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Abiyoyo Story Arts
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Pete Seeger and Levar Burton on Reading Rainbow

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Children's book illustrator and teaching artist Michael Hays

Born: Iowa City, Iowa, 1956
Raised: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, 1960-73
Lived: Providence, Rhode Island 1974-79
Stamford, Connecticut 1980-82
New York City 1982-88
Oak Park, Illinois (just west of Chicago) 1988-1993
Chicago, Illinois 1994-2015

Education:
BFA Illustration RISD 1979, Graduated with Honors
Trailside Country School 1973 (now the Expedition Institute, Lesley University)
Carnegie-Mellon University 1972 - Calligraphy with Arnold Bank and Life Drawing

Published by major publishers:
19 picture books illustrated by Michael Hays
3 illustrated middle grade readers
60+ Young Adult book jackets

Professional influences:
Pete Seeger
N.C. Weyth
Jack Kirby
David Macaulay
David Wiesner

Video interview:
Cindy Bravos interviews Michael Hays on Comcast100

Best known published books:
Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger
Jonathan and his Mommy by Irene Smalls
The Gold Cadillac by Mildred Taylor

Books most recently published:
W is for Windy City, A Chicago Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press 2010) by Steven Layne and Deborah Dover Layne, illustrated by Michael Hays and Judy MacDonald

eBooks now available:
Jonathan and his Mommy by Irene Smalls available on iTunes
W is for Windy City, Sleeping Bear Press
The Gold Cadillac by Mildred Taylor
Junebug by Alice Mead
Junbug in Trouble by Alice Mead
Year of No Rain by Alice Mead
Guerrilla Season by Pat Hughes

eBooks to come:
Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger
Abiyoyo Returns by Pete Seeger and Paul Dubois Jacobs
Kevin and His Dad by Irene Smalls

Teaching experience:
28 years teaching picture book illustration and drawing classes for BA and BFA students in the art and design department of Columbia College Chicago
30 years K-12 speaker and workshop leader

Home and family:
Lives with life partner Judy MacDonald and daughters Rowan and Ruby on the far north side of Chicago. Judy is both children’s book illustrator and children’s horse riding instructor at Red Coat Farm where she keeps her very large pets. Painted Pony Studio is their home based family business.

Web Sites:
About Michael’s professional illustration work and K-12 public speaking programs
www.michaelhays.com

Michael’s professional social media site
facebook.com/abiyoyoartist

More about Pete Seeger’s life and work, the story of Abiyoyo, other books by Pete and Michael, student Abiyoyo art and student video performances
www.abiyoyo.xyz

Abiyoyo online sales hosted by Amazon, books and audio CDs by Michael and Pete
www.michaelhays.com/online-sales.html

Academic CV available for immediate download.

Original art gallery:
Past sales through Elizabeth Stone Gallery
New brick and mortar gallery affiliation to come