In the spring of 2018, 2-year-old Parker Curry visited the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., with her mom, her sister and her best friend. They saw a lot of artwork that day—but it was Amy Sherald’s portrait of first lady Michelle Obama that made Parker stop in her tracks and look up in awe.
“The portrait of the first lady Michelle Obama loomed before me,” Parker recalls. Now 4, Parker says the painting made her feel inspired. Also, she adds, Michelle Obama is now her friend.
That’s because Parker became a viral sensation when a fellow museum-goer took a picture of her standing there, spellbound. Less than a week later, Parker got to meet—and dance—with Obama.
The experience has inspired a picture book—Parker Looks Up—written by Parker and her mom, Jessica Curry Morton, and illustrated by Brittany Jackson.
“It’s fun working with my mommy!” Parker says.