#ekua holmes

[abwwia]

'Big World' mixed media, collage by contemporary African-American artist Ekua Holmes.

Ekua Holmes is an American mixed-media artist, children's book illustrator, and arts organization professional. Holmes' primary method of art making is mixed media collage, by layering newspaper, photos, fabric, and other materials to create colorful compositions. (Source)

#Ekua Holmes #art by women

[quo-usque-tandem]

Sunflowers by Ekua Holmes

#art #paper arts #Sunflowers #Ekua Holmes #The Museum of Fine Arts Boston

[motifcollector]

Ekua Holmes, Precarious, 2017

#ekua holmes #art #contemporary art #collage

[roesolo]

Hope is an Arrow introduces children to Khalil Gibran

Hope is an Arrow introduces children to Khalil Gibran @candlewick

Hope Is an Arrow : The Story of Lebanese-American Poet Khalil Gibran, by Cory McCarthy/Illustrated by Ekua Holmes, (July 2022, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536200324 Ages 6-9 Many adult readers discovered Khalil Gibran through his work, The Prophet (1923). Hope is an Arrow seeks to expand Gibran’s reach and introduce young readers to the poet through this evocative picture book biography,…

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#Candlewick Press #Cory McCarthy #Ekua Holmes #Hope is an Arrow #immigrants #Khalil Gibran #Lebanon #picture book biography #social commentary

[sonimage1965]

#🎨 #ekua holmes

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (FEBRUARY 13TH, 2024)

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HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

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NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill

Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson & Ekua Holmes

Call Me Iggy by Jorge Aguirre, Rafael Rosado, & John Novak

Bunt by Ngozi Ukazu & Mad Rupert

Freshman Year by Sarah Mai

The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala

This is How You Fall in Love by Anika Hussain

A Suffragist's Guide to the Antarctic by Yi Shun Lai

NEW SEQUELS:

The Eternal Ones (Deathless #3) by Namina Forna

With A Little Luck (Fortuna Beach) by Marissa Meyer

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Happy reading!

#New Releases #New Books #February 2024 #young adult #yalit #yareads #tbr #to-read #on books #on reading #books #booklr #bookworm #bookaholic #bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Features #Book list #Marissa Meyer #Namina Forma #Yi Shun Lai #Anika Hussain #Swati Teerdhala #Sarah Mai #Ngozi Ukazu #Mad Rupert #Jorge Aguirre #Rafael Rosado #John Novak

[richincolor]

YA in Verse

April is National Poetry Month and I thought I'd highlight some amazing books. Novels in verse and YA poetry collections are becoming more popular as teens respond to the genre. I thought I'd share a few that I've read and loved. 

Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, the two Bribri American brothers have learned that the only way to protect themselves and their mother is to stick to a schedule and keep their heads down. But when they hear a classmate in trouble in the woods, instinct takes over and they intervene, breaking up a fight and beating their high school's star soccer player to a pulp. This act of violence threatens the brothers' dreams for the future and their beliefs about who they are. As the true details of that fateful afternoon unfold over the course of the novel, Max and Jay grapple with the weight of their actions, their shifting relationship as brothers, and the realization that they may be more like their father than they thought. They'll have to reach back to their Bribri roots to find their way forward.

Black Girl You Are Atlas Renée Watson, Ekua Holmes (Illustrator)

A thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood by award-winning author and poet Renée Watson. In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender. Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power. Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance and is a gift for anyone who reads it.

An Appetite for Miracles by Laekan Zea Kemp

Danna Mendoza Villarreal’s grandfather is slowly losing himself as his memories fade, and Danna’s not sure her plan to help him remember through the foods he once reviewed will be enough to bring him back. Especially when her own love of food makes her complicated relationship with her mother even more difficult. Raúl Santos has been lost ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years ago. Playing guitar for the elderly has been his only escape, to help them remember and him forget. But when his mom unexpectedly comes back into his life, what is he supposed to do when she isn’t the same person who left? When Danna and Raúl meet, sparks fly immediately and they embark on a mission to heal her grandfather ... and themselves. Because healing is something best done together—even if it doesn’t always look the way we want it to.

#weneeddiversebooks #ya lit #national poetry month

[liminalmemories21]

lim may i ask who your favorites are in contemporary art

oooh, interesting question.

Okay, so things that are on the walls of my house tend towards comics or picture book art.

James Jean - We have one of the prints from Fables on our living room wall

Kinuko Y Craft - we have a print of one of her posters from the Ring Cycle operas in our dining room

Also four travel posters from the Delilah Dirk comics by Tony Cliff

And I would love some art by Sara Kipin who did the cover art and illustrations for Language of Thorns.

In terms of art I like to go see in a museum . . .

Ekua Holmes does phenomenal things with paper and mixed media. And, I'd seen her stuff in books before, but it was nothing compared to seeing it in person - the images in books cannot capture the texture and sense of dimension in her works.

Anila Quayyum Agha does gorgeous things with light and shadow.

Jordon Nasser does very cool things with textiles (these are embroidery but on a massive scale).

I also love quilting exhibits - people can do astonishing things with fabric, and I like how they're using them to reinvent their stories.

And, it's a little cheesy, but I do love Jack Vettriano

#art #contains me

[santoschristos]

The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer Art by Ekua Holmes

[cacpartmobile]

Another installation of Chain Link Gallery featuring Massart alum ('09) Stephen Hamilton. Located at 48 Geneva Avenue across from the Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library, this installation features Hamilton's "Founders Project." The project re-imagines Boston Public School High-School students as the legendary founders of the West and West-Central African ethnic groups, that are part of the ancestral base for the African diaspora. 

It was a cold and windy May day for this installation. Each work of art we unfolded kept our spirits warm and motivated. We also got some help from Grove Hall Library's new Head Librarian and former Teen Librarian, Celia Contelmo.

This project was the outcome of an international residency to West Africa where Hamilton learned several key art forms such as weaving, dying and wood carving. Now the beauty of this series can grace the streets of Dorchester and inspire members of the Grove Hall extended community.

Come hear Pan-African Artist, Stephen Hamilton's personal journey from Dorchester, to West Africa and back again as artist, researcher, professor and educator. Join us on Thursday May 25th from 5:30 - 7:00 at the Grove Hall Public Library for a spirited conversation with the artist.

The Dream Team! Celia Contelmo, Head Librarian, Grove Hall Branch BPL, Isabelle Higgins, Sparc! Program Associate and me, Ekua Holmes.

MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships through sparc! the ArtMobile Creative Spaces presents: Chain Link Galleries in collaboration with community partners such as Project RIGHT Inc. and the Grove Hall Public Library. sparc! transforms highly visible chain link fences into outdoor galleries featuring the work of community artists.

The aim of the project is to provide inspiration, encouragement, and visual vitality to our community. As we navigate these uncertain times, art can provide a healing balm to the soul and allow us to collectively envision a future of new possibilities.

#sparc! the artmobile #grovehalllibrary #massart #communityart #artanddesign #Roxbury radiance #Stephen hamilton #massart alum

[artbookdap]

This may be a holiday week, but for us it's still a chance to highlight standout new releases that support the resilience and optimism we want for 2023. Thus, Njideka Akunyili Crosby's "The Beautyful Ones," Series #7 (2018) from 'To Begin Again: Artists and Childhood,' published to accompany the exhibition currently on view at @icaboston surveying the ways artists have reflected on and contributed to notions of childhood from the early twentieth century to the present. ⁠ ⁠ The editors write: "Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s portraits of Nigerian youth, built from a layered ground of historical, popular and personal photographs transferred to canvas, stage the interactions between sociohistorical conditions and the individual that are at the heart of human development. Her young figures return the viewer’s gaze with an uncanny self-possession and wisdom beyond their years." ⁠ ⁠ Artists include Ann Agee, John Ahearn, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Francis Alÿs, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Brian Belott, Jordan Casteel, Lenka Clayton, Allan Rohan Crite, Henry Darger, Karon Davis, Robert Gober, Jay Lynn Gomez, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Duane Hanson, Mona Hatoum, Sharon Hayes, Ekua Holmes, Mary Kelly, Paul Klee, Justine Kurland, Helen Levitt, Tau Lewis, Glenn Ligon, Oscar Murillo, Rivane Neuenschwander, Berenice Olmedo, Charles Ray, Faith Ringgold, Deborah Roberts, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Rachel Rose, Heji Shin, Sable Elyse Smith, Becky Suss, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Cathy Wilkes and Carmen Winant.⁠ ⁠ Copublished by @delmonico_books⁠ ⁠ Edited with text by @jeffreydeblois & @rutherickson ⁠ Foreword by #jillmedv. ⁠ Text by @sirjoshbennett Anna Craycroft, Anne Higonnet, @valeria_luiselli ⁠ Interviews with @naimajoy @lacachepli @sable_elyse @mlukeles & @carmen.winant⁠ ⁠ @njidekaakunyilicrosby #njidekaakunyilicrosby #thebeautyfulones #tobeginagain #artistsandchildhood⁠ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmwvd9LJLOU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#7 #jillmedv #njidekaakunyilicrosby #thebeautyfulones #tobeginagain #artistsandchildhood

[quo-usque-tandem]

Chain of Courage by Ekua Holmes

#art #paper arts #Chain of Courage #Ekua Holmes #The Museum of Fine Arts Boston

[roxburysunflowerproject]

Roxbury Sunflower Project 2022

I hope you’ve been wondering where the Roxbury Sunflower Project has been all summer. It is our fifth year of planting a beautiful idea with sunflower seeds. We begin by giving away over 10,000 seeds to the public. Then we plant mini sunflower landscapes throughout Boston.  Our launch took place at the Grove Hall Public Library on May 14th. It’s where we began back in 2018. Here are some cool photos taken by London Parker-McWhorter and Ekua Holmes.

sparc! the Artmobile and its team helped kick off the season with a seed giveaway, art making station and seedling planting. All ages came out to help plant sunflowers, pick up free seed packets and activity kits and to even create their own crown of flowers.

The newly designed sparc! the ArtMobile Van is right out front. Artists Super Sobek and Apex painted in live in 2021 at a Grove Hall in Color event.

Members of the sparc! team, Hannah, Isabelle, Christina, Ekua, Mei and Jordan. 

Getting crafty with the sparc! team.

The final design. And the winner is...!!!

Super Sobek (Jeremy Harrison) Honors the Roxbury Sunflower Project as only he can. See this mural at 48 Geneva Avenue across from the public library. Do you see anyone you recognize??

Hannah holds down the seed give-away with style and humor.

Friends and Family create works of art and activism...

Roxbury Sunflower Project logistics with Kai Holmes. The grid is everything.

Young gardeners in the making... Plant your seeds today for blossoms tomorrow... Watch us grow in the next update...

#roxburysunflowerproject #iloveroxbury #seedsofhope #deeplyrootedinroxbury #sparctheartmobile #RSP2022

[sweethoneychildbookclub]

What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?: The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan

Author & Illustrator: Chris Barton & Ekua Holmes

Age Range: 6-9

Theme: Leadership, Civil Rights, Political Engagement

This picture book biography of Barbara Jordan, a lawyer, politician, and civil rights leader, highlights her impactful voice in politics and her legacy as a trailblazer in American history.

Description/Introduction:

Dive into the inspiring life of Barbara Jordan, whose powerful voice and unwavering commitment to justice and equality made her a key figure in American politics. From her early days in Texas to her influential speeches in Congress, Jordan’s journey is a testament to the power of speaking out for what is right. Her legacy teaches us the importance of courage, integrity, and the role of leadership in shaping a better future.

Quotes/Reviews:

“An eloquent portrayal of a remarkable woman, whose contributions to society and politics continue to inspire today’s youth.” - Booklist

Barbara Jordan’s remarkable journey shows that with passion, determination, and a powerful voice, one can make a significant difference in the world. Her story encourages children to recognize the importance of their own voices in advocating for justice and change.

Content Value

Barbara Jordan’s story motivates children to find and use their voices for advocacy, emphasizing the impact of leadership and eloquence in driving societal change.

#Picture Books #Biographies #Women's History #Ages 4-8 #Grades K-3 #Civil Rights #Social Issues & Activism

[cocoawithbooks]

An Ode to Black Girlhood in Black Girl You Are Atlas

Buy on Bookshop Review: Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson and fine art by Ekua Holmes Welcome to my stop on the #BlackGirlBookstaTour, check out my IG account for additional content. I chose Renée Watson’s recently released Black Girl You Are Atlas to feature. You will be blown away by the poetry in this semi-autobiographical collection. Renée Watson’s latest book (pub date: Feb. 13) is…

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#blackGirlMagic #black women #blackgirlbookstatour #poetry #young adult

[richincolor]

Book Review: Black Girl You Are Atlas

Title: Black Girl You Are Atlas

Author:  Renée Watson, Ekua Holmes (Illustrator)

Genres:  Poetry

Pages: 96

Publisher:Kokila

Review Copy: ARC by publisher

Availability: Available now

Summary: In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes

about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender.

Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power.

Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance and is a gift for anyone who reads it.

Review: I have enjoyed every Renée Watson book I’ve ever read, even taught Watch Us Rise, so when I saw “Black Girl You Are Atlas” on the display shelf at NCTE, I was more than interested. Watson’s words have always had a lyrical quality that always draws me in and truly moves the spirit.  This collection of poetry is a mix of autobiographical story telling while also reveling in the beauty that is Black culture, Black girlhood. Watson also uses a few different poetic styles from prose, to haiku, to a pantoum, and free verse. 

The title of the collection comes from the poem “Atlas” where she begins with the different definitions of the word then ties the prose style poem to all the different definitions. She plays with the different definitions exploring how Black girls (and women) often carry the world on their shoulders while they also contain the histories of Black people within them. It is a beautiful poem that acknowledges the burdens Black girls often carry while lifting them up at the same time. 

Another poem that I really loved was titled “When I Say I Love Us” which is a love poem to Black culture. The poem is all about the wonderful aspects of Black culture with a rhythm that exudes a certain swagger. The repetition of “When I say I love us” at the beginning of each stanza builds as if the reader is beginning to shout about the love they have for Black people and Black culture. The last line “I mean I love the love that is us” is such a fun line to read and full of love.  

The collection includes poems dedicated to Renisha McBride, Michelle Obama, and a beautiful poem titled “A Pantoum for Breonna Taylor”. All three poems share the injustice these three women experienced and also celebrates who they are (Obama) and memorializes what we lost with McBride and Taylor. 

All in all, this is a lovely collection of poems and as I was reading I was thinking of a few Black girls who could find inspiration from Watson’s poetry. These poems are beautifully written and are the perfect antidote to a world that tries to bring Black girls down. 

Oh! I almost forgot to about the artwork. Since I had a ARC of the collection my artwork was in black and white but I’ve seen a few pictures to know that the Ekua Holmes artwork is stunning. It is full of color that captures all aspects of Black girl and womanhood and accentuate each of the poems. The collaboration makes for an excellent book that any Black girl (or former girl) should add to their collection.

#book review #weneeddiversebooks #black girl magic