20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Pops Up

Today is Jules Verne's birthday! This coming season, an exhibit at Shelburne Museum features an artist whose work is inspired by the legendary author who brought us 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days.

Here's a sneak peak at the work of Sam Ita, a paper engineer from Brooklyn, New York, whose work is included in the exhibit Paperwork in 3D. Ita is one of more than 20 artists featured in the exhibit, which opens May 15.

Ita creates extravagant graphic pop-up books inspired by literary classics including Frankenstein, Moby Dick, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Paperwork in 3D will not only display Ita's final product, but will also include examples of the creative process. In the preliminary stages, Ita's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is composed of computer animated drawings as well as ink and pencil sketches.

In later stages, the final product comes to life as a meticulously crafted piece of art.

To learn more about Sam Ita, visit his website:samita.us