Influence of Music on the Work of Jerry Pinkney Exhibition Opens
Jerry Pinkney, illustration for More Tales of Uncle Remus: Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit, His Friends, Enemies, and Others by Julius Lester (Dial Books)
A new exhibition at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art showcases the impact of music on picture book artist Jerry Pinkney's life and work.
Running through January 3, 2027, Soul, Sound, and Voice: The Art of Jerry Pinkney features more than 75 works from across Pinkney’s career, the first major retrospective exhibition of Pinkney’s work since his death in 2021.
Pinkney said, “I’d like my art to feel the way music sounds,” and he believed that music was the key to understanding his work, showing how fictional characters and historic figures drew strength from the discovery of their own unique voices.
The exhibition explores depictions of spirituality and connection, the music of nature, lyrical poems, and fables, and Pinkney's dedication to uplifting Black voices from biographies to folklore and fairy tales.
Highlights include:
- illustrations for The Sunday Outing (1994) written by his wife Gloria Jean Pinkney, showing a family listening to gospel music on the radio
- illustrations for Half a Moon and One Whole Star by Crescent Dragonwagon (1986) which captures the sounds of animals in the woods and crickets chirping
- illustrations for Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the World by Marilyn Nelson (2009) which depicts a world-famous, all-women integrated jazz and swing band active from 1937-1949
- an illustration showing gospel singer Mahalia Jackson shouting from the crowd, “Tell them about the dream!” in A Place to Land by Barry Wittenstein (2019) about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous 1963 speech
Pinkney also requested that his illustrations for More Tales of Uncle Remus: Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit, His Friends, Enemies, and Others by Julius Lester (1988) be included in this exhibition, as he believed the tales preserve an important component of the African American voice.
“Music and art share a common language understood across cultures, generations and worlds. Jerry Pinkney’s ability to convey the sounds and energy of music through his picture book art is an inspiration to all of us who believe in the beauty of the world and humankind,” said Jennifer Schantz, Executive Director of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
