Before a children’s book comes to life, its illustrations begin as sketches, storyboards and creative experiments. 

The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum’s exhibition, “Storyboard to Storybook: The Beulah Campbell Collection at Appalachian State University,” offers a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic process of mid-20th-century children’s literature.

Having opened in December, the exhibit features over 30 original illustrations, collages and preparatory drawings spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s, exploring themes of identity, heritage and imagination.