Bibliographic Information:
- Title: This is What I Know About Art
- Author: Kimberly Drew
- ISBN: 0593095189
- Publisher: Penguin Workshop
- Copyright Date: June 2, 2020
Genre: Nonfiction/Social Justice/Biography/Memoir
Format: Book
Awards/Honors: None as of May 2021
Reading Level/Interest: Teen
Plot Summary: This is What I know About Art is the biography/memoir of Kimberly Drew. Drew is an activist, art curator, writer, and social media specialist. Drew grew up going to museums with her family but was never seriously interested in art until she had a summer internship at The Studio Museum in Harlem. When she returned to school, she changed her major to art history. Drew was amazed by the lack of Black American artists in her art history classes and textbooks. This book chronicles Drew’s journey through the museum and art world and combines it with her activism for Black artists. It is both powerful and inspiring.
Author Background: Kimberly Drew grew up in Orange, New Jersey in a family of artists. She graduated from Smith College in 2012 with a B.A. in Art History, Africana Studies, and a concentration in Museum Studies. In 2011, Drew started the Tumblr blog Black Contemporary Art. She posted about Black artists so that they would be part of recorded history. She is an advocate for racial equality in the art world. Drew ties art to activism, especially with high profile cases, such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (Wikipedia, 2021). Drew’s writing has appeared in Vogue, Glamour, W, Teen Vogue. She has done Instagram takeovers for Prada, The White House, and Instagram. Drew worked at the Social Media Manger at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for many years (Penguin Random House, N.D.). In 2020, her book Black Futures was published. This book, co-written by Jenna Wortham, brings together a collection of work to “to tell the story of the radical, imaginative, provocative, and gorgeous world that Black creators are bringing forth today. The book contains images, photos, essays, memes, dialogues, recipes, tweets, poetry, and more (Goodreads, 2020).
Critical Evaluation: This is What I know About Art is a powerful, well written, short book about the life and activism of Kimberly Drew. This book is part of the Pocket Change Collective, a series of YA books written by today’s leading activists and artists. The book is full of information on Black American artists who have been left out of U.S. art history books and texts. Drew is uplifting, positive, and passionate about her cause. She has devoted her life and career to helping Black artists become known. Teens will be drawn to this book because of its size and colorful cover. Even if they are not interested in art history, they will find this a compelling read.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Paint & Sip! Since Kimberly Drew is an activist who promotes Black artists, I would have an art teacher come to the library and lead a step-by-step painting class. We could choose a painting that is in the style of one of the artists that Drew mentions in her book. The work of Jean-Michel Basquiat would be perfect. We would serve refreshments and depending on the time of year, hot chocolate or lemonade.
Speed-Round Book Talk: Do you love art and going to museums? Do you know about any Black artists, present or past? You are not alone! In This is What I know About Art, Kimberly Drew brings attention to Black artists and tells how you can advocate for their inclusion in the elite art world.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense:
Reason for Inclusion: I included This is What I know About Art by Kimberly Drew because I found this book fascinating! Even though the book is short, it contains a lot of information. Drew mentions many Black artists in the book that I had never heard of and I am curious to look up their artwork. I was a Fine Art major in college, took four years of art history, and was shocked at how few names of artists I recognized. I do not know if art history textbooks or curriculum have been updated to add Black artists, but this needs to be done. This book is part of the Pocket Change Collective series. All of the books in this series are short but contain so much information. All are written by contemporary activists that are making change in the world. I have read several books from this series, and feel that they are perfect for teens, especailly reluctant readers.
References:
Goodreads. (2020). Black Futures. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43982124-black-futures?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=nBPVkEGHnH&rank=1
Now This Entertaining. (2019, August 13). How Black Contemporary Art’s founder Kimberly Drew amplifies Black artists | SEEN | NowThis. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWK-fP9t0s&ab_channel=NowThisEntertainmentNowThisEntertainment
Penguin Random House. (N.D.) Kimberly Drew. Retrieved from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2146838/kimberly-drew/
Wikipedia. (2021, May 10). Kimberly Drew. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_Drew
Debby's YA Mini Library Collection 