I love the organization of this biography. Each chapter is named after a material that Maya has used in her work, and they trace her journey through her development as an artist as well as visiting many of her most famous works. The fact that she is able to work with so many different media (granite, water, celadon, etc.) is just one indication of her versatility as an artist.
The chapters, along with discussing her childhood and student years also talk about the various groups she has worked with to create museums, outdoor displays, and memorials. Most people know her as the designer behind the Vietnam Memorial Wall, but she has done much more than that. The large, full-page photos show details up close as well as the full view of each creation.
Any readers interested in art and architecture should pick up a copy of this book. The text is engaging and descriptive and the images are equally alluring. I would love to take my students on a field trip to the Langston Hughes Library and Riggio-Lynch Chapel, since they are within easy driving distance of our school.
I was lucky enough to meet the author at NCTE last fall and get her to autograph a copy for our school library.
No comments:
Post a Comment