Mike Peters Exhibit

The Key West Art and Historical Society’s “Mother Goose and Grimm” exhibit featuring the collective work of Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Mike Peters opens Friday, Feb 24t, at 5:30 p.m. – at the Custom House, 281 Front St., Key West. Peters will be on hand to sign copies of his book “Ultimate Mother Goose & Grimm.”
“This exhibit is a self-portrait of the artist,” said Claudia Pennington, executive director of the society. “It looks into the genius of Mike Peters through his early work to the present day.”
Original drawings for his cartoon strips as well as political cartoons are displayed with his Pulitzer Prize.
“I knew when I was five-years-old that I wanted to be a cartoonist,” Peters said. “As I grew older, I thought it was the only thing I could do.”
Peters came to Key West for the first time about 20-years ago, he said.
“A friend recently asked me what I like about Key West,” he said. “I told them the people, lots of characters, the food and the weather. Then they asked what I didn’t like and I couldn’t think of anything.”
Peters and his wife of 46-years, Marian, spend at least two-months a year on the island.
“I love it,” he said. “I go out for a walk, or on the water with a clear head, but when I get back home I come with ideas. Wherever I am, I pick up ideas from my surroundings.”
Peters is one of our nation’s most prominent cartoon artists for his outstanding work as both a political and comic strip cartoonist. His favorite expression “WHAT A HOOT” certainly sums up his outlook on his life and work. His warm, easygoing and zany demeanor is evidence that his personality matches his creative talents. As so eloquently phrased by a colleague – “Mike is the Peter Pan of the cartooning world; he’s boyishly charming, good with a rapier and doesn’t spend a lot of time on the ground. And he doesn’t seem to want to grow up”.
Peters was educated in his birthplace of St. Louis, MO. In 1965, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Washington University and immediately began his career on the art staff of the Chicago Daily News. The following year he began two years of service with the U.S. Army as an artist for the Seventh Psychological Operations Group in Okinawa. After Vietnam, his mentor, the renowned W.W. II artist Bill Mauldin, helped him find a cartooning position on the Dayton Daily News in 1969. That was the beginning. In 1972, his editorial cartoons became syndicated nationally. In 1981, Peters was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Journalism and in 1984, the award-winning Mother Goose & Grimm comic strip was born.
His humor appeals to all age groups and all nationalities. His work is syndicated in newspapers worldwide, and he  has become familiar to thousands through his many appearances on shows such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, Equal Time, MSNBC, CNNFN and C-SPAN. Peters’ political cartoons, syndicated by King Features Syndicate, appear in more than 400 newspapers worldwide, including the Key West Citizen, and is included in the Toon Lagoon theme park at Universal Studios that opened in July 1999.
. His political work is frequently seen in such publications as Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, and The New Republic. He is particularly proud of his animated editorial cartoons, “Peters Postscripts” which aired on NBC’s Nightly News in 1981. It was the first time animated editorial cartoons appeared regularly on a prime-time network news program. Peters also has done a 14-part interview series, The World of Cartooning with Mike Peters, for PBS.
Opening reception is free for members, guest are welcome with a suggested donation of $10.
Members who purchase the book, “Ultimate Mother Goose & Grimm,” that evening get an additional 10% off!
To join or renew your membership in the KWA&HS, call Gerri Sidoti at 295-6616, ext. 106. Memberships will also be available the night of the reception.