Flint, Michigan – The Flint Institute of Arts is proud to present “Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney”, on view at the institute from January 14th through April 15th. Jerry Pinkney received the 2010 Caldecott Medal for his acclaimed children’s picture book “The Lion & the Mouse”, this exhibition, organised by the Norman Rockwell Museum is the first major overview of his extraordinary and influential career, which spans 50 years. “Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney” presents an overview of the artist’s long and varied career as a designer and illustrator. The exhibition touches on such deeply felt personal and cultural themes as the African-American experience; the wonders of classic literature; and the wisdom in well-loved folk tales. A belief in the ability of images to speak about and to humanity is at the artist’s core, and the works featured in the exhibition celebrate both small yet extraordinary moments, as well as significant historical events, reflecting the transformative power of visual storytelling in our lives.
More than 140 of Mr. Pinkney’s luminous watercolors illustrations will be on full display, and include work from such classic picture books as “A Patchwork Quilt” (1985), “Home Place” (1990), “John Henry” (1994), “Minty: A Story of a Young Harriet Tubman” (1996), “Black Cowboy, Wild Horses” (1998), “The Little Match Girl” (1999), “Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales” (1999), “The Old African” (2005), “The Lion & the Mouse” (2009), and “Sweethearts of Rhythm” (2009). Illustrated commissions for such clients as music artists, National Geographic, and The African Burial Ground Interpretive Center will also be on view, as well as a collection of the artist’s supplies, personal photos, book awards, and video and interactive displays, which further highlight the artist’s career and inspirations.
“I feel I’ve been helping to establish a new cultural understanding,” says Pinkney. “As I learn about a new subject, I in turn open the door for other to also learn.” A native of Philadelphia, Jerry Pinkney studied at the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) where, in 1992 he received the Alumni Award. He has been illustrating children’s books since 1964, and has produced illustrations for over one hundred titles. He has been the recipient of a Caldecott Medal for the recent book The Lion & The Mouse, as well as five Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards, four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards, and many other accolades. His books have been translated into 16 languages, and published in 14 different countries. He received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University in 2003, and an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in 2010. Pinkney was a United States nominee for the 1997 Hans Christian Andersen Illustration Medal, and has been awarded four gold medals, four silver medals, the Hamilton King Award, five “New York Times” Ten Best Illustrated Books awards, and in 2006 the Original Art’s Lifetime Achievement Award from The Society of Illustrators, New York, New York.
In addition to his work in children’s books, the artist has illustrated for a wide variety of clients, including the United States Postal Service, National Park Service, and National Geographic. Mr. Pinkney was appointed to serve on the United States Postal Services Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (1982-1992), and in 2001 was invited by First Lady Laura Bush to illustrate and design the White House Christmas Program. He has held professorships teaching art at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York; the University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware; and the University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. In 2003, Pinkney was appointed to the National Council of the Arts (2003-2009). His art can be found in the permanent collections at the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Delaware Art Museum and the Brandywine River Art Museum. A current trustee for the Katonah Museum of Art, the artist also served on the board of trustees of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Pinkney has had over 30 one-man retrospectives at venues ranging from the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, to the California African American Museum, Los Angeles, California. He has also exhibited in over one hundred group shows in the USA, Japan, Russia, Italy, Taiwan and Jamaica. The artist lives with his wife, author Gloria Jean, in Westchester County, New York.
The Flint Institute of Arts has served an important role in the life of the Flint community since its founding in 1928 and today, continues to play a major role in the growth and revitalization of the city of Flint. Through its exhibitions, interpretive programs, film screenings, concerts, lectures, family events and educational outreach programs, the FIA serves more than 120,000 adults and children annually from all over southeast Michigan. The selection and presentation of exhibitions and related programming is at the heart of the FIA’s mission which is to advance the understanding and appreciation of art for all through collections, exhibitions, and educational programs. The FIA has been accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1972 and in 2002 the FIA’s collection was designated a National Treasure by the Presidents Committee on the Arts. In 2007, the FIA received the Governor’s Award for Arts and Cultural Organization. The FIA’s 150,000 sq. ft. facility is a unique space with more than 25,000 sq. ft. of gallery space, a large light-filled and welcoming entrance and lobby area with visitor amenities including a café and gift shop, an Art School, a library, a theater ideal for presentations, films, and lectures, a video gallery, and a large “great hall,” seating more than 200 for events of all kinds. The FIA maintains a collection of over 8,000 objects, sustains a membership of 3,200, registers 1,700 students from pre-school age to senior citizens in Museum Art School studio classes, and presents school programs to 25,000 K-12 students annually. The Flint Institute of Arts has assembled outstanding collections of American, European, Native American, African, and Asian art including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts. Highlights of the collection include: 15th to 18th century English, French, and Italian decorative arts, a rare shaped panel by Peter Paul Rubens, a complete set of 17th century French tapestries; a fine collection of 18th and 19th century paperweights and European glass; American and French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings; Hudson River School paintings; Regional and Great Lakes paintings; Modernist; and, Abstract Expressionist and Photorealist paintings. The collection includes works by renowned artists such as Auguste Renoir, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, Thomas Hart Benton, Andrew Wyeth, and Duane Hanson. Visit the museum’s website at … http://www.flintarts.org