Drawing of Wild Things and Max swinging from trees in the forest

Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak

Field trips for grades Pre-K–12, available October 21, 2024, through February 17, 2025
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Max in his wild things suit dancing at night to the full moon

Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are, 1963, watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper, 9 3/4 x 11 in. © The Maurice Sendak Foundation

Field Trips Are Going Wild This Fall!

Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak is coming to Denver! On view October 13, 2024, through February 17, 2025, this ticketed exhibition showcases Sendak’s beloved work through a wide array of objects, drawings, paintings, and mockups from his award-winning books, as well as theater and film projects. Among many other highlights, the exhibition will feature the first presentation of all the original paintings for Where the Wild Things Are.

We can’t wait to welcome you and your students to the DAM to see art that inspires courage, adventure, resilience, and curiosity. There will be youth and adult audio guides to support your experience in the exhibition itself. Our artmaking workshops will have special Sendak-themed components. And we are also producing a 40-minute play, Art Emergency: Sendak Edition, that students of all ages will learn from and enjoy.

There are three ways for school groups to structure their visits to Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak:

  • Package A: Exhibition & artmaking workshop (available all week)
  • Package B: Exhibition & play (available Wednesdays and Fridays)
  • Package C: Exhibition only (available all week)

For more details on availability and pricing, please fill out an interest form to begin the booking process.

Mother and daughter pointing and looking at a wall of art in the galleries

Audio Guides

Youth Audio Guide: The youth audio guide for Wild Things offers stories, insights, and funny tidbits about Maurice Sendak for kids ages 4-11. Young people can listen to interviews with other kids who love Sendak’s books; they can learn all about Maurice Sendak and his artistic journey; and they might even discover completely new stories about this famous author and artist. Our goal is to leave kids itching to get creative themselves and to let their imaginations run wild.

Adult Audio Guide: What better way to learn about an artist than to hear from him directly? Maurice Sendak himself provides the primary voice on the adult audio tour for Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak. This guide is a great fit for students aged 12 and above. We’ve gathered clips from the late author-illustrator’s interviews to provide intimate insight into his art and his life, helping the listener-viewer to connect to his work. You’ll also hear delightful and moving stories from some of his closest friends and collaborators, including playwright Tony Kushner, author Dave Eggers, and the director and curator of the Maurice Sendak Foundation, Lynn Caponera and Jonathan Weinberg, both of whom have known Sendak since they were children.

Audio guides are available as wands you can check out and also via the Bloomberg Connects app on your phone.

Photo of Maurice Sendak in 1994 when he was 66 years old

Photo of Maurice Sendak, 1994. © John Dugdale.

Art Emergency: Sendak Edition

Art Emergency: Sendak Edition is a fast-paced, funny, and interactive way for young people to learn about the life and art of Maurice Sendak through theater.

In this 40-minute performance, audience members play the role of museum VIPs tasked with helping a curator and an educator make important decisions. Together, they must discover where Sendak got his inspiration to successfully put on the Wild Things exhibition.

Top image: Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are, 1963, watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper, 9 3/4 x 22 in. © The Maurice Sendak Foundation.

Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak has been co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and the Columbus Museum of Art in partnership with The Maurice Sendak Foundation. It is curated by Jonathan Weinberg, PhD, Curator and Director of Research at The Maurice Sendak Foundation and Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the Denver Art Museum.

This exhibition is presented by the Clarence V. Laguardia Foundation with additional support provided by the Tom Taplin Jr. and Ted Taplin Endowment, Bank of America, Kathie and Keith Finger, Lisë Gander and Andy Main, the Kristin and Charles Lohmiller Exhibitions Fund, Sally Cooper Murray, Kent Thiry & Denise O'Leary, an anonymous donor, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.

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