2023 marks the eleventh year of the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Project, a program presented by The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM), the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), and the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) that promotes the art and craft of original bookmaking in the classroom and invites SFUSD students in grades K–12 to design, write, and assemble their own books on any topic. This initiative was started in New York City by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation in honor of the beloved children’s book author and illustrator by the same name. Keats, the son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, attended New York public schools as a child in the 1920s and 1930s, and credits winning an artistic achievement award as an early source of motivation to pursue a career in the arts. Keats is also the subject of a CJM virtual school tour that won the 2022 Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Museum Education. His work was additionally featured in the 2012 CJM exhibition The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats.
SFUSD teachers and librarians use the bookmaking project as an opportunity to integrate the arts into classroom curricula. The CJM receives books highlighting math and science concepts, historical fiction and biographies, creative retellings of fables and folk tales, bilingual books, and more. The project has provided a rich opportunity for classroom teachers to collaborate with art teachers and school librarians, who have been key partners in promoting project participation at their school sites. Over the years, The CJM has partnered with bookmaking experts like San Francisco Center for the Book and Book Arts Roadshow to lead workshops for teachers to learn bookbinding techniques they can use with their students. Over the years, the project has brought in book submissions from 3,000 students from over half of all SFUSD schools.
After participants submit their books, a judging panel of Bay Area artists, writers, and educators convenes to evaluate the books according to originality, quality of writing and illustration, and presentation. The judges’ goal is always to uplift and celebrate student creativity, and awards and special recognition are given across grade levels. The bookmaking project culminates in a celebration at The CJM, where all participating books are showcased, and participants and winners receive awards and recognition. Join us for our 2023 celebration on Sunday, March 19 from 11am-2pm!
After the celebration, the books will be exhibited at the San Francisco Public Library at several branches throughout the city. Families and classes are encouraged to visit.
We are excited that this year’s panel includes creators across multiple artistic disciplines, new and returning judges, alumni of SFUSD, and alumni of The CJM’s Teen Art Connect (TAC) program. The project provides a valuable opportunity for youth to showcase their skills as authors and illustrators, and our judges love to see students’ creative ideas manifested in the pages of their books. Read on to learn more about the talented group who will be judging this year’s book submissions.
Candace Goodwin is a singer/songwriter, drama teacher, events manager and song leader. She spent over 10 years working at the JCC East Bay as an Early Childhood Education administrator and family engagement manager. She is currently the Senior Public Programs Manager at Jewish Studio Project. Candace holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Santa Cruz, is a San Francisco native and is passionate about building community through education and creativity.
Mareiwa Miller (b. Santa Marta, Colombia) is a visual artist and curator. Their work explores their multiracial background from their Wayuu, Jewish, and mixed White-Black roots. They utilize their practice as a way to sleuth the branches of their family tree and reclaim the mythologies embedded in the different cultures that seeded them. Through sculpture and installation, they are excavating and revisiting the stories embedded in the fabric of each of these cultures. How they may intersect and feed into each other; helping to discern which stories they want to pass on and which patterns—rooted in capitalism, separatist, and patriarchal structures—will end with them. Miller is currently a curatorial assistant at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.
Emma Purves is a former 2019-2020 Teen Art Connect Intern, currently in her third year at San Francisco State University. As an intern, she was inspired to build community through art work, museum work, and education. She is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art, as well as minors in Museum Studies and Women and Gender Studies. Her artwork typically is under the pseudonym “TYPEFAC E.” and was hung in both The 2022 Stillwell Exhibition, and The Cave Associated Students Fall Exhibition on the SFSU campus.
Rachelle Resnick is a retired teacher librarian who supervised SFUSD school libraries and was one of the founders of the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Project on the West Coast. She now reads and swims to her heart’s content and runs after her grandchildren in the East Bay.
Jen Woo is the Family Engagement Coordinator with San Francisco Public Library, which occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone. Jen focuses on establishing meaningful partnerships with community organizations and schools, creating an accessible learning environment where all are welcome, providing a space for librarians to support the community in offering programs and services for school-age children and their families, and supporting racial equity efforts in the library. Jen is currently a volunteer on literature committees for Asian Pacific American Librarians Association and Chinese American Librarians Association.