows' Eve and
Lewis's The Great Divorce.
Click here for more
information and a syllabus.
Prince Caspian, the second book published in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis,
first appeared in 1951.
As you are likely aware, on May 16, Walden Media/Disney will release a feature-length film based on
Lewis’s book.
In response to the ongoing interest in the Narnian tales, Associate Director
Marjorie Mead and Steering Committee member Leland Ryken have
co-written A Reader’s Guide to Caspian (InterVarsity Press 2008).
This book, like its predecessor A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe
(also IVP), is ideal for use
by reading groups, families, and individuals as a companion to the story itself.
Mead and Ryken provide a guided literary
tour of Lewis's Narnia highlighting characters, setting, framework,
and imaginative background and spiritual themes, as well as a brief biography of
C.S. Lewis. Questions for discussion and reflection round out this helpful resource.
A Reader's Guide to Caspian can be purchased at your local bookstore, in the Wade
Center gift shop (signed by the authors), or
online.
Over a dozen artifacts from the collection of The Marion E. Wade Center will take a five-year
leave of absence from the Wade Center’s collection to become part of “The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Exhibition,” a state-of-the-art presentation based on the Disney/Walden Media films and
C.S. Lewis’s beloved fictional book series that premiers June 7 at the Arizona Science Center in
Phoenix (www.azscience.org).
The 10,000-square-foot educational exhibit escorts guests on a tour of myth, magic and adventure
through iconic environments such as the attic and wardrobe that served as the entrances into the
Narnia adventures. In addition to the Wade Center’s Lewis memorabilia, the exhibit includes
authentic costumes, props and set dressings from the films portraying the literary fantasy world
of Narnia.
Upon entering the exhibit, guests will be introduced to C.S. Lewis, the author and professor,
through a recreation of his personal study. This display is brought to life by the Wade Center’s
contributions of C.S. Lewis’s pipe, his mug, an original letter he wrote, and rare first editions
of his book Prince Caspian. The Wade Center has also loaned first editions of the series
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, whose writings influenced C.S. Lewis’s imagination. After viewing the
desk and other Lewis artifacts, guests will pass into a wintry Narnian world, complete with falling
snow and cold wind. The tour continues through the White Witch’s ice palace, Cair Paravel and
additional displays and environments from upcoming films.
In November, the exhibit will move to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It is expected to
visit about a dozen venues over the next five years, in the U.S. and internationally.
