Featured Image Caption
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for Walk Together Children: Black American Spirituals (Atheneum). Gift of the artist. © 1974 Ashley Bryan.
Ashley Bryan in Song
June 12 - November 7, 2021
Central Gallery
Wherever I travel in the United States, I ask children, ‘Anyone here know a spiritual?’ No hands go up. But if I sing He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands they sing me down!Ashley Bryan
Now 98 years old, the celebrated artist and author Ashley Bryan has committed his life to filling the void of Black representation in children’s literature. A critical part of this work has been sharing the rich heritage of spirituals, miraculous songs of faith and resistance born from the horrors of enslavement. Frustrated when he couldn’t find any collections of spirituals for young readers, Bryan set out to illustrate the songs himself. He has interpreted the lyrics in various media, from linoleum block prints to tempera paint and vibrant cut-paper collages. Bryan has written and spoken extensively on spirituals, and the exhibition is told in his own words.
What to Expect
Graphic black-and-white linoleum prints, vibrant paintings, and cut paper collage illustrations from seven books adorn the gallery walls. Historic audio recordings of spirituals play in the gallery. A comfortable reading area has Bryan’s song books and other titles on spirituals for visitors to enjoy.
Exhibition Highlights
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for I'm Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals, Volume Two (Atheneum). Gift of the artist. © 1982 Ashley Bryan.
“In Africa, the drum was the prominent instrument in all music making. …In the United States, the slaveholder feared the drum as an instrument for transmitting messages and its use was forbidden. [Enslaved people] recreated the role of the ancestral drum with handclapping, foot-patting, and the swaying of the body. In this way his rhythmic inventiveness was carried over into the spirituals.” —Ashley Bryan
“In Africa, the drum was the prominent instrument in all music making. …In the United States, the slaveholder feared the drum as an instrument for transmitting messages and its use was forbidden. [Enslaved people] recreated the role of the ancestral drum with handclapping, foot-patting, and the swaying of the body. In this way his rhythmic inventiveness was carried over into the spirituals.” —Ashley Bryan
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals (Atheneum). Gift of the Ashley Bryan Center. © 2007 Ashley Bryan.
“I'll sing, ‘This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine’ and the kids all pick it up and go with it. The idea of this particular song has been a very important motif for people—that nothing is going to blot out the gifts we have. We all will find some way to keep our gifts alive and glowing.” —Ashley Bryan
“I'll sing, ‘This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine’ and the kids all pick it up and go with it. The idea of this particular song has been a very important motif for people—that nothing is going to blot out the gifts we have. We all will find some way to keep our gifts alive and glowing.” —Ashley Bryan
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for Walk Together Children: Black American Spirituals (Atheneum). Gift of the artist. © 1974 Ashley Bryan.
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for I'm Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals, Volume Two (Atheneum). Gift of the artist. © 1982 Ashley Bryan.
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for Climbing Jacob's Ladder: Heroes of the Bible in African-American Spirituals by John Langstaff (Margaret K. McElderry Books). Gift of the artist. © 1991 Ashley Bryan.
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for Walk Together Children: Black American Spirituals (Atheneum). Gift of the artist. © 1974 Ashley Bryan.
“[Enslaved] Africans came from societies of ancient musical heritage. Song and dance were interwoven with daily life, and music was an integral part of all social functions.” —Ashley Bryan
Ashley Bryan, Illustration for I’m Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals, Volume Two (Atheneum). Gift of the artist. © 1982 Ashley Bryan.
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