Bologna Book Fair Reportage is an annual public talk hosted by CIA's Illustration department following the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the leading international marketplace for children’s publishing. Each spring, Assistant Professor in Illustration, Dinara Mirtalipova travels to the fair in Italy and returns with a visual and industry overview of the newest global trends in picture books, including emerging illustration styles, thematic directions, material experimentation, and shifts in storytelling.

Designed for illustration majors, the wider CIA community and the public, the event highlights how picture books sit at the intersection of art, design, writing, sequencing, research, and global culture.

The program will begin with an overview of the educational and professional ecosystem of picture books, outlining key roles and how a book moves from concept to global distribution, followed by first-hand observations from Bologna, including current visual trends and portfolio insights. The event concludes with an open discussion about opportunities and career pathways, with the goal of making the international picture book field accessible, transparent, and relevant to a broad creative audience.

Parking: Attendees may park in CIA's Lot 73 and Annex Lot, both of which surround our campus. Please note that signs posted around those lots correctly state that parking typically requires a CIA permit or visitor pass and that violators will be ticketed. However, to accommodate our valued attendees, that policy won't be enforced during the program.