SPECIAL MENTION
Fechamos
Text by Gilles Baum
Illustrations by Régis Lejonc
Les Éditions des Éléphants, France, 2020
What the jury said:
“We are closing” is a powerful book for the story it tells, its use of color, graphic language, the rhythm of its vignettes, and intensely-written text. This uncompromising book advocates for the care of cultural objects and heritage. When the museum is forced to shut down due to a lack of funds, museum guard Edson Arantes entrusts its treasures – a sarcophagus, a collection of butterflies, even a dinosaur skeleton – to people who appreciate them and who will display them on the street, providing an opportunity to reflect on and discuss the political and social role of the museum.”