Gerald McDermott

Gerald McDermott is an award-winning filmmaker, children’s book author & illustrator as well as an expert on mythology. His work often combines bright colors and styles with ancient imagery. [http://www.rif.org/art/illustrators/mcdermott.mspx] His picture books encompass folktales and cultures from all around the world.

Biography

Gerald McDermott was born January 31, 1941 in Detroit, Michigan. His parents supported the arts and encouraged his love of reading. McDermott began studying art at the age of four when he started taking Saturday workshops at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the museum in his hometown. There was basic art instruction in the morning and then students were encouraged to sketch from the various collections of the museum. [http://books.google.com/books?id=unhZiTzcpOkC&dq=gerald+mcdermott+and+you&pg=PP1&ots=AbAm2UbirN&sig=Ng9Ii23-fp_wlCQUWA1taDsgR4Q&hl=en&prev=http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=gerald+mcdermott+and+you&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail#PPA1,M1] In elementary and middle school he continued to sketch and paint, acted in a weekly radio program, and he studied ballet as well as music. All of these creative experiences would help McDermott create animated films and books later in life.

McDermott continued his education at Cass Technical, a public high school for the gifted with a notable art program. In 1959 he was awarded a National Scholastic Scholarship to the Pratt Institute of Design in New York City. As an extra-curricular summer project McDermott decided to produce an animated film and chose "The Stonecutter", a story he had loved as a child. [http://www.afana.org/mcdermott.htm] McDermott conducted extensive research into the cultures and customs of the story's origins. In 1962 during his junior year at Pratt McDermott took a leave of absence to work as a graphic designer for WNET, a New York educational television channel. He also produced several animated pieces for The Electric Company on PBS. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Pratt in 1964.

He produced three more short films soon after graduation "Sunflight" in 1966, "Anansi the Spider" in 1969, and "The Magic Tree" in 1970. In 1970 George Nicholson, a children's book editor, contacted McDermott and suggested adapting his films into picture books. In 1972 McDermott published his first illustrated retelling of a folktale, "Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti." [http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/html/clrc/clrc0163.html] "The Magic Tree" and "Arrow to the Sun" soon followed in picture book form. "Arrow to the Sun" released in 1974 was also developed simultaneously in film and would be McDermotts last animated film.

In the 1980s he published two books that paid homage to the traditions of his Irish heritage: "Daniel O'Rourke" and "Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk." During this time he also illustrated some books written by Marianna Mayer. In the early 1990s McDermott began working on a series of trickster tales and two works of mythological creation stories.

Awards

1972 "Anansi the Spider" received a Caldecott Honor

1974 "Arrow to the Sun" received a Caldecott Medal

1993 "Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest" received the Caldecott Honor and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award

1997 "Musicians of the Sun" received recognition from the American Orff-Schulwerk Association

1999 American Orff-Schulwerk Association Advocate

Trickster tales

Trickster tales are a traditional form of literature that recount the adventures, and misadventures, of well-known folk figures. The main characters sometimes devote their energy towards constructive goals but often have selfish motives. They usually succeeed, but sometimes are self-defeating or become victims. McDermott himself said: "...tales of the trickster still speak to us in a gentle, humorous way about the strengths and weaknesses of humankind."

1980 "Papagayo: The Mischief Maker" (a Brazilian folktale)

1992 "Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa"

1993 "Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest"

1994 "Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest"

2001 "Jabuti the Tortoise: A Trickster Tale from the Amazon"

Bibliography

1977 "The Voyage of Osiris"

1979 "The Knight of the Lion"

1973 "The Magic Tree: The Tale from the Congo"

1984 "Daughter of Earth: A Roman Myth"

1986 "Daniel O'Rourke: An Irish Tale"

2003 "Creation"

Illustration works

1985 "Alley Oop!" by Marianna Mayer

1987 "The Brambleberrys Animal Book of Big & Small Shapes" by Marianna Mayer

1991 "The Brambleberry's Animal Alphabet" by Marianna Mayer

1991 "The Brambleberry's Animal Book of Colors" by Marianna Mayer

External links

[http://www.geraldmcdermott.com Official Site]

References

* 1. http://www.rif.org/art/illustrators/mcdermott.mspx
* 2. Stott, Jon C. "Gerald McDermott and You." from Libraries Unlimited
* 3. http://www.afana.org/mcdermott.htm
* 4. http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/html/clrc/clrc0163.html