JAN
SPIVEY GILCHRIST BIOGRAPHY I BOOKS I PRESENTATIONS I BOOK ORDERING
of a century. She has exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. Ms. Gilchrist has won numerous awards and commissions throughout her career, including the Coretta Scott King Award for Nathaniel Talking, and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Night on Neighborhood Street. This book is also a Reading Rainbow Book. Ms. Gilchrist is also the author of two picture books, Indigo and Moonlight Gold, and Madelia. Indigo and Moonlight Gold is treasured by many for its sensitive and moving text, as well as the striking illustrations, and Madelia is a beautifully illustrated story of an artistic young girl. Ms. Gilchrist has illustrated many of Eloise Greenfield's books, including several award winners. In the Land of Words was named a 2005 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts (Children's Literature Assembly/NCTE). When the Horses Ride By and The Friendly Four were chosen for the CCBC's (Cooperative Children's Book Center's) 2007 Choices. The Friendly Four was included on the 2007 Texas 2x2 Reading List for ages 2 to grades 2. Her most recent picture, Obama: The Day the World Danced, which she wrote and illustrated, is the first picture book in the U.S. about the historical election. Furthermore, her collaboration with Ashley Bryan on the book, My America, has been the inspiration for the Bryan/Gilchrist Collaboration Award, given to the children who can best work together on a collaborative enterprise. The text of My America has been turned into a song, with the music written by George Pendergrass and may be featured in an upcoming movie entitled The Road to the White House. The book is at the very heart of the MY AMERICA PROJECT, which hopes to collaborate with school districts, teachers, parents, city governments, churches, corporate and private sponsors, and individuals who share their vision of encouraging patriotism and promoting literacy to students across the country and inspiring them to work collaboratively in the visual and musical arts. More information about this project can be found on their website and on the My America Project My Space pages. Other works by Ms. Gilchrist have appeared on national television, and her illustrations have been featured or reviewed in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, L.A.Times , USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Ebony Magazine, and others. She was inducted in the International Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent in October of 2000. She was also inducted in the prestigious Society of Illustrators in 2001. View some of Ms. Gilchrist's artwork here. Jan Spivey Gilchrist has four degrees: a BS in Art Education from Eastern Illinois University, an MA in painting from the University of Northern Iowa, an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College, and a doctoral degree in English from Madison University. She also has a grown son, William, who as a boy was the model she used for William and the Good Old Days by Eloise Greenfield. She also has a daughter, Ronke, and a granddaughter, Raena Bethany Prude. Jan and her husband, Dr. Kelvin Gilchrist, live in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Read more about Ms. Gilchrist's work and life. |
Jan
Spivey Gilchrist's career as a fine artist has spanned a quarter