The Society of Illustrators is proud to present “The Art of Leo and Diane Dillon,” on display October 21 – December 20, 2014 at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators. Featuring a selection of work by the talented duo from a career that spanned over five decades, the exhibit includes illustrations that appeared in newspapers, magazines, advertisements, on book jackets, and in children’s books.

Leo Dillon and Diane Sorber met at Parsons School of Design in New York City in 1954. Right away, they were drawn to each other’s artistic abilities, at first as rivals. But over the years, their competitive friendship led to a personal and working relationship. They were married shortly after graduating and quickly developed a unique method of creating art together. As they once reported, “In terms of our work, it is virtually impossible to consider us separately. On every project we undertake, we hash out ideas together.”

During their long career, the Dillons created thousands of images, changing the approach they took and the media and techniques they used to suit each project. They might choose ink and watercolor for one piece, pastel and tempera for another, and alkyds on wood panel for yet another. They also incorporated diverse characters and cultures into their work, reaching a wide audience and inspiring generations to come.

The Dillons are the recipients of multiple awards, including two Caldecott Medals, five New York Times Best Illustrated Awards, four Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards, two Coretta Scott King Awards, and three Coretta Scott King Honors. They were inducted into the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame in 1997, and their work has been shown in the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

The Society’s exhibit features selections from several of the Dillons’ award-winning children’s books, including the 1977 Caldecott Medal winner Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions, written by Margaret Musgrove and published by Dial Press; the 2005 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales,written by Virginia Hamilton and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers; and the 1997 Chelsea Award winner for Best Science Fiction Hardcover Jacket Sabriel: The Abhorsen Trilogy, written by Garth Nix and published by HarperCollins.

Leo and Diane Dillon’s son, Lee, who is a painter, sculptor, and jewelry craftsman, also contributed to some of the Dillons’ illustrations on display. Leo Dillon passed away in 2012. This exhibit is dedicated to his memory and great talent.

The Society of Illustrators is located at 128 East 63 Street in New York City. 

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Check out the badge art our New Visions Featured Artist Tyler Boss created for MoCCA Arts Festival! If you’re an exhibitor, press, volunteer or VIP you’re the lucky ones who get to wear these original artworks next weekend. 

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The Society of Illustrators is honored to host three prestigious scholarship programs to recognize outstanding college-level students throughout the United States.  

On behalf of the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation, the Society is pleased to announce the second annual Will Eisner Scholar, dedicated to one of the most influential comic artists of all time.  This scholarship is awarded to the best comic and sequential art student currently enrolled in an undergraduate program in the US.  Junior-level students are selected by their faculty and submit a portfolio to the Society. Chaired by Steven Guarnaccia, the jury this year included comic artists Nathan Fox, Nora Krug, Jason Little and Mark Newgarden, as well as Graphic Novels Librarian at Columbia University Karen Green.  They chose Devon Bragg, Joy Ho, and Eleeza Mei Tourigny as finalists.  All three students attend the Maryland Institute College of Art. After in-person interviews and a review of their comic work, the jury selected Joy Ho (artwork below) as this year’s Will Eisner Scholar.  

The Zankel Scholar, established in 2007, is named in memory of Arthur Zankel, whose generous bequest made this scholarship possible. Mr. Zankel was a firm advocate for higher education, and the Society is honored to seek, in his name, the best illustration student of the junior class. Top students are nominated by faculty, and submit a portfolio of work to the Society. This year the jury, chaired by Melanie Reim, included Chad Beckerman (Art Director, Abrams Books), Illustrators Diane Dillon, Aya Kakeda, and Sean Qualls, and Alexandra Zsigmond (Art Director, New York Times).  They chose Jenice Kim (Rhode Island School of Design), Elena Lloyd (Parsons School of Design), and Lizzy O’Donnell (University of the Arts) as finalists.  After in-person interviews and a portfolio review, they selected Lizzy O’Donnell (artwork below) as this year’s Zankel Scholar.

In 2010, the Society established the Society of Illustrators Scholarship in Memory of Joyce Rogers Kitchell, to honor her legacy as an illustrator and longtime member. The scholarship provides annual support for a student within The School of Art and Design at San Diego State University. Nominated students are selected by a committee of faculty members, and finalists are chosen by the Society based on their portfolios and written statements. After interviews by the Society and a presentation of additional portfolio work Christine Prado was selected as this year’s award winner.

About the Society of Illustrators: Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators is the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. Our mission is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, its history and evolving nature through exhibits, programs and education. In 2012, we acquired the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Permanent Collection and created a MoCCA Gallery featuring rotating curated exhibits of comic and cartoon art.

About the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation: The Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation fosters innovation and creativity in graphic literature, sequential art and comics. It encourages others to continue and build upon the legacy of Will Eisner, who broke new ground in the development of visual narrative and the language of comics and was the creator of The Spirit, John Law, Lady Luck, Mr. Mystic, Uncle Sam, Blackhawk, Sheena and countless others.

About the School of Art and Design at San Diego State University: The School of Art and Design at San Diego State University values the theoretical and historical study of the visual arts, art making, and the practice of design; and recognizes that they are integral to society and beneficial to the individual. They promote the values of integrity, innovation, and interaction through their teaching, creative endeavors, and community involvement. The School’s progressive, dynamic, and relevant curricula attract ambitious, dedicated undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom become leading professionals in their fields. Their faculty and staff are distinguished by breadth of experience, expertise, and professional achievement.

Since 1958, the Society of Illustrators has elected to its Hall of Fame artists recognized for their “distinguished achievement in the art of illustration.” Artists are elected by a prestigious committee including former presidents of the Society.  They are chosen based on their body of work and the impact it has made on the field of illustration. This year’s honorees include contemporary illustrators Marshall Arisman, Guy Billout, and Peter de Sève as well as posthumous honorees Rolf Armstrong, William Glackens, Beatrix Potter, and Richard M. Powers.

Featured in this press release are the contemporary honorees. A second announcement will follow shortly detailing the illustrators who will be honored posthumously.

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, June 3, 2016. Details about the event will be released in the coming months.

Marshall Arisman (b. 1938)

During his decades-long career, Marshall Arisman’s emotional and affecting art has appeared in major periodicals including The New York Times, Esquire, Rolling Stone and Mother Jones. He has done covers for Time magazine, US News and World Report, The Nation and The Progressive.  His paintings and drawings have been widely exhibited and are included in the Permanent Collections of the Brooklyn Museum, The National Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum and the Smithsonian Institution. Arisman was the first American invited to exhibit in mainland China, and his series “Sacred Monkey” appeared at the Guangdong Museum of Art in April 1999.  Arisman is the Department Chair of the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Guy Billout (b. 1941)

Guy Billout is a French artist and illustrator working in New York City.  His minimal, conceptual illustrations have appeared in countless publications including The Atlantic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fortune, and many others.  His flat color schemes mixed with mind-altering perspectives are also featured in several New York Times Best Illustrated Books including 2007’s The Frog Who Wanted To See the Sea. Billout is the recipient of numerous awards including the Society of Illustrators’ Hamilton King Award.  He has taught at Parsons School of Design since 1985.

Peter de Sève (b. 1958)

Peter de Sève has reached international acclaim for his work appearing in magazines, children’s books, print and television advertising, as well as animated feature films.  His whimsical, humorous illustrations have been featured on countless New Yorker covers.  He is more widely known for his character designs for the blockbuster Ice Age movies, and has contributed to other popular animated films including Mulan, A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo and most recently, The Little Prince.  De Sève is the recipient of an Emmy Award for Outstanding Character design for his work on Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby’s Flying Fairy School and has received three Annie Award nominations for Character Design in a Feature Production. He was awarded the Society of Illustrators’ prestigious Hamilton King award in 2002. This year, de Sève’s creation Scrat, the playfully unfortunate saber-toothed squirrel from Ice Age, will get his own giant balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

About the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators

Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators is the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. Our mission is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, its history and evolving nature through exhibits, programs, and education. Notable Society members have been N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell, among many others. Our Museum of American Illustration was established in 1981 and is open to the public Tuesdays-Saturdays. We offer year-round themed exhibits, art education programs, and annual juried competitions. Our permanent collection houses 2,500 pieces that are cataloged for scholarly use and displayed periodically. In 2012, we acquired the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) permanent collection and created a MoCCA gallery featuring rotating curated exhibits of comic and cartoon art. Approximately 25,000 people visit our exhibits annually. We are thoroughly committed to advancing our mission as a singular cultural institution promoting all genres of illustration.

On July 9, the first session to kick off the Summer Illustration Art Academy began. Young artists, all donned in bright orange tee-shirts proudly displayed with “Summer Illustration Art Academy,” met in a gallery in the Society of Illustrators building.

The excited illustration students, with eyes as bright as their tee-shirts, were surrounded by big blue canvases, each with a different sea creature painted on it.

Bags bursting with free art supplies and a hardcover sketchbook were handed out to the 25 students in order to begin the first task of the summer 2012 session, which was to draw one of the fish living in the blue canvases on the wall.

The students sketched all morning, and once it was time for lunch, Jeannie, a 3-year veteran of the Summer Illustration Art Academy staff, gracefully and flawlessly conjured all of the children together to eat.

Stephen Gardner with the kids

While young artists attempted to depict the sculpture with his or her best drawing capabilities, Gardner, a renowned illustrator from the Society of Illustrators, looked over each student’s drawing to give direction. Gardner drifted from student to student, and despite the warm July weather, enthusiastically gave advice, sketched tutorials and explained techniques.

For the entire month of July, the Summer Illustration Art Academy enabled 100 children, aged 9 through 13, to travel to various locations throughout New York City such as the Bronx Zoo, the Coney Island Aquarium, museum exhibitions and a double-decker bus through Times Square.

Article From : http://www.nycgovparks.org/news/daily-plant?id=22720

SI Exectutive Director, Anelle Miller with Summer Academy Student

Here’s another installment of our Staff picks! We choose a piece we really love and share a bit about it with you!  The Korshak Collection: Illustrations of Imaginative Literature closed 8/26 and we wanted to re-visit one of the amazing illustrations which we had on display. Come in to the Society of Illustrators to see our newest exhibits today!

Our Intern Hailey wants to share with you a close up of “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Harry Clarke (for the story “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe in his book “Tales of Mystery and Imagination”)

“What I love about Clarke’s illustrations are the little shapes that make up the amazing details of each piece. All of the detail is balanced by larger blocks of more solid black and white.”

Thanks Hailey! Stay tuned for more of our Staff Picks!