ALA READ posters featured in N.Y. exhibition
Contact: Trish Cleary , Marketing Manager
312-280-2426
For Immediate Release
August 29, 2003
ALA READ posters featured in N.Y. exhibition
An exclusive exhibition of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Celebrity READ posters opens September 18 and runs for one month at the new Coliseum Books Café in New York City.
Stars who posed over the past decade with their favorite literary work for award-winning photographer Kimberly Butler include Serena Williams, Bernie Mac, Salma Hayek, Britney Spears and many other stars from film, television, music, publishing, sports, science and business.
The exhibition kicks off during ‘New York is Book Country’ week at the West 42
nd Street landmark, which recently reopened across from the New York Public Library. A private viewing for press and special guests is scheduled for September 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Coliseum Books Café is located at 11 W. 42
nd Street.
Butler, whose studio is located in midtown Manhattan, has photographed an eclectic group of about 100 newsmakers and celebrities clutching their favorite books for the popular READ portrait series.
New celebrity posters debuting at Coliseum Books Café feature comedian Bernie Mac (“Armed & Dangerous”), the cast of TV’s “Third Watch” (“The Corrections,” “In the Meantime,” “The Gangs of New York,” “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” “Lord of the Flies,” “Dreamcatcher”) and actress Julia Stiles (“Me Talk Pretty One Day”).
“The READ series is a cornerstone of the ALA poster collection, representing almost 50 percent of the posters we sell to libraries and schools,” said ALA Graphics Director Kathryn Leide. “This simple message continues to be one of the most effective inducements we have found to encourage young people to read for the sheer enjoyment of reading.”
Other READ portraits on display include Serena Williams (“A Raisin in the Sun”); Salma Hayek (“Biography of Frida Kahlo”); Mike Mussina (“Casey at the Bat”); Missy Elliott (“A Chair for My Mother”); Alec Baldwin (“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”); Tony Hawk (“High Fidelity”); Bill Gates (“The Old Man and the Sea”); Yo-Yo Ma (“Goodnight Moon”); Marion Jones (“1984”); Susan Sarandon (“The Poisonwood Bible”); Jason Kidd (“The Dream Keeper and Other Poems”); Stephen Hawking (“Marilyn Monroe”), Coolio (“Frankenstein”); Mike Mussina (“Casey at the Bat”); and “Weird Al” Yankovic (“A Brief History of Time”).
The first celebrity poster, featuring actor/comedian Bill Cosby, appeared in 1985.
Celebrities donate their time and copyright use of their photographs.
“I am honored that Coliseum Books chose to debut this series during ‘New York is Book Country’ and on my 10th anniversary of photographing READ portraits for the American Library Association,” Butler said.
“Besides,” she added, “I love New York – it’s my hometown.
I can think of no better place to promote the joy of reading than at Coliseum Books – a New York institution – right across the street from another New York landmark – the New York Public Library.”
Butler also has recently been inducted into the prestigious Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
The sale of Celebrity READ posters supports the programs of the ALA. A free ALA Graphics Catalog featuring READ posters and other items celebrating reading and libraries is available by calling the ALA at 800-545-2433, ext. 5046, or
visit the collection online.
For more information onKimberly Butler Photography, visit
www.kimberlybutler.com
.
For the latest news on Coliseum Books’ events schedule, visit
www.coliseumbooks.com.
