Jan Spivey Gilchrist

Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Born Jan Spivey
United States
Occupation author, illustrator, fine artist
Language English
Alma mater Eastern Illinois University,[1] University of Northern Iowa, Vermont College
Years active 1988–present
Spouse Kevin Gilchrist
Website
janspiveygilchrist.com

Jan Spivey Gilchrist is an author, illustrator and fine artist from Chicago, Illinois. She is most known for her work on children's books such as The Great Migration: Journey to the North, Nathaniel Talking, and My America. Her books have received numerous awards including the Coretta Scott King Medal for Illustration and the Parents' Choice Award.[1][2] Gilchrist has also exhibited artwork at galleries across the United States and Canada.[3][1]

Work

Gilchrist earned her bachelor's degree in art education in 1973 from Eastern Illinois University, who later named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1992.[4] She completed a master's degree in painting in 1979 from Northern Iowa University.[5] Gilchrist went on to earn a MFA in writing for children from Vermont College.[6]

Gilchrist works in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, mixed-media collage, gouache, pastels and pencil.[7][8] Many of the books she has worked on focus on the African-American experience over time and depict a diverse range of people, such as slaves in the United States, modern-day children participating in everyday activities,[9] and well-known figures such as Barack Obama and Michael Jordan.

She has said of her work, "I wish always to portray a positive and sensitive image for all children, especially the African American children."[5] To this end, Gilchrist also works as a motivational speaker for children and teens.[6]

Notable works as illustrator

Exhibitions

Gilchrist has exhibited large-scale paintings as well as pencil drawings across North America. Her work has been shown at the Anacostia Community Museum of the Smithsonian, the National Center of Afro-American Artists, the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.[3]

Recognition

Gilchrist's works has been critically well-received. in 1990, she received the Coretta Scott King Medal for Illustration for Nathaniel Talking. Various of her books have been selected as American Library Association Notables, received Parents' Choice Award Recommended Book Awards, and been named a Junior Library Guild Best Book.[1]

Gilchrist was inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent in 1999 and into the Society of Illustrators in 2001.[2]

A 2015 Los Angeles Times book review called her watercolor illustrations for The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can "particularly masterful."[7]

In 2016, Gilchrist was given the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Meet Jan Spivey Gilchrist". JanSpiveyGilchrist.com.
  2. 1 2 "Jan Spivey Gilchrist". Harper Collins Publishers.
  3. 1 2 "The Artist". JanSpiveyGilchristFineArt.com.
  4. ↑ "Exhibit focuses on works of Jan Spivey Gilchrist". Charleston: Journal Gazette & Times-Courier. 10 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Henrietta M (1994). The Coretta Scott King Awards Book: From Vision to Reality. American Library Association. p. 86.
  6. 1 2 3 "Jan Spivey Gilchrist: Writer & Illustrator". Balkin Buddies.
  7. 1 2 Thomas, Ebony Elizabeth (17 December 2015). "A diverse mix of picture books, perfect for reading aloud". Los Angeles Times. Jan Spivey Gilchrist's watercolor illustrations are particularly masterful here, contrasting the stillness of pastoral village life with the bustling marketplace, and showing the passage of time through a double spread of moon imagery rendered in soft purples and blues.
  8. ↑ Day, Frances Ann (1999). Multicultural Voices in Contemporary Literature: A Resource for Teachers. Heinemann. ISBN 9780325001302.
  9. ↑ "Nathaniel Talking". Kirkus Reviews. 1989.
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