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THE SNOWY DAY AND THE ART OF EZRA JACK KEATS

Opens at The Jewish Museum September 9^th

First Major U.S. Exhibition

Pays Tribute to Award-Winning Author and Illustrator

Exhibition Marks 50^th Anniversary of “The Snowy Day”

Which Paved the Way for Multiracial Representation

in American Children’s Literature

New York, NY – The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats, the first major United States exhibition to pay tribute to award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (1916-1983), whose beloved children’s books include Whistle for Willie (1964), Peter’s Chair (1967), and The Snowy Day (1962), opens at The Jewish Museum on September 9, 2011 and remains on view through January 29, 2012. Published at the height of the American civil-rights movement and winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal, The Snowy Day became a milestone, featuring the first African-American protagonist in a full-color picture book.  The Snowy Day went on to inspire generations of readers, and paved the way for multiracial representation in American children’s literature.  Also pioneering were the dilapidated urban settings of Keats’s stories.  Picture books had rarely featured such gritty landscapes before.

Ezra Jack Keats, “Crunch, crunch, crunch, his feet sank into the snow.” Final illustration for The Snowy Day, 1962. Collage and paint on board. Ezra Jack Keats papers, de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, McCain Library and

Archives, The University of Southern Mississippi.  Copyright Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.

The exhibition features over 80 original works from preliminary sketches and dummy books, to final paintings and collages for the artist’s most popular books.  Also on view are examples of Keats’s most introspective but less-known output inspired by Asian art and haiku poetry, as well as documentary material and photographs.  The Jewish Museum exhibition is part of a wide-scale celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the publication of The Snowy Day.

Following its New York City showing at The Jewish Museum, The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats will travel to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA (June 26-October 14, 2012); the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA (November 15, 2012-February 24, 2013); and the Akron Art Museum (March-June 2013).

Ezra Jack Keats was born Jacob (Jack) Ezra Katz in Brooklyn in 1916.  His parents were Eastern European Jewish immigrants and very poor.  Although he briefly studied painting in Paris on the GI Bill after serving in World War II, Keats was primarily self-taught. He drew upon memories of growing up in East New York, one of the most deprived neighborhoods of New York City.  Keats’s experience of anti-Semitism and poverty in his youth gave him a lifelong sympathy for others who suffered prejudice and want.  His work transcends the personal and reflects the universal concerns of children.

Keats used lush color in his paintings and collages and strove for simplicity in his texts. He was often more intent on capturing a mood than developing a plot.  His preferred format was the horizontal double-page spread, which freed him to alternate close-up scenes with panoramic views.  By the end of hi

A fascinating essay in today's New York Times reinforces my love for children's books and children's authors. A must read: a true fan piece spotlighting William Steig's world and the current exhibition of his work on display at The Jewish Museum here in New York. Better get thee to the exhibit soon as it ends March 16th. (Why do I feel as if I am the last to know all the good stuff?)

Things I didn't know: Steig was Brooklyn boy. (Instant rapport.) A Brooklyn Jewish boy. (Who knew?) That he sold his first cartoon to THE NEW YORKER magazine when he was 23 to help support his family. That he began publishing his children's books when he was 61 years old. (Okay. I am not giving away my age. All I am saying: there's hope, there's time, there's time! I feel better now.) ;}

Things I did know: some of his books have been my best friends as both a writer and children's book aficionado. The less-talked about, less seemingly impossible BRAVE IRENE was a story I read over and over again to my children-- and to myself. Irene was the girl I never thought I was, the girl who never gave up, despite the obstacles of the wind, the snowstorm, the darkness, the impossibilities...

If I couldn't be that girl when I was little, I am determined to be her now. {}

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From the William Steig website:


double click to enlarge

From ART KNOWLEDGE NEWS: “I often ask myself, ‘What would be an ideal life?’ – I think an ideal life would be just drawing,” William Steig said in 1992. He died in 2003 at the age of 95.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all! To celebrate Valentine’s Day I thought it would be nice to share the love, language love that is. So today, instead of Ben’s column, please go check out some of his fellow wordies. Be sure to leave comments and let them know how much you love their blogs. Over the next couple weeks some of these illustrious bloggers will be guest blogging in this space so stay tuned.

Take a look at Mark Peter’s language guide for parents or his Wordlustitude blog.

Swing by Jeff Prucher’s blog for an interesting meditation on horror as a genre.

Then click over to Grant Barrett’s Double-Tongued Dictionary which can keep you busy for hours on end.

Don’t miss Erin McKean’s Dictionary Evangelist blog which proves just how much fun you can have with language.

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I'm as happy as a bird in a tree! (I have no idea what that means but hey, at least I'm happy!)
www.SoundsLikeBlue.com

Happy Monday to everyone. I have some exciting news to share. Rachel Deahl wrote about yours truly in Publishers Weekly last week, check it out here. In other news, we are runners-up in the “Best of the Blogs” contest. Thanks to everyone who voted!

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