The Dream Exhibit is based on the award-winning bestseller Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes by Susan V. Bosak. A one-of-a-kind collaboration, Dream combines contemporary art from 15 top illustrators with thought-provoking quotations from historical sages and a multilayered poetic story.

Hope is a universal human need, no matter what your age, gender, culture, or race. Dream is a story about hope – hopes and dreams across a lifetime, through history, and into the future.

Says The Bloomsbury Review, "This elegant book depicts the journey of life – from infancy to older adulthood – highlighting all the hopes and dreams found along the way... Inspirational quotes from people such as Martin Luther King Jr, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Emily Dickinson are set alongside gorgeous illustrations by internationally acclaimed artists. Richly crafted and thoughtfully written, Dream is a dazzling project that challenges us to find a dream and follow it."

Dream has won a remarkable 11 national awards, including an International Reading Association Children's Choice, a Teachers' Choice, an iParenting Award, the Pinnacle Award as Best Gift Book, and Visionary Award.

The Dream Exhibit brings together original works by 15 top illustrators from five countries – winners of the Academy Award, Hans Christian Andersen Medal, Society of Illustrators Gold Medal, Bologna Ragazzi Award, Governor General's Medal, and Caldecott Medal.

Find out more about each artist:

Wayne Anderson
James Bennett
Christian Birmingham
Mike Carter
Raúl Colón
Leo and Diane Dillon
Zhong-Yang Huang
Robert Ingpen
Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Michèle Lemieux
Barbara Reid
Shaun Tan
Bruce Wood

The Dream Exhibit is currently travelling to venues across the United States. It features all the original artwork created for Dream. As a multigenerational exhibit, it draws children, teens, adults, and seniors. You're never too young or too old to dream!

In addition to the artwork, the exhibit features concept drafts for the art that give visitors a peek into the creative process; an abbreviated version of the story from the book; multimedia components; and the handcrafted Dream Chest, a time portal. Each element works with the others to bring the universal themes to life.

A text and visual literacy educational program for young people has been developed that includes interactive components encouraging children and teens to discover the world around them and inside themselves. How has the flashlight or the telephone changed the world? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Why was Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring named one of the most influential books of the past fifty years? And what do you do when a personal challenge seems so overwhelming you don't even want to get out of bed?

"There's a real power in the combination of words and art to engage people and get them asking the kinds of rich questions that help them grow," says Dream author Susan V. Bosak. "This is about encouraging young people to read – to understand both words and images – and encouraging them to think bigger and longer-term, to dream and set goals to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others. It also reminds adults not to let go of their dreams."

Susan does a high-energy, multimedia presentation at the opening event for the Dream Exhibit in each city it visits. The opening event uses art, story, and music and includes an interactive reading of the Dream book.

After participating in a Dream Discovery Scavenger Hunt, visitors can fold colorful origami Dream Stars and gently toss them into the magical Dream Chest to make a wish.

The handcrafted wooden Dream Chest has a story all its own. The Dream book begins as a traveler discovers the chest at the end of a rainbow. Thousands and thousands of years ago an ancient people carefully crafted the Dream Chest. One night, they set it on the top of a mountain. They called to the universe. A shooting star flashed across the dark sky. It swirled down to earth, circled around the chest, then burst into the chest through the seven-pointed carved star on its scooped lid. The Dream Chest became a time portal. It is a portal between reality and dreams, between what has been, what is, and what can be. The Dream Chest is a symbol of the bigger story of which our life story is only a part. It also symbolizes your power to send a message into the future through your own legacy.

After visiting the Dream Exhibit, free online LifeDreams activities offer parents and teachers more ideas for encouraging young people to dream. The Legacy Project also offers intergenerational resources for exploring your life in the context of generations and the world – how the story in Dream connects to your life story, your hopes and dreams for what you can be and do no matter what your age, and legacies passed across generations in your family and community.

The Dream Exhibit generally stays at a venue for four to eighteen months. Appropriate venues include museums, galleries, and libraries. It can also be part of a One City, One Book program. If your community is interested in finding out more about hosting the Dream Exhibit, e-mail or call the Legacy Project at
1-800-772-7765.