Christopher Myers facts for kids

Christopher Myers (born 1974) is an American artist, author, and illustrator. He creates many different types of art. These include tapestries, sculptures, and stained-glass works. He also writes and illustrates children's books and works in theater.

Myers's art often tells stories. It explores how cultures mix and change. He looks at ideas like migration and global connections. Critics say his work moves easily between different art forms. It combines images, words, history, and myths. His art uses bright colors and exciting patterns. It shares important and sometimes serious stories.

Christopher Myers, Sarah Forbes Bonetta as Omoba Aina as Persephone, a large textile artwork from 2021.

His art has been shown in famous places. These include MoMA PS1 and the Art Institute of Chicago. He has won awards for his book illustrations. These include the Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King Award. Christopher Myers lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Life and Career

Christopher Dean Myers was born in 1974. He grew up in Queens, New York. He went to Brown University and studied art. He also attended a special art program at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Myers is the son of Walter Dean Myers. His father was a very famous children's book author. Christopher started working with his father in the 1990s. He illustrated his father's books. Later, they even wrote some books together.

In 1999, Christopher Myers started writing and illustrating his own books. His first book was Black Cat. He also began showing his art in galleries and museums. His work has been featured in big art shows. These include "Greater New York" and the Prospect New Orleans Biennial. He has also had solo shows. These were at places like the Studio Museum in Harlem. Since 2014, he has also worked on films and theater. He designs, writes, and directs these projects.

Artwork

Christopher Myers creates many kinds of art. He uses different materials and styles. His work often tells stories about history and identity.

Tapestries

Tapestries are a big part of Myers's art. These are large, woven artworks. His tapestries are bright and have detailed patterns. He gets ideas from many sources. These include the famous Quilts of Gee's Bend. He also uses ideas from artists like Henri Matisse and Jacob Lawrence.

Christopher Myers, Earth, a textile artwork from 2020.

Myers has worked with embroiderers from Vietnam. They created images inspired by rap songs. He also made large flags for imaginary nations. These flags were made from old Egyptian sails. They explored ideas about flags and history.

His tapestries often mix old traditions with modern ideas. They tell difficult stories. These can be about history, social issues, or the environment. For example, some works talk about police violence or climate change.

In 2019, Myers had an exhibition called "Drapetomania". The artworks in this show explored ideas of freedom. They looked at how people claim their place and voice. One large tapestry is called Sarah Forbes Bonetta as Omoba Aina as Persephone (2021). It tells the story of a 19th-century princess. She was from the Yoruba people in Africa. She became a ward of Queen Victoria. The tapestry connects her story to ancient myths. It shows how her identity was shaped by different cultures.

Sculpture

Myers's sculptures also explore different cultures and times. His project Echo in the Bones (2014) looked at ways people grieve. It connected traditions from Vietnam and New Orleans. He created unique musical instruments and costumes for this project.

Christopher Myers, Nat Turner, a stained glass artwork from 2022.

In his The Art of Taming Horses (2021) project, Myers told a fictional story. It was about Mexican and African-American cowboys. He used colorful tapestries and large steel horse sculptures. Many artists from around the world helped make these pieces. This made the work even more interesting.

Myers also combines everyday objects in his sculptures. He uses them to explore difficult feelings. For example, Shackle and Light (2019) used a metal collar. This collar was around a carved wooden head. It had many candles that lit up. It changed a symbol of hardship into a sign of hope.

Stained Glass

Myers also creates beautiful stained-glass artworks. These pieces often combine religious art with new myths. They celebrate historical figures who fought for freedom. One work, Nat Turner (2022), shows an African-American leader. Another, Nongqawuse (2022), shows a Xhosa prophet. She is shown in a way that reminds us of Greek myths. In 2022, Myers made a stained-glass work for the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It honored artist Ralph Lemon.

Theatrical Collaborations

Myers works with other artists on plays, dances, and films. He often designs the sets and costumes. He also helps write and direct.

He has worked a lot with artist Kaneza Schaal. They created Cartography (2019). This play explored the shared experiences of migrant children. It looked at how people move and find new homes.

Christopher Myers, a shadow puppet from the Fire in the Head production, 2022.

For his show Fire in the Head (2022), Myers worked with Indonesian artists. They made shadow puppets. These puppets helped tell stories from a famous dancer's diaries. He also worked with artist Hank Willis Thomas on a short film. It was about poverty and technology in Kenya. Myers was also the designer for the opera Omar (2022). This opera told the story of a 19th-century Muslim scholar.

Illustration and Writing

Christopher Myers is well-known for his illustrations and books. He has won many awards for them. He received a Caldecott Honor for Harlem (1998). He also won a Coretta Scott King Award for Firebird (2015). Many of these books were written by his father.

Myers's illustrations use different techniques. He combines painting, photography, and collage. Critics have praised his unique style. They say his work is fresh and lively. It reminds some people of famous artists like Romare Bearden.

Myers has also written articles. These articles talk about the lack of diversity in children's books. He writes about how important it is for all children to see themselves in stories. In 2016, he started his own book imprint. It is called Make Me a World. His goal is to publish more diverse children's books.

Myers has illustrated many books, including:

• The Shadow of the Red Moon (by Walter Dean Myers), 1995
• Harlem: A Poem (by Walter Dean Myers), 1997
• Monster (by Walter Dean Myers), 1999
• Blues Journey (by Walter Dean Myers), 2001
• A Time to Love: Stories from the Old Testament, (by Walter Dean Myers), 2003
• Autobiography of My Dead Brother (by Walter Dean Myers), 2005
• Love: Selected Poems (by E. E. Cummings), 2005
• Jazz (by Walter Dean Myers), 2006
• Looking Like Me (written by Walter Dean Myers), 2009
• Firebird (by Misty Copeland), 2014
• Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, A Young Artist in Harlem (by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts), 2015
• Into the Uncut Grass (by Trevor Noah), 2023

Myers has also written and illustrated his own books, including:

• Black Cat, 1999
• Wings, 2000
• Fly!, 2001
• Lies and Other Tall Tales (stories collected by Zora Neale Hurston, adapted by Myers), 2005
• Jabberwocky (poem by Lewis Carroll, reinterpreted by Myers), 2007
• We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart (co-written with Walter Dean Myers), 2011
• H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination, 2012
• My Pen, 2015

Collections

Christopher Myers's art is in many public collections. These include famous museums like the National Gallery of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. His work is also at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Awards and Recognition

Myers has received several awards and grants. These include a BRIC Arts Media prize (2019). He also received a grant from the Art for Justice Fund (2018). He was an artist-in-residence in Vietnam (2013). In 2018, he created a billboard called Mayflowers. It was part of a project to encourage people to get involved in politics. In 2020, he created another billboard, My Body is a Burning House.