Art Shay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Art Shay
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | March 31, 1922 |
| Died | April 28, 2018 (aged 96) |
| Nationality | American |
|
Notable work
|
Nelson Algren's Chicago, Couples, Animals |
Art Shay (born March 31, 1922 – died April 28, 2018) was a famous American photographer and writer. He was known for his amazing photos and for writing many books, including some for kids!
Contents
Who Was Art Shay?
Art Shay was a talented artist who used his camera to tell stories. He captured important moments and people throughout the 20th century. He also wrote many books and even plays.
Early Life and Career
Art Shay was born in 1922 in the Bronx, New York. During World War II, he served as a navigator in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He flew 52 missions in bomber planes, which is a lot!
After the war, Shay started working for Life magazine as a writer. Soon, he became a freelance photographer. This meant he worked for many different magazines, like Life, Time, and Sports Illustrated. He took pictures for these magazines from his base in Chicago.
Capturing Moments: Photography
Art Shay photographed seven US Presidents during his career. He also captured images of many other important people from the 1900s. His photographs are so good that they are displayed in major museums. You can see his work in places like the National Portrait Gallery and The Art Institute of Chicago.
Shay had a long friendship with a writer named Nelson Algren. They worked together on many projects. Art Shay's photos were featured in books like Nelson Algren's Chicago. He even had over 100 new photos of Algren in a 2014 documentary called Algren -The Movie.
Writing for Young Readers
Besides photography, Art Shay was also a very busy writer. He wrote more than 75 books on many different topics!
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he wrote two popular series of children's books. These books used his photographs to help explain things.
- His What It's Like to Be A ... series taught kids about different jobs. He wrote about what it's like to be a doctor, fireman, pilot, policeman, nurse, teacher, dentist, musician, and even a TV producer.
- His What Happens ... series explained how things work. He wrote about what happens when you build a house, spend money, turn on a light, or turn on the gas. Other books in this series included what happens at the zoo, at a gas station, at a newspaper, and at the circus.
He also wrote books for adults, including Animals and Couples, which were collections of his photographic essays.
Art in Museums and Galleries
Art Shay's work has been shown in many important art exhibits.
- In 2007, the Chicago History Museum held a big show of his black and white photos called "The Essential Art Shay: Selected Photographs."
- In 2008, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago had an exhibit called Art Shay: Chicago Accent. This show featured his photos of everyday life in Chicago from 1949 to 1968.
- In 2010, a gallery in Chicago showed his first exhibit of only color photographs.
In 2012, Art Shay was even added to the National Racquetball Hall of Fame! This shows he was good at sports too.
Later Projects and Legacy
Art Shay kept working on interesting projects throughout his life.
- He took pictures of life at the Northbrook Court Mall in Illinois for many years.
- He also worked on a project about Billy Corgan, the leader of the band The Smashing Pumpkins.
- From 2010, he wrote a weekly photography blog called "From the Vault of Art Shay" for a website called Chicagoist.
In 2015, Art Shay published his last book, My Florence. This book was a collection of photos and stories about his late wife, Florence. It showed her life in Chicago during the 20th century.
Art Shay passed away in April 2018, at the age of 96, in Deerfield, Illinois. He left behind an amazing collection of photographs and writings that continue to inspire people.
