This exhibition explores the enduring bonds of nature and family through a lively presentation of original artwork from eight illustrated children’s books. The illustrations on view will feature a diverse group of protagonists who experience compelling moments in their everyday lives, whether it be finding appreciation for the wonders of nature or feeling joy in activities with family in the outdoors. The artists represented are Micha Archer, Sophie Blackall, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Joe Cepeda, Devon Holzwarth, Juana Martinez-Neal, Frank Morrison, and Qing Zhuang. Visitors of all ages will be immersed in the colorful, lively drawings created with a variety of materials, including acrylic, oil, watercolor, pastels, colored pencils, linocuts, woodcuts, ink, and collage.
This exhibition is a continuation of the rich tradition of illustration that is so well represented in Brandywine's collection with works by figures such as Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, and Jesse Willcox Smith. It also follows on the success of two earlier Brandywine projects centered on children: Get the Picture: Contemporary Children's Book Illustration (2016) and Holidays & Snow Days: Illustrations for Three Children's Books (2018-19).
Rooted: Family and Nature in Contemporary Children’s Book Illustration is co-curated by Shadra Strickland, an award-winning artist and chair of illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and Audrey Lewis, Associate Curator at Brandywine.
Featured Artists and Books
Micha Archer is an artist, illustrator and educator. She has received many awards for her work, including a Caldecott Honor for Wonder Walkers (2021), which was both written and illustrated by Archer. Her illustrations capture the sense of wonder and curiosity felt by two children as they explore nature, asking questions like “Is the sun the world’s light bulb?” and “Are shells the shore’s necklace?”.
Sophie Blackall is a two-time Caldecott award-winning author and illustrator of over 50 books for children. In Farmhouse (2022), Blackall tells a story based on a real-life family who long ago occupied a farmhouse and dairy farm in the Catskills of New York. Using hand-collaged elements—such as printed wallpaper, old photographs, and remnants of clothes that Blackall salvaged after she purchased the property—she imagines their daily lives in exquisite detail.
Cozbi A. Cabrera is an author, illustrator, doll maker and clothes designer. Me & Mama (2020) was written and illustrated by Cabrera and was a winner of a 2021 Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award Honor for Illustration. The story and images vividly celebrate a mother and young daughter as they spend a rainy day together enjoying simple but meaningful activities both in their home and outside.
Joe Cepeda is an award-winning illustrator of more than 30 books for children and serves as the president of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. He is the author and illustrator for Rafa Counts on Papá (2022), which tells the story of a father and son who share a love for numbers and measuring everything from how high their dog can jump to how far they can run. What is immeasurable, they find, is their love for each other. Cepeda’s vibrant, bold and colorful illustrations capture the joyful, dynamic relationship between father and son.
Devon Holzwarth is an illustrator, author and painter whose past awards include a Society of Illustrators gold medal and the Schneider Family Book Award. Her expressive illustrations for Papa, Daddy, & Riley (2020, written by Seamus Kirst) convey the love and closeness of Riley and her two dads. When Riley is asked by another child which one of her fathers is her real one, her dads help her understand that they are both her fathers and that families can look different in many ways but what makes them truly a family is the love they share with one another.
Juana Martinez-Neal is a Caldecott award-winning author and illustrator whose Zonia’s Rain Forest (2021) focuses on a young Asháninka girl living in the Amazon rainforest of Peru who on one of her daily adventures encounters an area where many trees have been cut down. She worries about what will happen to her animal friends—the sloths, butterflies and birds—who live in the forest. The book has received high praise for its environmental message and its exuberant illustrations which Martinez-Neal created with woodcut prints and ink and pencil drawn on homemade banana leaf paper that was crafted by indigenous Asháninka women.
Frank Morrison is a three-time Coretta Scott King award-winning illustrator and author. His graffiti-based fine art is internationally renowned. In The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver (2020, written by Gene Barretta), Morrison beautifully illustrates the story of how the young botanist’s early love for nature and his curiosity inspired him to create his own garden which led him to his distinguished career as an agricultural scientist and inventor. Morrison’s lush oil paintings bring Carver’s powerful story to life for young readers.
Qing Zhuang was born in China, emigrating to the United States with her family at the age of seven. An illustrator, author, and elementary and middle school art teacher, she earned a B.F.A. in Illustration from Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the School of Visual Arts, New York. Rainbow Shopping (2023) is her first writer-illustrator project and has been widely praised. Inspired by weekend grocery trips to Chinatown with her own mother, Zhuang creates a story that is both sweet and funny and reflects on how it feels to move to a completely new country. Through her bright and exuberant illustrations, rendered in color pencil, crayon and watercolor, Zhuang captures the energy of New York City and the lively details of the bustling food market.
Programs
Children's Read-Aloud Tour & Book Signing with Artist Sophie Blackall
October 14, 1:30–3 p.m.^
Art Chat: Rooted
Oct. 25, Nov. 15, Dec. 14, Jan. 11, & Feb. 22, 2–3 p.m.
Join fellow art enthusiasts for a lively discussion of this special exhibition.
Free First Sunday at Brandywine & Rooted Book Signing
November 5, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Enjoy free Museum admission and creative art activities, including meet-and-greets with illustrators and authors Joe Cepeda, Qing Zhuang, and Gene Barretta.
Stroller Tour: Rooted
November 10, 10:30 a.m.
Rooted in Family
November 16, 7 p.m.*^
A discussion with Cozbi Cabrera, Devon Holzwarth and Joe Cepeda, moderated by co-curator Shadra Strickland.
Rooted in Nature
January 17, 7 p.m.*^
A conversation with illustrators and authors Juana Martinez-Neal and Micha Archer.
Rooted in Collaboration: The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver
February 8, 7 p.m.*^
Artist Frank Morrison and author Gene Barretta give a behind-the-scenes look at the development of their book.
^Ticketed Event
*Virtual Program
All other events included with Museum admission.