Author Talk and Book Signing

Meet the Missus!

Thursday, September 18, 7 p.m.
Museum of Art | Bank of Utica-Sinnott Family Auditorium
Free

Did you know that the character of Mrs. Claus made her worldwide theatrical debut in Utica in 1854? Join Canadian author Pamela McColl for a talk and signing at the premiere of her book Wondrous Mrs. Claus, an exploration of Santa’s spouse in art and literature over the past two centuries. Learn how Alfred Munson and Old Main figure into the story of Mrs. Claus’s rise to fame.

Author Bio

Pamela McColl is a publisher, lecturer, and award-winning author. After studying art and history at the University of Manitoba, McColl worked for 25 years as a corporate art consultant. An advocate of children's issues and smoking cessation, she published ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, edited by Santa Claus for the Benefit of Children of the 21st Century in 2013. It was hailed as the first “smoke-free” edition of the poem since McColl omitted the image of Santa smoking a pipe with a ring of smoke over his head. In 2022, she published Twas the Night: The Art and History of the Classic Christmas Poem, the first cultural history to be published of the highly-celebrated poem.