Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
The Ezra Jack Keats Collection
The de Grummond Collection is the home of the Ezra Jack Keats Archive, the sole repository of Keats’ manuscripts, typescripts, sketches, dummies, illustrations and proofs for 37 books he wrote and/or illustrated.
C.E. & S. Foundation
The Tasha Tudor Collection The mission of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is to • Bring the multicultural, creative spirit of Keats into children's lives and literature; • Support arts and literacy programs in public schools and libraries across the country; • Celebrate new writers and illustrators of exceptional picture books for a diverse audience of children; and
Jacob Ezra Katz’s artistic talent was “I was like a child playing, recognized when he was a young boy. and I was in a world with no Born in 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, he rules.” Keats experimented • Preserve Keats' work and extend was the third child of a Jewish family who with techniques that his legacy. journeyed to the United States to escape were completely new to vicious antisemitism in Poland. Growing up him—combining collage, during the Great Depression, he was unable handmade stamps, and to attend art school after high school and instead took spattering ink—creating the striking illustrations for various commercial art jobs wherever he could find them. which The Snowy Day is now famous. Keats was lucky to get a job helping paint murals for the The Ezra Jack Keats (EJK) Foundation was established Works Progress Administration (WPA) and went on to in 1964, with Keats serving as president and his lifelong illustrate backgrounds for Marvel comics. He joined the friend, Martin Pope, as secretary. Upon his passing in 1983, United States Army in 1943 and designed camouflage Keats’ will directed the Foundation to use the royalties patterns, a service that helped save lives. In 1947, having from his books for social good. Martin Pope and his wife experienced severe antisemitism, he changed his name Lillie designed the EJK Foundation to realize his wishes. to Ezra Jack Keats to get work as an artist. His illustrations began to appear in well-known publications and galleries, Since 1985, the EJK Foundation has contributed over and eventually he was hired to illustrate children’s books $565,000 through the USM Foundation for awards, authored by others. promotions, activities and development of the Ezra Jack Keats Archive and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that Keats was invited to write Annually, the EJK Foundation contributes $36,000 in and illustrate the book that became The Snowy Day, support with supplemental gifts made periodically. which was published in 1962. The following year, Keats was awarded the Caldecott Medal, the most prestigious children’s book award. During his acceptance speech, he described his thoughts while creating the picture book:
Each year during the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival, the de Grummond Collection and the EJK Foundation present the Ezra Jack Keats Award, which honors early career writers and illustrators of outstanding children’s books that reflect our diverse population. “It’s an honor to work with Ellen Ruffin, curator of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, whose stewardship has been instrumental in helping the national renown of the EJK Award flourish,” said Deborah Pope, executive director of the EJK Foundation. “During our partnership, the EJK Award has jump started the careers of such star authors and illustrators as Meg Medina, Christian Robinson, Oge Mora, Micha Archer and Derrick Barnes. It’s a joy to know that de Grummond is not only one of the foremost collections of children’s literature in the United States, it is also a force that fosters the creation of wonderful books for today, as well as future generations of our multicultural communities.”
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Tasha Tudor was an author/illustrator of children’s literature whose work has brought joy to generations of readers. She wrote and illustrated more than two dozen published texts during her lifetime. Recognized worldwide for the expressive nature of her watercolors and pencil drawings, her artwork has now appeared in over 100 titles and on innumerable greeting cards. Before legally changing her name, Tasha Tudor was born Starling Burgess on August 28, 1915, in Boston, Mass. She studied at the Boston Museum School and began illustrating children’s book in 1938. Over the years, she enjoyed writing and illustrating fairy tales, nursery rhymes and stories of holiday celebrations and farm life. Her illustration style has been frequently characterized as “romantically old-fashioned, Victorian and nineteenth-century.” In addition to numerous other awards and honors, two of her works, Mother Goose and 1 Is One, were named Caldecott Honor Books. Housed within de Grummond, the Tasha Tudor Collection contains material for her books, a collection of her favorite Christmas cards, as well as many other illustrations, letters and original art. For Tasha Tudor’s Favorite Christmas Carols, the Collection contains a typescript, two galleys, illustration proofs, color separations, layouts and blueprints. “Tasha Tudor is a household name in children’s literature,” Ruffin said. “Her work speaks to individuals of all ages and evokes pleasant memories with her depictions of idyllic times. Her scenes present children, animals and festivities, and she expresses her love of gardens in the florals used in her picture books.” The C.E. and S. Foundation has donated more than $693,000 through the USM Foundation, including $200,000 in 2022 for the acquisition of the Tasha Tudor Christmas and Greeting Card Collection. Ruffin exudes, “We are humbled by the extensive support of the C.E. and S. Foundation, which has assisted us in becoming the place for Tasha Tudor research, allowing us to expand our reach and impact to disciplines from English, library science and creative writing to graphic design, digital humanities and history.” The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection—a treasure trove of materials from Savery, Keats, Tudor and
Located in Louisville, Ky., the C.E. and S. Foundation is an organization that works to better the communities it serves. The Foundation invests in five areas of focus essential to educational achievement: • Caregiver Engagement • Social Emotional Support (Birth through Grade 12) • Academic Support (Kindergarten through Grade 12) • Family and Household Stability • Postsecondary Education Success
so many others—would not be the extensive collection it is without the generosity of our donors and partners. Their generosity in time, monetary support and physical materials has an invaluable impact on the Collection and the future of children’s literature research. 12