The Penn Libraries partners with communities at the University and beyond to produce, preserve, and provide access to knowledge.
Recently, the Libraries acquired the vibrant archive of renowned artist Ashley Bryan, an internationally recognized children’s book author and illustrator, poet, and humanitarian. Comprising thousands of items from the 1920s to today, Bryan’s archive offers a unique view into the African American experience that will inform generations of students and scholars in learning from and applying Bryan’s experiences.
This major acquisition includes original drawings and paintings, manuscripts, poems, and letters from throughout Bryan’s life. Various items offer glimpses into his career as an art student in the 1940s, his service as an African American drafted into the segregated U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, and his storied career as an award-winning artist and author.
Bryan’s archive came to the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Penn Libraries through the Ashley Bryan Center in Islesford, Maine, which has represented and preserved the artist’s legacy since 2013. While other institutions were considered, Penn was chosen unanimously to receive the collection.
Bryan’s archive will enable scholars to explore American history through the lens of a brilliant individual who countered racial prejudice through the transformative power of art. This gift builds on the Penn Libraries’ existing collections related to children’s literature and furthers our ability to make unique historical perspectives discoverable for future generations.”Constantia Constantinou, H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries
The Libraries commemorated the acquisition in December with an Ashley Bryan Archive Celebration. More than 100 fans of Bryan’s work explored selected materials from the archive before enjoying a lively discussion between Bryan and Nick Clark, Founding Executive Director of the Ashley Bryan Center. Bryan shined a vivid, personal light on his formative experiences as a budding artist and author; he also touched on his pioneering inclusion of people of color within the pages of his works.
The Ashley Bryan Archive represents a unique cultural resource that speaks to various facets of the human experience, from war and prejudice to creativity and community. Now in the care of the Kislak Center’s expert staff, this rich collection is poised to continue to influence and inform new audiences in a variety of ways.
Materials from the Archive are currently on public display in a new Penn Libraries exhibition, Remarkable Figures: Women in the Art of Ashley Bryan, through April 17, 2020 in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center. These and other items will be available in perpetuity for students and researchers visiting the Libraries.
In time, Kislak Center staff will work to extend this collection’s reach through digitization and online publication—advancing the Penn Libraries’ strategic priorities to make cultural resources available to even more scholars, and spread actionable insights across the globe.
