18. "... collage is a means of survival . It is how Black folks survived four hundred years of oppression, taking the scraps of life and transforming them into art forms . "
19.
20. What’s Special About Me Mama? Words by Kristina Evans Illustration by Javaka Steptoe Hyperion, 2011
21. Javaka Steptoe, children's author and illustrator and alumnus of P.S. 125, reads to children at Read Out Loud! (A family literacy festival on December 5, 2009 at the Ralph Bunche School (P.S. 125) in Manhattan.)
22.
23.
24.
Editor's Notes
“ I always drew around the house. I was encouraged to do that because there was always paper and pencil and other materials around. I went to a lot of after-school programs. I went to the Children’s Art Carnival, and to an animation program at the Studio Museum of Harlem.” His father never pushed him to be an artist but was instrumental in Javaka attending the High school of art and design (where John had gone to school as well) (Reading Teacher Interview) “I explain to he general public what’s going on in the galleries. I do some sort of project with them—an art project or a scientific project or something like that. I did a collage workshop for the opening [Children’s Museum of Manhattan]. I have also worked as a kindergarten assistant teacher for a full year. We did things like “A is for apple,” only I would come up with “W is for worms” and wonder how I could make it three-dimensional and different than what everybody else might do. I really enjoyed it”
Born in Brooklyn, New York on September 14, 1950 – Wrote & Illustrated 15 books, Trained formally at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan and under the painter Norman Lewis First-Stevie, he started when he was 16 and was published just as he was turning 19, First by Life magazine and then by Harper & Row. The character was based on his younger brother. ALA named it a notable children’s book and it won a gold medal from the society of Illustrators. Stevie was ground breaking in that he created it to speak specifically to black urban children. (Black vernacular English, impressionistic art- horn book). Urban settings, positive cross-cultural messages He was a single father and his children were born early on in his career Daddy is a Monster…Sometimes- As Stevie was based on his younger brother, Steptoe used his children Bweela and Javaka for this book about single fatherhood and children The books in red won the Coretta Scott King award for Illustrations The Books with Blue stars were Caldecott Honor books Mufaro’s Daugthers also won a Boston Glob-Horn Book Award for Illustrations
-Author’s: Folami Abade Davida Adebjouma David A. Anderson Michael Burgess Dakari Hru Angela Johnson Dinah Johnson E. Ethelbert Miller Lenard D. Moore Sonia Sanchez Javaka Carole Boston Weatherford -Coretta Scott King award honor books for young readers that promote peace, brotherhood, and nonviolent social change -In an interview with Reading Teacher (a periodical), Javaka says that winning this award , “ment a whole lot to me. I grew up with my father doing books. I knew about the Coretta Scott King Award and I remember him winning it.” Misc. materials, both paper, fabric and more solid objects such as coins and tin cans
“ Her Daddy’s Hands” Angela Johnson In Lee & Low’s fall 1997 catalog Javaka writes about this work , “Coming up with the initial ideas…was easy. But bringing an idea to life—finding the right materials, composition, and style—took forever for some pieces, while others just came to me. I don’t think there is one illustration that has not been through some drastic transformation.”
“ The Things in Black Men’s Closets” by E. Ethelbert Miller He told Reading Teacher that he was especially drawn to this poem, “…the fact of my father passing and the idea of time, and memory, and nostalgia. The pennies have a whole bunch of different levels of meaning , like a penny for your thought; saving pennies tells about hard times, or it could also tell about excess.”
“ You drew pictures of life With your words I listened and ate those words your said To grow up strong. Like the trees, I grew, Branches, leaves, flowers, and then the fruit. I became the words I ate in you. For better or worse The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
When asked by Horn Book magazine about the choice of collage for his work, “ I think it had a lot to do with being in school. I did a lot of drawing with pencil, ink, and things like that, and when I got to school I had all these different media and techniques to play with. I was doing print making, silk screen, and etching, and taking all sorts of drawing classes, and video and film, just seeing a lot of other people’s work. So collage seemed to come out of that.”
Talk about the story
“ When I was in college, I took every class that I possibly could take. I guess I would be classified as one of those people without a major. I have done black-and-white 8 mm film and a little bit of video. I have done printmaking, painting, and a little sculpture. I took a package design class and used computers. I also did photograph. In school you get to see a lot of different people’s art work…You take what you want, to a certain extent, and incorporate it into yourself…” from Reader Teacher interview about Daddy’s Arms
High energy, painted wood, rusty nails
Christopher Myers also an illustrator of children’s books, Walter Dean Myers’s son say about collage and if if’s trending in african american illustrators “… collage is one of those central metaphors of the African diaspora. A lot of art—be it jazz, be it blues, be it musical forms, be it artistics forms, be it dance forms—is oftentimes a collage of other forms. It’s about making do, it’s about economic factors that we had in our past. This is part of what quilt-making is for me right now. It’s about taking those little pieces of something and putting them together. I think that’s why we have such giants of collage—Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence—because as Black people we have a special relationship to it”
Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix By Gary Golio Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe Clarion Books New York, NY; October 4, 2010 Reading level: Ages 4-8 Golio's lyrical text sings with delicious description, and Steptoe's wildly colored mixed-media illustrations show the hues of the boy's imagination, with Hendrix always standing out from his surroundings. A fascinating "Illustrator's Note" illuminates the process behind the intriguing artwork and underscores the book's theme of exploring the creative process. — School Library Journal, starred review
What’s Special about ME, Mama? Booklist writes, “While kids of all backgrounds will connect with the story, this will be particularly welcomed by African American children who may see themselves in the boy’s richly diverse family, shown in Steptoe’s textured-paper collages that beautifully magnify the sense of sweet, snuggling intimacy between parent and child.” As both an artist and educator, he challenges traditional notions of Black art, emphasizing the richness of our collective past through his use of family as a recurring theme and centerpiece. Steptoe explains, "I want my audience no matter what their background, to be able to enter into my world and make connections with comparable experiences in their own lives."
“ Working with kids gave me a lot of inspiration” Javaka says of his inspiration for Daddy’s arms Steptoe is very committed to children’s education, making appearances at various schools, libraries, museums, and conferences across the country, including the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, and Reading is Fundamental, Inc.
![[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)