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Ashley Bryan

アシュリー・フレデリック・ブライアン

Ashley Bryan

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1923-07-13 （Harlem, New York City, U.S.）
Died
2022-02-04 （Sugar Land, Texas, U.S.） age 98
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Harlem / Bronx, New York City → Islesford (Little Cranberry Island), Maine, U.S. → Sugar Land, Texas, U.S. (later years)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Illustrator, Teacher
Active Years
1950-2020
Affiliations
Queens College, City University of New York, Philadelphia College of Art, The Dalton School, Lafayette College, Dartmouth College (Professor Emeritus)
Influenced By
African-American spirituals and folk tales, Works Progress Administration (WPA) arts and music programs

Education

Cooper Union School of Art
Country: United States
Attended as one of the few African-American students at the time
Columbia University School of General Studies
Philosophy (studies)
Period: 1946頃
Country: United States
Enrolled after World War II
University of Marseille (Fulbright scholarship)
Country: France
Studied on a Fulbright scholarship
University of Freiburg
Country: Germany
Studied there for a period after WWII

Awards

Children's Literature Legacy Award (Laura Ingalls Wilder Award)
2009
Work: Dancing Granny; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum; Beautiful Blackbird (cited works)
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), American Library Association (ALA)
Result: Winner
Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
2012
Category: Lifetime Achievement
Organization: Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT), ALA
Result: Winner
Coretta Scott King Award / Honors
1981
Work: Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum
Category: Illustration
Organization: American Library Association (Coretta Scott King Book Awards)
Result: Winner
Coretta Scott King Honor (multiple)
2004
Work: Beautiful Blackbird
Category: Illustration
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Winner
Newbery Honor
2017
Work: Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Honor
Golden Kite Award (nonfiction)
2010
Work: Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life's Song
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Result: Winner
Carter G. Woodson Book Award
2020
Work: Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace
Organization: National Council for the Social Studies
Result: Winner
Hans Christian Andersen Award (U.S. nominee)
2006
Organization: International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
Result: Nominee
University of Southern Mississippi Medallion (Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival)
1994
Organization: University of Southern Mississippi
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dancing Granny

1977 Children's picture book

A short story celebrating family and community joy, notable for its use of music and rhythm.

FamilyMusicCommunity
Adaptations
  • [Stage] Dancing Granny (stage adaptation) (2017)

Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum

1980 Children's poetry / picture book

A work combining verse and illustration based on African folktales and African-American traditions.

FolkloreVerseRhythm

Beautiful Blackbird

2003 Children's picture book

A story of five birds who fly from Africa and sing about the beauty of being black, celebrating multicultural pride.

PrideDiversityMusic
Adaptations
  • [Concert / Stage] Beautiful Blackbird Live (2021)

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan

2016 Children's book (poetry / historical)

Based on slave registers, it poetically restores the lives and dreams of individuals, combining historical education with human dignity.

History of slaveryMemoryHope

Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace

2019 Memoir / Nonfiction

An autobiographical work covering WWII experiences and the artist's life, describing military service, creative work, and aspirations for peace.

War experienceArt and healingRace and society

Bibliography

  • Black Boy (illustration work for Richard Wright's text)
  • Fabliaux: Ribald Tales from the Old French (translated/illustrated) (1965)
  • The Ox of the Wonderful Horns and Other African Folktales (1971)
  • Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum (1980)
  • Dancing Granny (1977)
  • Beautiful Blackbird (2003)
  • Freedom Over Me (2016)
  • Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace (2019)
  • Many other poetry collections, translations, and collaborations

Adaptations

  • Documentary 'I Know a Man ... Ashley Bryan' (2016)
  • Stage production 'Dancing Granny' (2017, Alliance Theatre)
  • Concert version 'Beautiful Blackbird Live' (2021)

Translations by Author

  • Moon, For What Do You Wait? (poems by Rabindranath Tagore, translated/illustrated)

Translations of Works

  • Many works translated and published abroad (details not specified)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Bold colors and collage-like illustrationsA narrative style that emphasizes rhyme and rhythmCompilation and reworking of folktales and spirituals
Recurring Motifs
African folktalesBlack spiritualsMusic and rhythmBirds and nature

Health

  • congestive heart failure
    晩年（死去時）
    A health issue in his later years and a contributing factor to his death in 2022

Legacy

An important writer and illustrator who brought African-American traditions and spirituals into children's literature. He received many lifetime awards, influenced education and the performing arts, and his works and original art are preserved by the Ashley Bryan Center and university special collections.

Museums

  • Ashley Bryan Center (501c3) Islesford (Little Cranberry Island), Maine, U.S. Opened in 2013
  • Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts (University of Pennsylvania) University of Pennsylvania (archive)

Academic Societies

  • American Library Association (ALA) committees
  • Organizations related to the Coretta Scott King Book Awards

Archives

  • Collections at the Ashley Bryan Center
  • Kislak Center for Special Collections, University of Pennsylvania (archive)
  • University of Southern Mississippi - de Grummond Children's Literature Collection (holds materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Stage adaptations (Dancing Granny) and concert versions (Beautiful Blackbird Live) have brought his works to performing arts audiences
  • Documentary 'I Know a Man ... Ashley Bryan' was produced

Quotes

  • I just want to keep making my work — to bring stories and music to children.
    Source: Interviews (various) (1997)

Trivia

  • He landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day during World War II and reportedly kept a sketchbook in his gas mask.
  • Retired as Professor Emeritus of Art at Dartmouth College in 1988.
  • In 2019 an agreement was reached to archive parts of his collection at the University of Pennsylvania.