Traveling Exhibit Promotes African American Culture Through Children’s Book Illustrations
Afton Harper
Staff Reporter
Apr 15, 2019
Telling a People’s Story: African American Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit
African American children's books are on display at Meyer Library as a part of the Telling a People's Story: African American Children's Illustrated Literature Exhibit. The exhibit will be displayed from April 3, 2019 until May 22, 2019.
Jaylen Early/The Standard
Duane G. Meyer Library is currently displaying a traveling exhibit called “Telling a People’s Story: African American Children’s Illustrated Literature” as part of the 10th anniversary of the Springfield African American Read-In. Around 130 different illustrations from 95 different children’s books about African American history are on display.
AARI is an initiative founded by the National Council of Teachers of English and led by the NCTE black caucus to promote African American authors and make reading a basic part of Black History Month, said associate professor and chairperson for the Springfield AARI Grace Jackson-Brown.
The original exhibit was created at Miami University in Ohio by Jason Shaiman and was opened to the public in January 2018. After the exhibit’s success, Shaiman and those involved in the project decided that others might find their exhibit meaningful.
Sherri Krazl, coordinator of marketing communications at Miami University, said the exhibit was originally only going to be shipped within Ohio, but there was such widespread interest Shaiman decided to expand the project to different states.
“It’s an exhibition that shines a different lens on telling the history of a culture through the graphics in children’s books,” Krazl said.
Krazl said they circulate five sets of the exhibit. The exhibit consists of 12 single-sided panels with digital reproductions of each illustrator’s artwork.
Shaiman, curator of exhibitions at Miami University, said his idea originated in 2008 while he was working for a different museum in the South.
He had an idea for an exhibit that would use children's book illustrations to represent the cultural identity of the South.
After beginning his job at Miami University, he said he later realized that the southern lens would be too removed from the Oxford, Ohio, community.
After speaking with local children's literature experts, Shaiman said he realized that African American children's illustrated literature was an underrepresented field.
Dan Keenan, executive director of the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, said Shaiman spoke with him about how their goal was for the students to experience a meaningful project where they see connections with grade-level learning objectives.
The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation provided Miami University a $13,200 grant to create the five sets of prints that would circulate throughout the U.S.
“In as many instances as possible. We did attempt to focus on books that were written by African Americans so that the contextualization of the stories and the subsequent illustrations would come from those who have the most intimate knowledge of living the African American experience,” Shaiman said.
AG Ford, an African American illustrator, has artwork on display in the traveling exhibit.
Ford has illustrated for a variety of children's books including “Cookiesaurus Rex,” “Under the Same Sun” and “My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
Shaiman said the purpose of the exhibit is to spark conversation and promote understanding and tolerance of diversity in society.
Staff Reporter
Apr 15, 2019
Telling a People’s Story: African American Children’s Illustrated Literature Exhibit
African American children's books are on display at Meyer Library as a part of the Telling a People's Story: African American Children's Illustrated Literature Exhibit. The exhibit will be displayed from April 3, 2019 until May 22, 2019.
Jaylen Early/The Standard
Duane G. Meyer Library is currently displaying a traveling exhibit called “Telling a People’s Story: African American Children’s Illustrated Literature” as part of the 10th anniversary of the Springfield African American Read-In. Around 130 different illustrations from 95 different children’s books about African American history are on display.
AARI is an initiative founded by the National Council of Teachers of English and led by the NCTE black caucus to promote African American authors and make reading a basic part of Black History Month, said associate professor and chairperson for the Springfield AARI Grace Jackson-Brown.
The original exhibit was created at Miami University in Ohio by Jason Shaiman and was opened to the public in January 2018. After the exhibit’s success, Shaiman and those involved in the project decided that others might find their exhibit meaningful.
Sherri Krazl, coordinator of marketing communications at Miami University, said the exhibit was originally only going to be shipped within Ohio, but there was such widespread interest Shaiman decided to expand the project to different states.
“It’s an exhibition that shines a different lens on telling the history of a culture through the graphics in children’s books,” Krazl said.
Krazl said they circulate five sets of the exhibit. The exhibit consists of 12 single-sided panels with digital reproductions of each illustrator’s artwork.
Shaiman, curator of exhibitions at Miami University, said his idea originated in 2008 while he was working for a different museum in the South.
He had an idea for an exhibit that would use children's book illustrations to represent the cultural identity of the South.
After beginning his job at Miami University, he said he later realized that the southern lens would be too removed from the Oxford, Ohio, community.
After speaking with local children's literature experts, Shaiman said he realized that African American children's illustrated literature was an underrepresented field.
Dan Keenan, executive director of the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, said Shaiman spoke with him about how their goal was for the students to experience a meaningful project where they see connections with grade-level learning objectives.
The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation provided Miami University a $13,200 grant to create the five sets of prints that would circulate throughout the U.S.
“In as many instances as possible. We did attempt to focus on books that were written by African Americans so that the contextualization of the stories and the subsequent illustrations would come from those who have the most intimate knowledge of living the African American experience,” Shaiman said.
AG Ford, an African American illustrator, has artwork on display in the traveling exhibit.
Ford has illustrated for a variety of children's books including “Cookiesaurus Rex,” “Under the Same Sun” and “My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
Shaiman said the purpose of the exhibit is to spark conversation and promote understanding and tolerance of diversity in society.
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