Dr. Seuss’ ‘Hidden’ Hat Collection To Visit Northport
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Northport’s LaMantia Gallery will host the “Hats Off to Dr. Seuss! Exhibition” from Nov. 8-30 – a development that LaMantia Gallery owner James LaMantia said will be “great for the town.”
Known for his vibrantly colored characters and settings full of Truffula Trees and fish in primary colors, Theador Seuss Geisel’s hidden hat collection appears in photographs to be as colorful as one might imagine it to be; but those in Northport, and those willing to visit, will no longer be left to imagine the contents of the little-known closet that his widow has opened for the world to see.
Northport’s LaMantia Gallery will host the “Hats Off to Dr. Seuss! Exhibition” from Nov. 8-30 – a development that LaMantia Gallery owner James LaMantia said will be “great for the town.”
“A show like this is kind of a unifying show. I’ve been getting calls from school districts all over the island; I’ve been getting calls from people out of state that are coming to see this show,” he said.
The recently expanded gallery space, which LaMantia said is more open than it once was, will serve as a temporary home to both Geisel’s hats and the “Secret Art” series based on Geisel’s original drawings, paintings and sculptures.
Having opened at the New York Public Library last February, the show has visited only three galleries so far, LaMantia said.
The hats have been taken from the “hidden closet” at Geisel’s estate and packed into a retrofitted old-fashioned steamer trunk to embark on the national traveling exhibition.
“In his artwork, as in his personal life, Dr. Seuss saw hats as transformational,” a press release reads. “And from the time he was a small boy in Springfield, Massachusetts, he was aware of their inherent magic. Far beyond their functionality, hats were the accent – the exclamation point – on a person’s behavior.”
Last August, LaMantia’s gallery hosted a different Seuss show – an experience that LaMantia said brought to the space “30 days of nothing but smiles.”
“It becomes a big interactive event,” he said, noting that some would come dressed as Seuss. “It’s smiles all day… It’s insane, the feeling that his work gives to people.”
LaMantia Gallery is located at 127 Main Street, Northport, 11768. For additional information, visit www.lamantiagallery.com or call 631-754-8414.
And check out some samples of what to expect in our gallery below!
