Cultural Curriculum Chat with Jebeh Edmunds

Season 5 Episode #14: Radiant Child Book Review

• Jebeh Edmunds

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Ever wondered how vibrant art can emerge from the chaos of city life? Join me on the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast as we unravel the fascinating journey of Jean-Michel Basquiat through Javaka Steptoe's award-winning book "Radiant Child." You'll gain insights into Basquiat's early influences, including the nurturing support of his mother Mathilde and the jazz-infused environment created by his father. This episode is a heartfelt tribute to Basquiat's unstructured, expressive art that ignites conversations around social justice and cultural identity.

Discover the pivotal moments that shaped Basquiat's life, from his childhood accident to his relentless pursuit of artistic fame. Listen to how everyday life and the bustling streets of Brooklyn became his canvas, defying traditional art boundaries. Educators, parents, and art enthusiasts alike will find inspiration in Basquiat's story, as we explore strategies to help students dream big and see art in the ordinary. Tune in for a captivating discussion that celebrates the enduring power and legacy of Basquiat's unique artistic vision.

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Speaker 1:

Have you ever felt like creating something that is messy and out of the lines and lots of no structure, and you're using your expression and it brings out conversation for social justice. This book is for you. Caldecott award-winning book, radiant Child the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, written and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. I can't wait to dive deep into this book with you today on the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast. Let's get into it. It, radiant Child, by Javaka Steptoe, gives you the life and tribulations of modern artists, the late Jean-Michel Basquiat. Hello everyone, my name is Jeba Edmonds and welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast. I am so excited that you are with me today. I love to share all things multicultural education through classroom strategies, because I was a classroom teacher for over 18 years as well as inclusive workplace strategies that you can use in your work life. Today, I cannot wait to dive deep with you every single Friday with new strategies for your workplace and in your classroom. So let's get to it. I cannot wait to show you this book. I love the art that Javaka has put into it and the love of the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat. I learned a lot of things that he was born and raised in Brooklyn and it just shows you the vibrancy and the colors. Let me see if I can now. This book is very bright now. This book is very vibrant, with all the colors that you can see.

Speaker 1:

The artist said that he used pieces from where did I find that it was really cool. I love his author's note in the back. I will get to it. The illustrator said that he was inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork in the Brooklyn Museum. So, going through the book, like I said, it's very vibrant and looks like he's painted on pieces of plywood and different recycled materials and it really shows you how Jean-Michel got his inspiration in his work. It shows that he would sit at the table and scatter papers around and do his drawings.

Speaker 1:

I really enjoyed how it talked about Jean-Michel's parents and how he would sit on the floor with his Puerto Rican mother, mathilde. She was a sewer and a designer and she cooked and cleaned and made the house look nice with looking like it came out of magazines. I don't want to quote too much, but they used paper from his father's work papers on the back as his canvas, and so it really showed you the importance of his mother wanting him to be immersed in the cultural of art and bringing him to museums and really exposing Jean-Michel to the world outside of those lines. I thought that was really poignant. It talks about his father's influence of jazz music in the home and just his observation of his neighborhood and where he lived, and I love this part in the book that says, and I quote, art is the street games of little children and our style and the words that we speak. It is how the messy Patrick of the city creates new meaning for ordinary things. It really does bring you back to we can find art in anything and just to see things that from your day-to-day routine can be enlightened and awakened by looking at art and creating your own art. I just love how this art has no rules and, like I said, it shows you how his parents really did influence him in exposing him to world-renowned artists and I love how he told his mom I'm going to be a famous artist. He manifested that. And thinking about with your students, educators, when we write in the beginning of the school year, what are your hopes and dreams, and asking your students what do they dream to be next month, next year, in adulthood, and let their imagination run just wild. So it does talk more about. I love the words of affirmation and words of endearment and his mother calling him Mi Amor endearment and his mother calling him mi amor. And it's just. It really shows how, when tragedy struck and Jean-Michel was injured in a car accident, his mother brought him an anatomy book and that was something that he got to see how the parts of the body work and that also influenced his art in adulthood. By looking at these anatomical pictures and tracing on the outside of these pages and learning about you know how the body works.

Speaker 1:

He had another tragedy in his life. Jean-michel's mother had to leave the home due to mental illness and it talked about how he felt even more withdrawn within himself and as he grew older, he tried to visit his mother as soon as he could, when he could, to really connect with her and always telling her when I'm a famous artist and his biggest motivator when he was a teenager he would tell his parents Papa, I'm going to be very famous one day, and he just used that as his drive of getting to that point of being a famous artist but also getting his muse, which is New York City and the life of the people and the young people. He leaves Brooklyn for the Lower East Side and it just shows that during the day he worked with paint, stayed with friends. So it just shows our students that Although he was a working artist, he still had struggles with his own life. He was homeless, living from one friend's couch to the next and still having that drive to pursue his dream of becoming a famous artist One of his nicknames that he would spray paint and with his art he called himself. That kind of created the buzz of who is the Samu and why is he doing this art. And it's so edgy. That's marketing 101 of trying to get buzz and recognition. And, of course, samu. He left the street corners with his street art and ended up using his art into galleries and, of course, showing the world his work and just to show the beauty inside those lines.

Speaker 1:

What I also wanted you to think about while you're reading this book always, educators and home readers read the author's note and read about why he decided to create this book for all of us to learn more about Jean-Michel Basquiat. I love how he talks about his own art was his voice, which he used to speak on his own, how he used his voice. Love how the author's note talks more about how Jean-Michel really used his voice to speak about social complex issues and talks about politics that are still relevant today. A lot of these pieces you can look online of Jean-Michel Basquiat's and just put it up there. Put it up on your board, on your smart board or your paramecium board, educators, and just sit silently, pretend that you and your students are in an art gallery and have them observe and see what kind of feelings or messages that the artist, jean-michel Basquiat, wanted us to learn from it. And you would have so many interpretations and so many cool reactions to his piece. I think would be really exciting.

Speaker 1:

Jean-michel, like it says in the book, an artist among artists never doubts one line creating from a soundtrack that is all his own and, as you can see, he's got crowns above famous African-American athletes. He always wanted to highlight the contributions of other African-Americans in our history and he described himself as a radiant, wild, ingenious child. And in his heart he always had this big motivation to do great things, and he sure did so. With that in the hands of his work, he still would visit his mother, despite of all of her trials and tribulations, to solidify that their dream came true, that he was that famous artist that he said he would be. Jean-michel Basquiat lived a really short life and he passed away 1988 at only 27 years old.

Speaker 1:

It really does show us as educators, when you are working with your students, you can share that he did have struggles with his mental health, but you don't really need to go further into that discussion. I think you need to really think about it when it is developmentally appropriate with your students. You would see in his work there's three real famous symbols that Javaka points out in the book. The crowns that he would draw represent so many things, such as power or strength. He would give crowns to others in his artwork as a sign of respect. So when you are doing these slideshows of Jean-Michel's work, see if the kids can be like a little Easter egg hunt and see if they can find these three major symbols the crown, let's see if they could see the eyes if there's any eyes in the artwork that represents seeing or understanding the past or the present, and cars and trucks or airplanes that symbolized his childhood and that car accident that had him badly injured as a child. And so if you have your students searching for those three major symbols the crown, the eye and a car or a vehicle of some sort, or a vehicle of some sort. Maybe give them a catch you being good, paw print, or a little incentive if they find them all. Make it like a fun math challenge of how many crowns can you find, how many eyes can you find in the picture, how many vehicles can you find? You can turn the artwork into something more immersive with your students. I must say this book was a page turner. I really enjoyed Javaka's interpretation of the art that he shared Jean-Michel's story.

Speaker 1:

I really think biographies are very important for all children to read about. A lot of us in school settings have probably not heard of Jean-Michel Basquiat and this is a wonderful introductory to his life and his contribution of social justice as well as expressing oneself with art. Be perfect. A lot of us have this lens that art is supposed to look a certain way. But Jean-Michel disrupts that narrative and lets people understand that everyday things and things that happen in your life, that are your trials and tribulations, can be expressed beautifully in your own way. And if you are looking for an inclusive and transformative multicultural educational channel, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you get our latest episodes every week. Thank you all again for staying tuned to the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast. I am so excited that you're here today and if you're watching me on YouTube. Thanks again for visiting me on Mrs Edmond's Culture Corner. I will see you all here same time next week. Bye-bye.