installation view
The Rabbit hOle celebrates the debut of its Discovery Gallery this year with the exhibition “My Mother’s Father’s Dragon: A Hero’s Journey and the Art of Living.” The gallery features a whimsical magnification and three-dimensional explosion of monochrome lithograph illustrations, kinetic displays, and artifacts from the book’s journey into actualization.
Just like Ruth Stiles Gannett’s original 1948 book “My Father’s Dragon,” the exhibition plunges visitors into an immersive experience, like the philosophy of the City and Country School where Gannett was taught at a young age to “learn by doing.”
The book, featuring Elmer Elevator as the protagonist, was a true family collaboration. Ruth Chrisman Gannett — illustrator for the book and the author’s stepmother — worked alongside Peter Kahn — artist, calligrapher and the author’s husband — on this labor of love. The book was published the same year that Peter and Ruth welcomed their first of seven daughters into the world. “My Father’s Dragon” received wide acclaim and won a Newbery Honor in 1949.
According to Pete Cowdin, co-director of the Rabbit hOle, the exhibition relates to readers and viewers today, “in a million ways, including values like care, respect and justice.” He started thinking about how the museum might install this exhibition back in 2024 right after the museum opened.
“My Father’s Dragon” has been in print for nearly 80 years, and it is considered the perfect book to help readers bridge from picture books to chapter books. The exhibition takes a similar approach, encouraging young viewers to look closely at fine art that would typically be installed above their heads, but in the Discovery Gallery is hung at a child’s eye level — at 52, 44, and 38 inches.
The exhibition also displays book dummies, artifacts and photos from the author and her family’s life. Many of these primary documents and objects were loaned from the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota, an extensive archive of children’s literature. An audio interview with Ruth’s family members supports the artifacts, providing a wider look into both Elmer’s journey in the book and Ruth Stiles Gannett’s life.
Dimension, texture and value lure viewers closer into the lithographic book illustrations that oddly became singular art objects. In fact, there is only one of each of the prints for “My Father’s Dragon” archived in the Kerlan Collection, making them unique and valuable. In some illustrations, viewers can identify places where the artist enhanced the contrast later for an improved outcome in the book’s mass production.
In summer 2026 the museum plans to host field trips and workshops for children, potentially teaching young learners the art of lithography. This is one exhibition not to miss, and it demonstrates, as Cowdin put it, “that the world is a magical place, but by the same token you don’t need magic to navigate it.”
“My Mother’s Father’s Dragon” continues at The Rabbit hOle, 919 E. 14th Ave. North Kansas City, through Aug. 15. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, 816-492-7915 or www.rabbitholekc.org.
