These artists aren’t world-famous, but each contributed to the world of art in a unique way:
Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews by Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Benny Andrews. Published by Clarion Books.
Born to sharecropper parents in Georgia, Benny Andrews was an artist, teacher, and advocate for artists of color. He started a prison art program and traveled to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to teach art to kids there. His paintings are used to illustrate the book.
Funny Bones: Posada and his Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh. Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Jose Guadalupe Posada was a Mexican printer and political cartoonist who became best-known for his prints of Calaveras (skeletons) to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. The book speculates on the meanings of some of the more enigmatic prints and shows the techniques Posada used to create his art.
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jamey Christoph. Published by Albert Whitman and Company.
Growing up in 1920’s Kansas City, Gordon Parks was told he’d be a porter or a waiter. He did work as a waiter, but buying a $7.50 camera changed his life. He went on to work for magazines like Life and Vogue, using his photography to work for human rights, and directed the movie Shaft.
Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews by Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Benny Andrews. Published by Clarion Books.
Funny Bones: Posada and his Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh. Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jamey Christoph. Published by Albert Whitman and Company.
Growing up in 1920’s Kansas City, Gordon Parks was told he’d be a porter or a waiter. He did work as a waiter, but buying a $7.50 camera changed his life. He went on to work for magazines like Life and Vogue, using his photography to work for human rights, and directed the movie Shaft.