David Wisniewski
Encyclopedia
David Wisniewski was a children's author and illustrator.
He attended the University of Maryland, College Park
but quit after one semester to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
, graduating in 1973. He worked for several years as a clown before moving to Maryland and joining the Prince George's Country Puppet Theatre where he met his wife Donna Harris. In 1980, they started the Clarion Puppet Theatre (later known as the Clarion Shadow Theatre) which toured in schools, theaters and at the Smithsonian. After his children were born, he become a full-time author/ illustrator, using layers of cut paper to illustrate children's books. His book Golem
, won the 1997 Caldecott Medal
.
In his acceptance speech, he said of himself:
"I am a self-taught artist and writer who depends on instincts developed through years of circus and puppet performance to guide a story's structure and look."
He attended the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
but quit after one semester to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College trained around 1,400 clowns in the "Ringling style" from 1968 to 1997.-History:...
, graduating in 1973. He worked for several years as a clown before moving to Maryland and joining the Prince George's Country Puppet Theatre where he met his wife Donna Harris. In 1980, they started the Clarion Puppet Theatre (later known as the Clarion Shadow Theatre) which toured in schools, theaters and at the Smithsonian. After his children were born, he become a full-time author/ illustrator, using layers of cut paper to illustrate children's books. His book Golem
Golem (book)
Golem is a 1996 picture book written and illustrated by David Wisniewski. With illustrations made of cut-paper collages, it is Wisniewski's retelling of the Jewish folktale of the Golem, with real people, real places, and a lengthy one-page background at the end.The story is set in year 1580 in...
, won the 1997 Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
.
In his acceptance speech, he said of himself:
"I am a self-taught artist and writer who depends on instincts developed through years of circus and puppet performance to guide a story's structure and look."