w _J (l_ 0 w (l_ 0 T'" T'" SENIOR CREATES FOR CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATION BOOK WORDS Madison Edwards I I PHOTOS Kazu Figisawa Senior graphic design major Rachel Gibson had the opportunity to illustrate a book called "Worst First Day: Desegregation of Central High" in fall 2017. The book centered around the story of Little Rock Nine member Elizabeth Eckford's experience of being one of the first African-American students to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Rachel first thought about illustrating Eckford's book after meeting her at the American Studies Institute Distinguished Lecture Series event on Feb. 2, 2017, where Ruby Bridges, a civil right activist, spoke. Rachel emailed Eckford an illustration and months later worked with current Central High School students on a project to showcase their school's history. After participating in this project, Rachel was then contacted in order to illustrate Eckford's book. "It has been a very humbling experience to even sit at the feet of these spirited people who are very passionate about what they are trying to do," Rachel said. Rachel had the opportunity to be in the room when Eckford read the book out loud for Central High students and gave personal backstories on events that took place. "It was incredible to hear Eckford read the book in the Central High library to students," Rachel said. "Just seeing how far she's come to even be able to walk into that room and talk to people was just very incredible. Just hearing her tell her story of the hate... I can't even imagine what she had to go through. Now she is spreading awareness that racism [still] exists in our society. If you have the power to change it, it's standing up for other people and stopping it." Rachel illustrated the book with a stark monochromatic sketch theme to portray the different emotions of Eckford's story. ''An edgy black and white sketch look is what I first showed them, just because I personally wanted to study and understand it," Rachel said. "[It's] what I've been pursuing. The style, lines and textures included create different emotions and can symbolize hate." Daniel Adams, chair of the department of art and design, was confident Gibson and her talents would be a nice fit for the book. "Rachel is a proactive thinker," Adams said. "I've always found her to be creatively engaged in understanding the culture surrounding her in a thoughtful, considered way. She is very talented, especially in her ability to capture character in a whimsical pen and ink style." Stacy Gibson, associate professor of art and design, had Rachel in various classes throughout Rachel's time at Harding and was excited to see how her illustrations were used in the book. "Rachel is a talented visual storyteller, and I know her collaboration with this project will be a blessing to lher] and for the readers of this special book," Stacy said.
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