Everyday People: Works by James Ransome

January 22 – April 3, 2022 - Mr. and Mrs. Chesley G. Magruder Gallery I

January 22 – April 3, 2022 - Mr. and Mrs. Chesley G. Magruder Gallery II

Coretta Scott King Award-winner James E. Ransome has illustrated over sixty children’s picture books, covering a wide range of subjects. What the ones represented in this exhibition have in common is the celebration of some of the simplest, and most joyful, moments in our lives. Ransome’s vivid oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings depict inspiring stories about unknown characters like Uncle Jed and Aunt Flossie, and individuals who made history like Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Louis Armstrong, and Satchel Paige.
Ransome’s illustrated books, many written by his wife Lesa Cline-Ransome, often center on small moments in a person’s life; the joy of watching the leaves change, the wonder of discovering the meaning behind your name, dinner with family. Everyday events for everyday people. Even his biographies, such as Just a Lucky So-and-So about Louis Armstrong, chronicle not just the trumpeter’s rise to fame, but his many trials along the way. In fact, his biographies often show ordinary people that find a way to accomplish the extraordinary.

This exhibition is organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas.

Support for this exhibition is provided by the Warren and Augusta Hume Foundation and the Dr. Hugh F. McKean Memorial Fund at Central Florida Foundation.