Javaka Steptoe entered the picture book scene in 1997 as the illustrator of the poetry anthology In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers. His mixed-media collages, created from “paper with pastel; applique; and a multitude of found objects, including fabric, coins, seashells, buttons, sand, seeds, and leaves” (School Library Journal) won him instant acclaim - and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for 1998. The School Library Journal review states: “The artwork vibrates with emotion; even the simplest pieces, showing torn-paper figures on a solid background, capture the powerful bond between parent and child.”
Javaka was once the inspiration and model for his acclaimed artist father, John Steptoe, and has become an outstanding artist in his own right with a style very different from his father’s.
Mr. Steptoe states that “collage is a means of survival. It is how Black folks survived 400 years of oppression, taking the scraps of life and transforming them into art.”
Steptoe has illustrated many picture books including Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes, Do You Know What I’ll Do by Charlotte Zolotow, Rain Play by Cynthia Cotton, Amiri & Odette: A Love Story by Walter Dean Myers, and Jimi: Sounds like a Rainbow by Gary Golio.
Mr. Steptoe will talk about his art and inspirations on Thursday, February 23, 2012 @ 6:30 PM at the Headquarters Library in downtown Gainesville -- in Meeting Room A on the 4th floor. The program is open to all.
System status
A new library system and online catalog will debut on May 30. Here's the current status of:
- Checkouts: Continue as usual, but May 24-29 you must have your physical library card in hand to check out materials.
- Due dates: All checkouts will have a due date of June 22, except DVDs and GRU watt meters, which still have 7-day limit.
- Holds and requests: New holds and purchase requests cannot be placed until May 30, but those placed previously will continue to be processed and will carry over to the new system.
- Returns: Please "Babysit Our Books" — keep them until the new system is running smoothly (mid-June).
- Registration: Continues as usual today, but cannot be done May 24-29, as our entire system will be down.
- Interlibrary loan: No new ILL requests can be placed May 24-29.
- Digital checkouts: OverDrive checkouts and holds will work normally throughout the transition.
- My Discoveries: Will be retired with the AquaBrowser catalog on May 24. Please retrieve any saved book lists before then.
- Website: The Library District website (www.aclib.us) will be up as normal throughout the transition.
- My Account: Account info will be available through May 24. Your account will appear on the new system on May 30.
- Bill payment: All payments including PayPal are working today. No payments can be accepted May 24-29
- New catalog: Watch for its debut on May 30, with new features.
More about the transition.
More about the new online catalog.
Have any questions? Please Ask Us!
