You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!: The Storied Life of Folk Artist Elijah Pierce

Expecting just an ordinary haircut, a young boy walks into Elijah Pierce’s barbershop studio in Columbus, Ohio where the ambiance is lively with music, laughter, and young children dancing. The boy, who is struggling with an idea for a picture to draw for his mother, soon learns that creative ideas are everywhere, in the things we see and hear every day. “The more you look, the more you see,” Elijah says. As Elijah cuts the boy’s hair, he relates his life story as told in the remarkable wood carvings that fill every corner of the small studio. There are animals, scenes from his life, and those detailing the socio-political world around him including one that tells of a harrowing experience he had as a young man accused and jailed for something he didn’t do, all because of his skin color.

Elijah was born in 1892 Mississippi to a once-enslaved man, a farmer whose family followed in his footsteps – all except for Elijah. When his chores were done for the day, he headed for the woods to carve. Using the pocketknife given to him by his father, Elijah turned that implement into a magical instrument to channel his artistic gift. Carving was his calling and there wasn’t anything that he couldn’t sculpt from a raw piece of wood. The historical subject matter and intricacy of his work eventually won Elijah the National Heritage Fellowship in 1982 just two years before his death. Prior to that time, self-taught folk artists, usually immigrants and persons of color, were not held in the highest esteem. They were craftspeople, considered common, and so was their art. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) changed all that by establishing the Fellowship and naming Pierce as one of their recipients for the highest folk art honor in the United States.

This picture book includes cleverly collaged museum-sourced photos of his art and informative backmatter about his life. With engaging text by playwright Chiquita Mullins-Lee and award-winning author Carmella Van Vleet, it is illustrated with striking Japanese woodblock by Jennifer Mack-Watkins. The illustrations are stunning and one can imagine how awe-inspiring the actual carvings are. In an era where misguided persons are trying to erase important depictions of rich culture, this book is a must-have new addition to vital Black art history!