Michael McCurdy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael McCurdy
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Michael McCurdy c. 1985
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| Born | February 17, 1942 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Died | May 28, 2016 (aged 74) |
| Known for | Illustrator, author |
| Spouse(s) | Deborath Lamb |
Michael McCurdy (born February 17, 1942 – died May 28, 2016) was an American artist. He was a talented illustrator, author, and even a publisher. He drew pictures for over 200 books! He also wrote ten of those books himself. Michael was famous for his black and white wood engravings. These are special pictures carved into wood. Sometimes, he added color too. His art often showed historical events or nature scenes.
Contents
About Michael McCurdy's Life
Michael McCurdy was born in New York City in 1942. He grew up in New Rochelle, New York, and Marblehead, Massachusetts. When he was a boy, he loved the work of another illustrator, Lynd Ward. Michael even wrote a fan letter to Lynd Ward as a teenager. This led to a lifelong friendship and they worked together later on.
Michael also loved printing. He got a toy printing press when he was twelve years old. This sparked his interest in making books by hand.
Education and Early Career
From 1960 to 1966, Michael studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. He created his first wood engraving there in 1963. He also met his good friend and future work partner, Robert Hauser. His roommate was David M. McPhail, who became a famous children's book author and illustrator. Another future children's book artist, Wallace Tripp, was also in his art department.
Michael earned two degrees from Tufts University. He got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1964 and a Master of Fine Arts in 1971. He also taught art at different schools for several years.
Serving His Country and Traveling
During the Vietnam War, Michael chose not to join the military. Instead, he worked as an orderly (a hospital assistant) for two years. He helped patients in the bone surgery ward at Children's Hospital in Boston. This was his way of serving his country.
In 1968, he married Deborath Lamb McCurdy. After his hospital service, they used a special art award to travel. They spent almost five months exploring Europe and the Soviet Union.
Family Life and Later Years
Michael and Deborath raised their two children in Massachusetts. They lived in Lincoln and Great Barrington. After he retired, Michael and his wife moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. Michael McCurdy passed away on May 28, 2016, at the age of 74.
Michael McCurdy's Penmaen Press
In 1968, Michael McCurdy started his own publishing company called Penmaen Press. He began it in Boston and later moved it to Lincoln and Great Barrington. Penmaen Press made many high-quality books. They published new poetry, fiction, and translated works. These books were by important American and European writers and poets. Some famous authors included William Saroyan and Joyce Carol Oates. They even published work by Nobel Prize winner Vicente Aleixandre.
Penmaen Press also created special printed sheets called broadsides. These often featured poems by writers like May Sarton and Allen Ginsberg. In 1978, a broadside of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Moloch" was illustrated by Michael's friend, Lynd Ward.
In 1984, Michael worked with Robert Hauser on a special project. They created a book called Face to Face. It featured self-portraits by twelve modern American artists. Each artist made their own picture using wood engraving.
Michael closed Penmaen Press in 1985. He wanted to spend more time writing and illustrating books for other publishers.
Books and Art by Michael McCurdy
Michael McCurdy created art for many different things. He illustrated books, greeting cards, and even company logos. His logos included ones for The New Yankee Workshop and Martha Stewart.
His wood engravings and drawings appeared in books for both adults and children. Some famous books he illustrated include:
- The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono (1985)
- The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln (1995)
- American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne (1991)
- Lucy’s Summer and Lucy’s Christmas by United States Poet Laureate Donald Hall
- Tales of Adam by Daniel Quinn
- A special edition of American Buffalo by David Mamet (1992)
He also designed and illustrated a series of books about John Muir for Sierra Club Books. Michael illustrated several books related to Walden by Henry David Thoreau. In 2004, he made 50 new wood engravings for a special edition of Walden.
Michael McCurdy also wrote many books himself. Some of his own titles include:
- Toward the Light (a collection of his wood engravings and stories)
- The Illustrated Harvard: Harvard University in Wood Engravings and Words
- Hannah's Farm: The Seasons on an Early American Homestead
- Trapped by the Ice: Shackleton's Amazing Antarctic Adventure
- An Algonquian Year: The Year According to the Full Moon
He also edited and illustrated a shorter version of Frederick Douglass's autobiography. It was called Escape from Slavery: The Boyhood of Frederick Douglass in His Own Words.
Awards and Recognition
Michael McCurdy's work received many awards.
- In 1986, The Owl-Scatterer by Howard Norman was chosen by The New York Times as one of the Ten Best Illustrated Children's Books. Michael's engravings and book design were a big part of this award.
- In 1996, Ann Whitford Paul's book The Seasons Sewn: The Year in Patchwork also received the same honor from The New York Times.
- His collection of engravings, Toward the Light, won a Bronze Medal in an international book show in Leipzig in 1983.
- Other books he worked on won awards from the New England Book Show and the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
Michael was also recognized by his peers. He became a member of the Boston Society of Printers in 1971. In 2002, the Boston Public Library chose him as a "Literary Light."
His children's picture book, Giants in the Land, won many prizes. He illustrated this book using black and white scratchboard art.
Archives
If you want to see Michael McCurdy's original work, you can! A large collection of his art and writings is kept at the Boston Public Library. This collection covers 48 years of his career. It includes his first wood engraving from 1962, sketches, and even the actual wood blocks he used. You can also find letters he exchanged with authors and publishers.
The records from his Penmaen Press are stored at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut. This archive has books and other items printed by his press from 1969 to 1985. It also includes letters related to the press.
