Extraordinary Ordinary People: Five American Masters of Traditional Arts

by Alan Govenar

Through fascinating profiles of five National Heritage Fellows, folklorist Alan Govenar celebrates the cultural democracy that is America -- and honors the endurance of traditional crafts and methods.

In bustling midtown Manhattan, Qi Shu Fang applies the elaborate makeup and headwear required for her role as a Chinese opera singer, an impressive art she learned in her native Beijing. Overlooking a quiet little garden in Nyssa, Oregon,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763620475
• ISBN13: 9780763620479
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.3" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Few other books on modern artists take such an approach.

Each 'ordinary individual' featured herein has received a National Heritage Fellowship: candid interviews with folklorist Alan Govenar blends their biographies with color photos and historical perspective in Extraordinary Ordinary People: Five American Masters of Traditional Arts. In taking a journey through their lives and artistic sentiments, Alan Govenar provides artistic and social insights kids in grades 5-9 will appreciate; especially since few other books on modern artists take such an approach.