Bryan Collier is the author of Uptown, winner of the 2001 Coretta Scott King Illustration Award and 2001 Ezra Jack Keats Award for New Illustrator and the Marion Vannett Ridgeway Award for a first-time author and illustrator. Collier also received a 2002 Caldecott Honor for Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. Originally from rural Maryland, Collier now calls Harlem home. His love for art led him not only to a career as an author and illustrator but also as a director for Harlem Horizon Art Studio, an art program designed for young people based out of Harlem Hospital. Shelf Awareness spoke with Collier about the practical and metaphorical aspects of creating All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, available October 6 from Orchard Books.
How did you and author Tami Charles work together on this book?
After a few initial meetings, I knew I wanted Tami and her son to be the stars of this project, so we got together and did a photo shoot in a library.
Why did you choose to use watercolor and collage for this project?
I like watercolor and collage as a medium because collage itself is a metaphor for taking fragments or separate moments and constructing or piecing them together to create something whole or complete.
The use of partial faces as representation for the ancestors is profound. How did you come up with that idea?
The faces or voices represent our present selves, as well as ancestors. This serves as a reminder that we never walk into a room alone, they all come with us.
The fade on the young boy stands out. Is there a reason why you chose that hairstyle?
That high-top fade brought back some memories. But it was what Christian was sporting, so he and Tami get the credit for that great look.
Why is All Because You Matter an essential story?
All Because You Matter is literally happening right outside our windows and has been happening for years. This book speaks to injustice, police brutality, equality--all those difficult yet necessary conversations that we must have with our children to remind them that they are important. We are important. --Kharissa Kenner