„Who Are You? Polish Illustration for Children in New York” is a project dedicated to the Polish community in the United States. It showcases outstanding contemporary Polish illustrators who are appreciated not only in their homeland but are also gaining recognition worldwide.
The project activities focus on Polish culture, nature, traditions, and scientific achievements, presenting inspiring artistic phenomena and significant social dilemmas, ultimately emphasizing the importance of equality and the value of societal complexity.

A kaleidoscope of events: the „Who Are You?” exhibition, exploring the importance of roots, an opening with a family workshop, curator-led tours, lectures for teachers, and artistic workshops for children related to Polish culture aims to inspire interest in contemporary Poland—a modern yet history-conscious, dynamic yet reflective country.
A Poland that invites exploration and has a chance to leave a lasting impression.

All these activities will take place in New York in collaboration with the partner—The Nowodworski Foundation, an American Polish community foundation.

Monika Chrabąszcz-Tarkowska

Doctor of Arts, lecturer at the Faculty of Interior Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and the Faculty of Arts at the Tarnów Academy. She designs books, creates posters and exhibitions. Author of the picture book „Oh, What Do I Feel?” (Natuli Publishing, 2024), which supports children’s emotional development. Designer and curator of numerous exhibitions aimed at young audiences, including „A Hole in the Whole: Bohdan Butenko. Illustrations” and „Kids: Janusz Stanny’s Illustrations.” She has collaborated with many cultural institutions: the Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, Wawel Royal Castle, the National Museum in Krakow, the International Cultural Centre, Nowa Huta Cultural Centre in Krakow, the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures in Lublin, Płock Art Gallery, and the Schoen Palace in Sosnowiec. Her works have been exhibited in many exhibitions in Poland and abroad: in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, France, Belgium, Spain, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic.

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Series of 4 workshops „Me and My Place – A Creative Workshop Series on Heritage Across Poland and the USA”
Art workshops exploring the topic of identity and connection to the place where we were born, where we live, and where our ancestors grew up. We start by discussing what we love about our place of residence, delve into memories shared by our parents and grandparents, and what we know about their places of origin. We then seamlessly move into a creative process based on our own imaginations and experiences.

• Roots & Branches: Design Your Family Tree
• CITY POSTER – Poster Art Inspired by American Cities
• CITY POSTER – Poster Art Inspired by Polish Cities
• Design Your Dream City: Map-Making Adventure

Przemysław Liput

Doctor of Arts. Studied and obtained a doctorate in Graphics at the Faculty of Arts of the Commission of National Education University in Krakow. He is the illustrator of books such as „Krakow: A Guide for Big and Small,” „A Year in Kindergarten,” „Monster City,” „Earth to Jadzia,” and the „Jano and Wito” series. He has worked with numerous institutions and publishers, including the Warsaw Uprising Museum, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Museum of Sports and Tourism in Warsaw, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, UNICEF, and publishers such as PWN, Operon, Multico, GWO, and the magazine „Świerszczyk.” He runs an animation studio at the Institute of Art and Design of the Commission of National Education University in Krakow. His works include graphic, drawing, and video techniques.

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Series of 4 workshops „Medieval Krakow.” The starting point is the book „Krakow: A Guide for Big and Small” by Barbara Gawryluk and Łucja Malec-Kornajew (illustrated by Przemek Liput).

• Here be dragons (Latin: hic sunt dracones)
• Royal Court
• Knight’s Gear
• Let’s Make Our Own Coat of Arms

Agnieszka Karp-Szymańska

She graduated in Polish Philology with a specialization in teaching (Pedagogical University of Krakow) and completed postgraduate studies in cultural management (Jagiellonian University, Krakow) as well as studies in children’s and young adult literature (University of Warsaw). She is a UX Designer specialist (SWPS University, Wrocław), focusing on researching needs and designing experiences, also in the cultural field. For over 18 years, she has worked as a cultural animator in the publishing industry, cultural events, and promoting reading.

Creator and co-owner of the portal CzasDzieci.pl, as well as founder and president of the Czas Dzieci Foundation, which aims to extend the portal’s activities to actions promoting reading among the youngest. From 2014 to 2018, she was responsible for the program and production of the Children’s Literature Festival. Since 2019, she has been the director of the Intergenerational Children’s Literature Festival – Fathers and Children. She initiated many unconventional actions, such as „The Literary Emergency Room,” which aims to cure reading aversions in children.

She works as an expert, content consultant, and jury member for competitions. She gives lectures, webinars, and workshops on contemporary trends in children’s and young adult literature and ways to promote literature for young readers. For the past four years, she has hosted the „Literary Emergency Room” podcast, as well as podcasts at publishers’ invitations. She collaborates regularly with „Newsweek Psychology of Children” and „Newsweek Psychology of Teenagers” magazines. She has been awarded: the PTWK Centennial Diploma in recognition of her contributions to the development and significance of Polish books (2022), and the IKAR statuette for „unconventional promotional actions, both animation-oriented – aimed at children, and critical-literary – aimed at their guardians” (2024). In 2023, she was a scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in the field of culture dissemination. As a result of this research project, the report „Diagnosis of the Needs of Young Cultural Event Participants, with Particular Emphasis on Reading Promotion” was produced.

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Curatorial Meeting “Who Are You?”

A presentation of the exhibition’s concept, followed by a discussion of the books displayed, whose content, aimed at children, inspires discussions on both national and individual identity. The configuration of the presented books and the issues they address serves as a basis for discussions on what lies at the root of our choices and how we shape our lives. They help answer the question: Who are we and what determines that? The illustrations representing these books speak of many aspects of Polishness: national symbols as well as images related to Polish emotionality, directing thoughts toward nature, culture, traditions, and rituals. The books chosen for the exhibition narrative are outstanding in their artistic value. They can engage young people formally and inspire them to read and explore the topic further.