Juana Martinez-Neal Exhibition

This October, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature will be woven with beauty as Peruvian illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal opens her exhibition Threads of Origin/Hilos de Origen.

Juana Martinez-Neal is the recipient of the 2019 Caldecott Honor for “Alma and How She Got Her Name” (Candlewick Press), her debut picture book as author-illustrator. She is also a New York Times bestselling illustrator recipient of the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Medal for “Fry Bread: A Native American Story” (Roaring Brook) and the 2018 Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration for “La Princesa and the Pea” (Putnam). Juana was also named to the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor list in 2014 and was awarded the SCBWI Portfolio Showcase Grand Prize in 2012.

Juana, originally born in Lima, Peru, now lives in Connecticut with her husband and three children. Exhibitions and Collections Director Julia Teel and guest curator Erin Holland recently had the opportunity to visit Juana in her home studio to begin the work of fabricating her exhibition. After carefully considering titles, Holland settled on “Threads of Origin,” saying “I like the play on words— alluding to the many textiles in her work and the places they evoke, which tell a larger story about identity.”

Martinez-Neal’s artwork is rich with vibrant colors, whimsical lines and above all a variety of textures. Her detailed illustrations have brought to life stories of mischievous children, gruff sea captains, heartwarming family meals and iconic nursery rhymes – just to name a few. Juana’s art-making is deeply personal and rooted in a sense of care for her stories and her readers. She describes drawing Alma, the titular character of her best-selling series, again and again until the character felt perfectly “real,” like a person she could truly connect with. “In the moment that I’m no longer aware that I’m doing what I’m doing, like I’m a vessel…then I know I’m doing a good job,” she shared. This authenticity shines through every step of her process, from her careful research into the cultures she depicts to the hand-crafted paper she draws on, bringing depth and life to her exhibition.

On Thursday, October 2nd, the day will begin with a school tour of nearly 200 high school Honors Art students who will fill the NCCIL gallery to hear from and sketch with Juana. That evening, the exhibition will officially open to the public. On Friday, the NCCIL will host a Women in Literature Luncheon (WILL). This luncheon will serve to celebrate Juana’s work, connecting her art practice to the work of local artists and mothers who champion literacy and arts education in the Abilene community. Finally, on Saturday morning, children can have a more intimate time with the artist during the Workshop with Juana. Additionally, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., families are invited to participate in a Family Fun Super Saturday, which will offer free books for the first 50 children, games, art projects and more.

NCCIL Members can receive special discounts on the Workshop with Juana and bookstore purchases and can leave their books to be pre-signed by the illustrator. Tickets and tables for the luncheon are on sale now at nccil.org. Proceeds from this event support the NCCIL’s mission to promote children’s literacy, both art and reading, in the Abilene community and beyond. If you would like to learn more about events, the exhibition, or sponsorship opportunities, you may email Kayla Young at kayla@nccil.org or call 325.673.4586.

Contributed By the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature