Ashley Bryan Center

Programs: During the year 2017, the ongoing inventory process continued in the cambridge office, and in november of 2017 the materials were moved to an art storage facility in boston. In addition to a substantial reduction in monthly expense, this new area enabled significantly improved organization of the material as well as more appropriate security and climate controls. This change of venue prompted invitations to interested institutions to come and view the material, a process that commenced in early 2018. The exhibition ashley bryan: painter and poet opened at the high museum in atlanta in april 2017 to great acclaim and through december 2017, over 200,000 visitors enjoyed the exhibition. Ashley attended the opening. Additionally, the alliance theater partnered with the high museum and adapted two of ashley's stories - the dancing granny for an older audience and beautiful blackbird for ages 18 months to 5 years. Ashley was able to attend a performance of the dancing granny in june. Over 12,500 children and adults attended these sold-out performances. A distillation of the exhibition will travel to the portland maine museum of art in august 2018. Additionally work by bryan was committed to two other major exhibitions in 2018. A coretta scott king award winner exhibition organized by the national center for children's illustrated literature which will tour nationally and telling a people's story: african-american children's illustrated literature organized by the miami university art museum in oxford ohio. There were numerous requests to reproduce ashley's work in magazines ranging from general interest periodicals to more specialized publications. The center cooperated fully to accommodate these various requests. The storyteller pavilion opened in july of 2017 with the stained-glass windows still in a temporary but nevertheless elegant display. With docents enhancing the experience, the pavilion welcomed over 1,000 visitors over the course of the summer. The pavilion reduced its hours from 42 hours 10 -4 seven days a week after labor day 20 hours 11-3 five days a week, and after columbus day, it was open by appointment.

in september the second first book distribution was executed to increased success, and the center distributed 15,000 copies of beautiful blackbird to schoolchildren in new york city, maine, and atlanta, georgia.