Women Artists A to Z by Melanie LaBarge (author) and Caroline Corrigan (illustrator)
How many women artists can you name? From Frida Kahlo to Xenobia Bailey, both famous and underrepresented women in a variety of fine-arts genres are this presented in this lushly illustrated alphabet picture book.
Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois by Amy Novesky (author) and Isabelle Arsenault (illustrator)
Just as spiders spin and repair their webs, Louise’s own mother was a weaver of tapestries. Lousie spent her childhood in France as an apprentice to her mother before she became a tapestry artist herself. She worked with fabric throughout her career, and this biographical picture book shoes how Bourgeois’s childhood experiences of weaving with her mother provided the inspiration for her most famous works.
Art from her Heart: Folk Artist Clementine Hunter by Kathy Whitehead (author) and Shane W. Evans (illustrator)
Can you imagine being an artist who isn’t allowed into your own show? Clementine Hunter’s paintings went from hanging on her clothesline to hanging in museums, yet because of the color of her skin, a friend had to sneak her into her own exhibition when the gallery was closed. With lyrical writing and striking illustrations, this picture book biography introduces young readers to a self-taught artist whose paintings captured scenes of backbreaking work and joyous celebrations of Southern farm life.
A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa by Andrea D’Aquino (author and illustrator)
Ruth Asawa was an influential sculptor, a beloved figure in the Bay Area art world, and a devoted activist who advocated tirelessly for arts education. This picture-book biography brings Asawa’s creative journey to life, detailing the influence of her childhood in a farming family and her education at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where she pursued an experimental course of education.
Dream Street by Tricia Elam Walker (author) and Ekua Holmes (illustrator)
Welcome to Dream Street, the best street in the world! Jump rope with Azaria—can you double Dutch one leg at a time? Dream big with Ede and Tari, who want to create a picture book together one day. Say hello to Mr. Sidney, a retired mail carrier who greets everyone with the words “don’t wait to have a great day. Create one!” On Dream Street, love between generations rules, everyone is special, and the warmth of the neighborhood shines.
Shaped by Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales (authors) and Aphelandra (illustrator)
The most renowned Native American potter of her time, Maria Povika Martinez learned pottery as a child under the guiding hands of her ko-ōo, her aunt. She grew up to discover a new firing technique that turned her pots black and shiny and made them—and Maria—famous. This inspiring story of family and creativity illuminates how Maria’s belief in sharing her love of clay brought success and joy from her New Mexico Pueblo to people across the country.
Building Zaha: The Story of Architect Zaha Hadid by Victoria Tentler-Krylov (author and illustrator)
The city of Baghdad was full of thinkers, artists, and scientists, and the littlest among them was Zaha Hadid. Zaha knew from a young age that she wanted to be an architect. She set goals for herself and followed them against all odds. A woman in a man’s world and a person of color in a white field, Zaha was met with resistance at every turn. When critics called her a diva and claimed her ideas were unbuildable, she didn’t let their judgments stop her from setting goals and achieving them one by one, finding innovative ways to build projects that became famous all over the world.
In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century
is on view at the Frist from January 29–April 26, 2026.
Supported in part by
