“One of the things I’m always interested in is to see how does a person visually read a story. One of the intents I’ve always had in my work, and am very curious to see, is what happens  after people leave the gallery and what story they have to tell through my storytelling…I always ask that the viewer invest their own story into my image.”

                                                                                                 - Jerry Pinkney

Stories have long been one of the most powerful ways we come to understand ourselves and the world around us. In this workshop, teachers will explore Jerry Pinkney’s retellings of fables and stories through close-looking activities and discussion strategies designed for classroom use. Participants will examine how Pinkney uses imagery to convey values, character, and life lessons, while practicing approaches that help students interpret images, support their ideas with visual evidence, and reflect on both the artist’s perspective and their own experiences.

We will focus on Pinkney’s illustrations and retellings of the Aesop fable, The Grasshopper and the Ants, and The Tales of Uncle Remus, as told by Julius Lester. Uncle Remus tales also raise questions about interpretation and the influence of racial attitudes over time. The retellings of Lester and Pinkney reclaim these narratives by centering their African American origins, restoring their complexity, humor, and resilience, to resonate across generations.

Teaching materials will be available for classroom use.

Registration is required.