The Ashley Bryan Art Series Conference 2006

"Promise and Purpose" featuring Bryan Collier

About the Conference

Ashley Bryan recognizes the importance of early reading in a child’s social and academic development. It is also important for children of color, and especially African-American children to read about and to see images of themselves depicted in a positive light. Ashley Bryan understands that literature and art are effective tools to help improve the lives of children.

The “Ashley Bryan Project” is the vision of Mr. Bryan with a two-fold mission: 1) to have a home where original works of art, including drafts, manuscripts, books, sketches, illustrations and other materials by children’s authors and artists are deposited and 2) to encourage research by authors, artists and others who are interested in promoting children’s literature and learning. With the intent of increasing children’s interest in and appreciation of literature and art, Ashley Bryan has challenged the Broward County African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) to create programs that make his vision a reality.

The AARLCC answers that challenge with two programs: “The Ashley Bryan Art Collection"
(ABAC) and the “Ashley Bryan Art Series Conference” (ABASC).

The ABAC is a collection of artwork of illustrators of African descent. The ABAC has as its core: eight original pieces by Ashley Bryan that were donated to the AARLCC by Dr. Henrietta M. Smith at the first ABASC in 2003. The AARLCC seeks to acquire and preserve papers and other materials from children’s authors, artists and illustrators and will seek donated works appropriate for addition to the collection. The artists’ works are deposited in the archives of the AARLCC and are available to researchers, as well as for exhibitions. These materials will eventually be digitized and made accessible online for study by researchers globally. Other materials will be used for continuing education and program purposes.

The Ashley Bryan Art Series Conference (ABASC) is a continuing education series for librarians, teachers and literacy professionals, and others engaged in the use of children’s literature to improve reading appreciation and skills. The ABASC provides resources for teachers, scholars, writers and artists who want to study the lives and works of authors and illustrators and their creative philosophies. Books written and/or illustrated by persons of African descent are promoted during this conference. Attendees are also introduced to African-centered art forms, including but not limited to, storytelling, music, song, dance and crafts.

In 2005 the ABASC celebrated the artistry and storytelling of Ashley Bryan and received an original work of art from Kadir Nelson, 2005 CSK Illustrator Award Winner – “Ellington is Not a Street.”

About Ashley Bryan

Ashley Bryan, award-winning author, storyteller, musician and artist, was born in New York City. A close examination of his works shows his mastery of a wide range of mediums and meticulous attention to matching medium to mood and/or theme of each test; from linocut to tempera to watercolor and most recently, collage. The essence of Ashley Bryan’s vision in donating selected original art pieces is to increase children’s interest and appreciation in all aspects of literature and art.



About Bryan Collier

Bryan Collier grew up in Pocomoke, Maryland, on the lower Eastern Shore of the state, the youngest of six children. His interest in art started early. "At home and at school, I was encouraged to read. I remember the first books with pictures that I read by myself were The Snow Day by Ezra Jack Keats and Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. I liked the stories, but I really liked the pictures." As a teenager he began to paint the world around him - the bay, ducks, water, and marshland.

His interest in art was always encouraged both at home and at school. He began to develop a unique style of painting that incorporated both watercolors and collage.

"Collage is more than just an art style. Collage is all about bringing different elements together. Once you form a sensibility about connection, how different elements relate to each other, you deepen your understanding of yourself and others."

In 1985 Bryan won first place in a Congressional Competition, and his art was displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Later that year he was awarded a scholarship to Pratt Institute in New York City through their national talent competition. In 1989 Bryan graduated with honors from Pratt Institute with a bachelor of fine arts degree.

While attending school in New York, Bryan began to volunteer at the Harlem Horizon Studio and Harlem Hospital Center with a program that provides working space and materials for self-taught artists in the community. He went on to become the Program Director, a position he held for 12 years. Bryan still works with the program in Harlem as a volunteer, feeling a deep sense of responsibility to be a positive role model for kids.

"It gives the community, the schools, the kids, and the parents the opportunity to come together for a very positive uplifting cause - the building and rebuilding of self-esteem, teaching the appreciation of art, and keeping the kids connected and involved
and away from negative influences."

Meanwhile, he made the decision to focus his time and attention on illustrating children's books full time. It wasn't easy getting his art published in books; Bryan tried for seven years before he got his break with the publication of his book, Uptown.

Today Bryan spends his time working on his book illustrations, creating his own studio pieces, and going into classrooms to talk with teachers, librarians, and students about books and art. "I get so much from those school visits. With the books I've been doing, I have this amazing opportunity to bring my art and the process of making artwork and books into the classroom. I ask the students to talk to me and talk to each other about how they feel and what their own experiences are. Basically I ask them to tell their own story. Then I ask them to tell their own story through art.

The experience of making art is all about making decisions. Once the kids really get that, you see them making the connection. They go from saying, 'That's not about me' to 'Hey. Look at me. This is who I am.'”


About Carrie Sue Ayvar

Blending traditional, international and personal tales, bilingual storyteller Carrie Sue Ayvar takes her listeners on a journey into the imagination, connecting people, languages and cultures through her stories that flow effortlessly between Spanish and English. Dedicated to preserving and promoting the Art of Storytelling, she is an accomplished Chautauqua scholar and Kennedy Center trained Artist-in-Education. Her spirited stories celebrate the similarities and differences in folklore in our multicultural world and she can show you how to share yours as well.


About Kianga Jinaki

Kianga Jinaki, is a self-taught fiber artist and storyteller. She specializes in cloth dolls and improvisational quilts that celebrate the rich traditions and diversity of her cultural heritage. Ms. Jinaki is a native of Baltimore, Md. and a graduate of Morgan State University with a B.S. in Community Health. Ms. Jinaki is a 1999 and 2000 recipient of the Neighborhood Artist Residency Project grant funded by the Palm Beach Cultural Counsel. Ms. Jinaki has worked as an artist with the Center for Creative education since 1994 assisting teachers with integrating arts into the core curriculum subjects. Hanif’s dolls, quilts and mixed-media works have been exhibited at many venues including ArtServe Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, The African American Museum of Art in Tampa, Fla., Lowe Art Museum in Coral Gables, Fla, Vertigo Gallery in Memphis, Tenn. and Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, Ga. Currently she resides in South Florida with her children Abasi, Ayize and Elijah.