The Museum is proud to contribute to a citywide celebration of the work of James Baldwin. Now available for the first time in forty years, is a new edition of Little Man, Little Man—with illustrations by French artist Yoran Cazac. This book also features a foreword by Baldwin’s nephew Tejan "TJ" Karefa-Smart, an afterword by his niece Aisha Karefa-Smart, and introduction by Baldwin scholars Nicholas Boggs and Jennifer DeVere Brody. Little Man Little Man is a coming of age story about TJ, a child with big dreams, in a world of grown-up adventures. Little Man Little Man, not only illustrates the austerity of 1970s Harlem from an innocent child's perspective but expands our appreciation for one of America’s greatest writers.
TJ’s Bash is a colorful day of art-making activities, storytelling, poetry, and music. The community of Harlem is a point of departure for a daylong celebration of this monumental author and the only book exploring children that James Baldwin ever produced.
Celebrating James Baldwin 11:00am - 1:00pm:
11:00am - 11:30am: The ABCs of James B
11:40am - 12:10pm: Little Poems Little Poems
12:20pm - 12:50pm: The Stoop's Story
Before and after this program from 11-1, the Museum will be an ongoing site for independent artmaking in the Museum’s Living Room, and Studio Labs. In addition to our exhibitions, we will also present a series of children's books in the nooks curated for celebrating our community, the richness of Harlem and ideas correlating to this historic text. To further enrich this celebration, we will project a continuous selection of illustrations from Little Man Little Man by Yoran Cazac, and a vibrant jazz soundtrack to set a set an animated tone for this celebration.