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

“Elijah Pierce had no formal art training. Yet his canon of work, literally thousands of pieces, represents a meaningful contribution to the cultural arts and the history of his people.”

You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce! introduces children four to eight to a notable African American folk artist whose wood carvings relate the stories of his life as well as the African American experience.

The story focuses on a young boy accompanying his dad for a haircut. Mr. Pierce is the local barber. He is also a woodworker. The shop is a lively backdrop to the story, ringing with laughter and conversation. It is also brimming with Pierce’s carvings. Of course, the boy is immediately taken with the art.

As it happens, the boy has brought along a new set of colored pencils, a gift from his mom. He wants to draw a picture for her but becomes frustrated because he can’t think of what to draw.

While in the barber chair, Mr. Pierce engages the boy in conversation, sharing that when he was a boy, he received a pocketknife from his mom. That gift marked the beginning of Elijah Pierce’s wood carving mission.  The barber recalls that his inspiration to create was boundless. He was inspired by anything and everything he encountered or experienced. A soft piece of wood was Elijah Pierce’s vehicle, and each piece he created related to his life’s narrative. Following the haircut, the barber walks with the boy and his father around the shop pointing out pieces and communicating the stories behind them.

You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce! is an entertaining read with multiple messages. Learning to draw creative inspiration from everyday life lays a valuable foundation for any child’s creativity. Learning to communicate through art and use it as a medium for storytelling suggests an alternate communication channel for young readers who struggle to find the words. And finally, learning the stories behind the work teaches the young reader something about history and the particular challenges African Americans faced in the early to middle part of the 20th century.

Jennifer Mack-Watkins' illustrations are done using mokuhanga printmaking technique and mixed-media collage. The style is reflective of Pierce’s own unpolished, primitive technique.

Elijah Pierce had no formal art training. Yet his canon of work, literally thousands of pieces, represents a meaningful contribution to the cultural arts and the history of his people.