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Maira Kalman is the author and illustrator of 13 books for children and young adults, including the YA novel Why We Broke Up, which she created with Daniel Handler and which received the 2012 Printz Honor Award. Her most recent collaboration with Handler is Weather, Weather (2017) an evocative exploration of physical environments from around the world that offers a tender reflection on the passing of seasons, perspective, and memory. Other books for children include Ooh-la-la (Max in Love), What Pete Ate, Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of John Jay Harvey, and Hey Willy, See the Pyramids.

A regular and longtime contributor to The New Yorker magazine (and well known for her collaboration with Rick Meyerowitz on the 2001 cover “New Yorkistan”), Maira Kalman is currently at work on an illustrated column for the magazine based on her travels to museums and libraries. She also collaborated with choreographer John Heginbotham on a ballet inspired by her work The Principles of Uncertainty. In addition to performing in the ballet, she created the costumes, sets, and libretti. The ballet premiered at Jacob’s Pillow in summer 2017 and then moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in fall 2017.

Kalman created two monthly online columns for the New York Times: the first, The Principles of Uncertainty, was a narrative journal of her life; the second, And The Pursuit of Happiness, was a yearlong exploration of American history and democracy beginning with a story on the inauguration of Barack Obama. Both columns are now collected in book form. Other projects include Cake, with recipes by Barbara Scott-Goodman, and an illustrated edition of the Strunk and White classic The Elements of Style; she and composer Nico Muhlyl created a song cycle based on the text which was presented at the New York Public Library, Dia, Beacon, and Lincoln Center. Her most recent book is Sara Berman’s Closet, written with her son, Alex Kalman.

Maira Kalman’s design work is equally extensive, broad-reaching, and successful as her literary work. She has designed fabrics and accessories with Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Spade, Michael Maharam, and for the Target Corporation, as well as ballet sets and costumes for the Mark Morris Dance Company, and mannequins for Ralph Pucci. Under the M&Co label, she designed watches, clocks, umbrellas for the Museum of Modern Art, and her 10.1.4 watch is part of the permanent MoMA collection. Kalman has twice been a finalist for the National Design Awards and has won numerous honors from organizations such as the Art Directors Club, The Society of Publication Designers, and The American Institute for Graphic Arts. A retrospective of her work originated at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Philadelphia and traveled to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York’s Jewish Museum. A catalog titled Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) was produced for the show.

Maira Kalman’s artwork is represented by the Julie Saul Gallery in New York City. She lives in Manhattan where she teaches graduate design at the School of Visual Arts.

Lisa Congdon is an illustrator and author best known for her colorful, graphic drawings and hand lettering. She works for clients around the world including Comme des Garçons, Crate and Barrel, Facebook, MoMA, REI, and Harvard University among many others. She is the author of eight books, including her latest, Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic. She was named one of 40 Women Over 40 to Watch in 2015 and she is featured in the 2017 book, 200 Women Who Will Change the Way You See the World. She lives and works in Portland, Oregon.