Robyn Phillips-Pendleton earned a BFA in Communication Arts from VCU and an MFA in Illustration from Syracuse University. She is the Interim Director of the MFA in Illustration Practice program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and a professor of Visual Communications in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Delaware. She is an illustrator, visual storyteller, designer, lecturer, and curator.
She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally and is a United States Air Force Artist. She was a member of the Norman Rockwell Museum National Advisory Board for Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt & the Four Freedoms and a juror for the exhibition’s contemporary component. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors of New York’s Society of Illustrators, and the International Illustration Research Group.
Her research focuses on the history of illustration and the influence of published imagery on perceptions of race. Robyn’s essay, “Race, Perception, and Responsibility in Illustration,” appears in A Companion to Illustration (edited by Alan Male, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2019). Homework for Breakfast is her most recent illustrated picture book. She is currently co-curating the exhibition “Imprinted: Illustrating Race” at the Norman Rockwell Museum, opening in June 2022.
This presentation discusses understanding the history of illustration and race and promoting intercultural tolerance, exploration and incorporation of underrepresented groups in imagery. Through extensive research as part of illustration curriculum, students can explore their own cultural stories and others through the guidance of programmatic pedagogy to better understand their place in the creative world.
