Art, History, and Black Excellence in Maine: Ashley Bryan
Hello Readers,
It’s February in Maine during COVID-19, which means you may be feeling that cabin fever extra hard this year. I’m due with our baby girl any day now, so I can tell you that I certainly am. I have had to take extra precautions because it’s hard to breathe in general—so a respiratory virus is definitely not welcome at this time.
What I tend to reach for when I’m feeling down are things that fill me up with gratitude, inspiration, and joy. Whenever I feel lost or powerless in my situation, I turn to the artists; in multiple mediums. Which is why Ashley Bryan feels like the perfect choice. Especially during Black History Month.
Illustration from “Beautiful Blackbird.”
I wanted to spotlight him as one of my favorite Maine artists of writing, painting, illustrating, puppet-making, printmaking, and storytelling for February in case his story and work may bring you joy, too.
I discovered Ashley Bryan’s work about a year ago when bringing Zeke to a baby storytime at the Patten Free Library. His book, of which he is the author and illustrator, Beautiful Blackbird, was on display and I became curious about his work after learning that he lives on Little Cranberry Island (or Isleford, as the town is known as).
I ordered Beautiful Blackbird and Sing to the Sun to add to our home library of Maine authors.
These books are truly beautiful works of art, and only scratch the surface of the 50+ books he’s helped to create. Zeke and I have a lot of fun reading/singing Beautiful Blackbird together, and Sing to the Sun is a perfect introductory poetry book for young children. You can listen to him reading Beautiful Blackbird book on PBS here.
Not only are his colorful illustrations stunning, but his life story is something to marvel at as well. In October 2019, Bryan released an autobiographical book, Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace after a lifetime of keeping his memories of a Black WWII veteran to himself.
I read this in the spring of 2020, but I wanted to bring it forth for Black History Month this year. Ashley Bryan is such a beaming light of positivity and Black excellence in the state of Maine. To see him share his story of injustice and perseverance in the United States Army is something that has really stuck with me.
Here is an excerpt of his experience:
““In my knapsack, in my gas mask I kept paper, pens and pencils, I would draw whenever there was free time … I had to draw. It was the only way to keep my humanity.””
He also writes about his position at the end of the war of guarding the German prisoners.
“(They) were being given more respect than the Black soldiers who had just fought for Europe’s freedom,” he writes. “On bus rides to the PX, the German prisoners were permitted to sit up front with the white soldiers and officers, while we Blacks were segregated to the back, just like back home. And once at the PX, we were not even allowed inside.
“We Blacks had risked our lives — thousands had lost their lives — to stop the Nazis’ hatred and agenda of eliminating those people they deemed as lesser, as unworthy. And yet in many respects we were being treated in the same way … Where was our freedom? Our equality?”
There’s so much to consider there about our nation’s role in white supremacy and the hypocrisy of our actions during WWII. The book trailer below showcases the amazing sketches Bryan did during his service.
After learning about Bryan’s service in WWII, I wanted to know more about why and how he came to live on Little Cranberry Island here in Maine. It turns out he attended the art school at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1946 and decided from then on that Maine was the place he loved best.
I learned so much from the 2016 documentary on his life, I Know a Man…Ashley Bryan, which documents beautiful footage of his life on the Maine island right off of Acadia National Park. It shows his love for beach-combing and turning forgotten pieces of shore debris into puppets. I also loved the shots of him storytelling in the Isleford community and creating a beautiful seaglass stained window piece for the local church. The trailer below shows a little bit about what the documentary is about.
I just have so much love and respect for this 97 year old man who brings joy, art, and diversity to our state of Maine. According to the Ashley Bryan Center Facebook page, he contracted and survived COVID-19 in 2020 and still wakes up as healthy as before, excited to create art.
His work has seen tremendous support and appreciation lately, which is wonderful to see. Janet Mills proclaimed July 13th in 2020 as Ashley Frederick Bryan Day and wrote,
“Ashley Bryan has enriched the lives of countless people in our state, our country, and our world. For generations, his art has uplifted the voices, cultures, heritage, and experiences of African-Americans, from the shores of Omaha Beach on D-Day to the shores of Little Cranberry Island, Maine. As a soldier, a teacher, an author and illustrator, a philanthropist and a resident of the State of Maine for over sixty years, Mr. Bryan has taught us to celebrate the unique spirit of every person and, together, to create a brighter future for us all.”
Bates College in Lewiston has a virtual museum exhibit until the end of February called, “Let’s Celebrate Ashley Bryan!” which is exciting to be able to access free from my couch. Also, Waterville Creates has put together free Beautiful Blackbird art kits for children in the Waterville area starting February 25th.
Not to mention, my favorite new local chocolate company, La Nef in Bath, Maine, created an Ashley Bryan chocolate bar with Monhegan Island sea salt, AND a portion of the the proceeds from the sale of the bar will benefit Black Lives Matter. It just doesn’t get better than that. All of my family got these bars this year for Valentine’s Day from me.
And it’s freakin’ DELICIOUS.
My hope is that someday we can visit the Storyteller’s Pavilion on Little Cranberry Island and have the privilege of meeting Ashley Bryan in person, and then the Ashley Bryan Center in Cambridge, MA. In the meantime, he is bringing our family joy and understanding of the Black experience and history our nation during our quarantine. I hope that my post can do the same for you, and your family too.
xo, the rockweed writer.
More Ashley Bryan References and Links:
My Ashley Bryan Book List for Purchase through Bookshop.org
