Ashley Bryan
Encyclopedia
Ashley F. Bryan is an American author and illustrator noted for his children's books. His subjects most often are from the African-American experience.
and raised in the Bronx. His father worked as a printer of greeting cards. He loved birds. Bryan once counted a hundred caged birds in his childhood home. Bryan grew up with six brothers and sisters and three cousins. Bryan recalled his childhood in New York the 1930s as an idyllic time, full of art and music. He excelled in school, graduating from high school at the age sixteen.
Art School, one of the few African-American students at that time to be awarded a scholarship. He had applied to other schools who had rejected him on the basis of race, but Cooper Union administered its scholarships in a blind test: “You put your work in a tray, sculpture, drawing, painting, and it was judged. They never saw you. If you met the requirements, tuition was free, and it still is to this day,” explained Bryan.
At the age of nineteen, World War II interrupted his studies. He was drafted and assigned to serve as a porter
in Europe. He was so ill-suited to this work that his fellow soldiers often encouraged him to step aside and draw. He always kept a sketch pad in his gas mask.
When he returned to New York, he exhibited the drawings he'd made as a soldier. He then went on to Columbia University
to study philosophy. He wanted to understand war. After the war, Bryan received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Europe.
, Lafayette College
, and Dartmouth College
. He retired as emeritus professor of art at Dartmouth in the 1980s.
, including the Coretta Scott King Award
, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award from the Pennsylvania State University
, and the Lupine Award from the Maine Library Association. Bryan himself also received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
for achievement in children's literature and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion from the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival
.
Childhood
Bryan was born in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and raised in the Bronx. His father worked as a printer of greeting cards. He loved birds. Bryan once counted a hundred caged birds in his childhood home. Bryan grew up with six brothers and sisters and three cousins. Bryan recalled his childhood in New York the 1930s as an idyllic time, full of art and music. He excelled in school, graduating from high school at the age sixteen.
University studies and military service
Bryan attended the Cooper UnionCooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
Art School, one of the few African-American students at that time to be awarded a scholarship. He had applied to other schools who had rejected him on the basis of race, but Cooper Union administered its scholarships in a blind test: “You put your work in a tray, sculpture, drawing, painting, and it was judged. They never saw you. If you met the requirements, tuition was free, and it still is to this day,” explained Bryan.
At the age of nineteen, World War II interrupted his studies. He was drafted and assigned to serve as a porter
Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...
in Europe. He was so ill-suited to this work that his fellow soldiers often encouraged him to step aside and draw. He always kept a sketch pad in his gas mask.
When he returned to New York, he exhibited the drawings he'd made as a soldier. He then went on to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
to study philosophy. He wanted to understand war. After the war, Bryan received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Europe.
Professor
Bryan taught art at Queen's CollegeQueens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
, Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
, and Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. He retired as emeritus professor of art at Dartmouth in the 1980s.
Writer
He was not published until he was forty years old. In 1962, he was the first African American to publish a children's book as an author and illustrator. “I never gave up. Many were more gifted than I but they gave up. They dropped out. What they faced out there in the world--they gave up.”Retirement
In the 1980s, when Bryan retired from Dartmouth, he moved to Maine. In addition to writing and illustration he also enjoys making puppets, building stained glass windows from beach glass, creating papier-mâché, and making collages.Honors
His books have won several awards in children's literatureChildren's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, including the Coretta Scott King Award
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award from the Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, and the Lupine Award from the Maine Library Association. Bryan himself also received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal is a prize awarded by the American Library Association to writers or illustrators of children's books published in the United States who have over a period of years made substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature...
for achievement in children's literature and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion from the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival
Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival
The Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival is an annual book festival that was founded in 1968 and is sponsored by The University of Southern Mississippi.-Early years:...
.
- 1981 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Winner for outstanding illustration in Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum - 1983 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Honor for outstanding illustration in I'm Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals - 1987 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Honor for outstanding author in Lion and the Ostrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales - 1987 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Honor for outstanding illustration in Lion and the Ostrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales - 1988 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Honor for outstanding illustration in What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals - 1992 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Honor for outstanding illustration in All Night, All Day: A Child's First Book of African American Spirituals - 1998 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Honor for outstanding illustration in Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry - 2004Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Winner for outstanding illustration in Beautiful Blackbird - 2005 The Atlanta literary festival was named for him.
- 2008 Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
Winner for outstanding illustration in Let it Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals - 2009 Laura Ingalls Wilder MedalLaura Ingalls Wilder MedalThe Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal is a prize awarded by the American Library Association to writers or illustrators of children's books published in the United States who have over a period of years made substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature...
for substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature - 2010 Golden Kite AwardGolden Kite AwardThe Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators to recognize excellence in children’s literature. Instituted in 1972, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers...
for nonfiction for Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life's Song