He is recognized as the first enslaved potter to inscribe his work, during a time when most. Artist, poet, slave nonfiction, hardcover, by laban carrick hill little, brown books for young readers, sep 07, 2010 african american literature book club celebrating our literary legacy since 1997 black literature is. Artist, poet, slave, illustrated by bryan collier and written by laban carrick hill ages 48, little, brown and company, 40 pp. Artist, poet, slave is a 2010 picture book written by laban carrick hill.
Artist, poet, slave by laban carrick hill and bryan collier. But to daveit was clay,the plain and basic stuffupon which he formed a lifeas a slave nearly 200 years ago. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, national book award nominee laban. The 1858 jug shown at the top of this page is in a private collection.
His body of workmade up of hundreds of ceramic pieces, mostly large pots and jarsboth shows and tells what life was like for africanamerican slaves in the south in the late 1800s. Dave the potter by laban carrick hill little, brown books for young. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, national book award nominee. Artist, poet, slave lesson plan is suitable for kindergarten 8th grade. David drake 18001874 was an influential africanamerican ceramic artist, born into slavery under the potterymaking families of edgefield, south carolina. This website contains an overwhelming array of resources including possible curriculum materials, lesson plans, slide descriptions, and historical details that teachers can use to introduce daves life to young minds and artistsintraining. Also known as dave the potter, dave pottery, dave the slave, or dave of the hive, he is known to have had several different owners during his lifetime, including harvey drake, reuben drake, jasper gibbs, and lewis miles. News and events general news dave jars dave jars at some point in his early life, dave, a man born into slavery circa 1800, learned the fine art of throwing, turning, and glazing various forms of pottery including churns, storage jars, pitchers, and jugs. Winner of the 2011 coretta scott king illustrator award a 2011 caldecott honor book to us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on but to dave it was clay, the.
Give students ample time to view the cover of the book and to make inferences about dave and his work prior to reading the book aloud to the class. Dave project curriculum guide chipstone foundation. In this pottery lesson, students are introduced to the poetic and lyrical story of an artist who transcended dire conditions as a slave to become an amazing inspiration. Slaves usually only did manual type labor and nothing skilled. To everyone else it was just clay but to dave it was his passion and a way to escape. As kids get older, they will understand the historical significance of daves story and can delve into the final pages of the book, which present a guide to his life as well. If you have holds on the shelf, they will be held until we reopen. Dave the artist, poet and slave, thought so, and did manage to have one of the most magnificent pottery collections in the united states. Colliers arrestingly beautiful artistic interpretation of hills poetic text reveals dave the potters artistic process while. Childrens books dave the potter by laban carrick hill the new. Give me silver or give me goldthough they are dangerous to our soul 27 july 1840 dave slave potter edgefield, sc living in south carolina, with an ear open to authentic local craft and art, one hears often of the edgefield district, known for its distinctive traditional stoneware. The life and legend of the slave potter, dave by leonard todd w. Illustrator bryan collier won the coretta scott king award and caldecott.
A picture book about a south carolina slave, born about 1800, who made a name for himself as a potter and a poet. It is difficult to convey the story of an artist slave in a picture book, but the author and illustrator succeed by focusing on the difficult, painstaking art of pottery. It was originally published by little, brown and company. Fascinated by the man and by this troubling family history, leonard todd moved from manhattan to edgefield, south carolina, where his ancestors had established a thriving pottery industry in the early 1800s. The story of the life and times of dave, an enslaved potter who inscribed his works with sayings and short poems in spite of the slave antiliteracy sentiment in south carolina in the years leading up to the civil war.
A caldecott honora coretta scott king award winneran awardwinning celebration of an american herodave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in south carolina in the 1800s. During this time you will not be able to place new holds on physical materials. Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in south. The poems have charm, sadness and practical instruction. Andrea cheng examines the life of dave the potter who took the name david drake. Artist, poet, slave by laban carrick hill goodreads. From booklist as a closing essay explains, little is known about the man known as dave the potter. Before the pots would dry he would write one of his poems on the pot. All wcpl locations are closed through april 30, 2020. The photograph by gavin ashworth is courtesy of ceramics in america.
The woodcut and alphabets are from noah websters the american spelling book, 1824. Author laban carrick hills artful, freeflowing narrative describes how dave, an african american potter who lived in slavery, might have created his famous and beautiful pots in this picture book that illuminates an artist known only by his first name. There was a 17 year gap in his work between 1840 and 1857. Dave the potter american potter and poet britannica.
I loved the plot, the biography and the elements of poetry in motion. Dave the slave potter town of edgefield, south carolina. Dave was born on a south carolina plantation owned by harry drake. Artist, poet, slave, by laban carrick hill, is a poetic nonfiction picture book about an enslaved worker known only as dave. Information on this page is condensed from carolina clay. Dave the potter artist, poet, slave by laban carrick hill illustrated by bryan collier published little, brown and company 2010 2011 caldecott honor 2011 coretta scott king gold award for illustrations new york public librarys top 50 childrens books of all time chicago public librarys 2010 best of the best list new york public. Illustrator bryan collier won the coretta scott king award and caldecott medal in 2011 for his artwork in the book. And one of the things i love about god is that he is a creative god, says potter david blakeslee.
Artist, poet, slave hardcover by laban carrick hill, bryan collier at target. Laban carrick hill, author, and bryan collier, illustrator teamed up to produce a book beautiful, dave the potter. Leonard todd chronicles the life of the slave potter dave. But do not fear, i will give you the opportunity to get accustomed to these changes first. Andrea cheng examines the life of dave the potter who took the name david drake after the civil war ended through a verse novel that tells his powerful, poignant story of endurance, artistry, and rebellion. Winner of the 2011 coretta scott king illustrator book award 2011 caldecott honor book. Book overview a caldecott honor a coretta scott king award winner an awardwinning celebration of an american hero dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in south carolina in the 1800s. The artwork is outstanding, a great book for black history month. Thus davids pots, unique for a slave potter, are sometimes signed and have couplets and other poems inscribed see above. From his studio nestled along the arkansas river in colorado, blakeslee reflects on making pottery as a metaphor for how the master potter forms and transforms lives. Dave is a slave in the 1800s who has a unique talent as a potter. All we have done so far is roughly sketch out the masterpiece that will be created. He may have had up to five owners throughout his life, but it is known that following the death of plantationowner harry. His crafted jars are part of the artistic history in the carolinas, his carefully written poems written on jars, represented the slavery too.
This book tells the story of dave, a slave who lived in edgefield district, south carolina. As hill writes, dave was one of only two potters at the time who could successfully make pots that were larger than twenty gallons. The book is wonderfully illustrated with the various stages of clay preparation and pottery making. Artist, poet, slave by laban carrick hill picture book. Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in south carolina in the. He was a potter who somehow learned to read and write, and. Dave was a real person, a slave who lived in south carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. Dave was literate and because of his ability to read and write, he left behind an amazing autobiography, scrawled inside his vessels and jugs. Dave was a potter by trade and often included poetry on his work.
In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, national book awardnominee laban carrick hills elegantly simple text. Selecting different books, such as dave the potter, about people from different eras, ethnicities, and occupations gives students a glimpse of a variety of early lives, hardships, and impacts on society. To us, says the narrator on the first page, it is just dirt, the ground we walk on. The picture book also included an educators guide to dave the potter. Artist, poet, slave, illustrated by bryan collier, written by laban carrick hill, published by little, brown and company, a division of hachette book group, inc. Read text aloud to students, making sure to stop several times throughout the book to allow stud ents ample time to closely. Children and parents alike will find an inspirational role model in dave, who carved poems and messages into the beautiful pots he created. Author laban carrick hills artful, freeflowing narrative describes how dave. Daves superb artistry and the deeply observant poetry he carved onto his pots reveal how he. There is considerable mystery surrounding this edgefield artist, but thanks to the former slaves unique ability to read and write, weve been left with an amazing autobiography.
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living. Laban carrick hill, the bestselling author of the national book award finalist harlem stomp, here delivers an inspiring and lyrical story of a gifted craftsman who lived in south carolina two centuries ago. But to dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he formed a life as a slave nearly 200 years ago. Dave the potter dave the potter is an important fgure for art historians and historians alike. The only known information that exists of this man is the few pieces of.
This book is about the true story of dave the potter. In this book, the author imagines daves personal history in verse form, occasionally illustrated by handmade woodcuts also by the author. The photograph of the pottersville site is by the author. As a potter myself and an educator, i am on the lookout for great books for children. Artist, poet, slave hill, laban carrick, collier, bryan on. Healthy words global initiative director fonde bridges and laban carrick hill, author of the childrens book dave the potter, artist, poet, slave, discuss the wellknown 19th c. Dave the potter enslaved africanamerican ceramic artist. There are pictures in the back of the book of pots that survived and all his poems in the back of the book. David drake was an enslaved african american in edgefield, south carolina during the first three quarters of the nineteenth century. One who did, quite literally, was an extraordinary artist known by his first name only. Dave the potter, byname of david drake, also called dave the slave, born c.
Dave the potter was a highly skilled artist and a slave who went by many names, including dave drake, dave the slave, and simply dave. Author laban carrick hills artful, freeflowing narrative describes how dave, an african american potter who lived in slavery, might have created his famous and beautiful pots in this picture book that illuminates an. Potter and his work, as well as the project as a whole. As i said on our wedding night, i am an artist and you were my blank canvas. Dave the potter, artist, poet, slave mahoganybooks.
It takes more than just skill to transform a lump of clay into something of valueit takes creativity. The book is about a real historical figure, dave, who lived as a slave in south carolina in the 1800s. Hes known today for the magnificent quality of the pots he. I appreciate the dual subject matter of the potter and the slave. Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in south carolina in the 1800s. Get it today with same day delivery, order pickup or drive up. He lived in south carolina in the 1800s as a slave. Dave could also write which was illegal for them to do. There are several classroom applications for this wonderful story. Dave the potter artist, poet, slave by laban carrick. Students listen to the story of dave a talented potter who overcame obstacles to create incredible pieces of sculpture.
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