It takes a village

The team behind the John Coy/Gaylord Schanilec picture book,"My Mighty Journey: A Waterfall's Story" has won this year's Minnesota Book Artist award. The collective efforts of papermaker Amanda Degener and artists Paul Nylander, Barbara Eijadi, Sorcha Douglas, Emily Pressprich, Greta Lapcinski, Paris Fobbe, Rayan Macalin, Kerri Mulcare, Ellen Janda, Hans Koch, Diane Wilson, Ernie Whiteman and Monica Edwards Larson will be honored April 28 at the annual Minnesota Book Awards gala.

Degener was a previous Minnesota Book Artist Awards winner with Bridget O'Malley for their work as Cave Paper.

"My Mighty Journey" is the story of Owamniyomni — aka St. Anthony Falls — and the changes that have taken place over 12,000 years on the Mississippi River. The team of artists helped Schanilec craft the prints used as illustrations for the book, with text by Coy. The prints are on display through March at the Mill City Museum and an exhibit about the book will open Feb. 7 at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

In the photo (by Paul Nylander), from front to back: Gaylord Schanilec, Hans Koch, John Coy, Paul Nylander, Barbara Eijadi, Rayan Macalin, Paris Fobbe, Monica Edwards Larson, Sorcha Douglas, Greta Lapcinski, Kerri Mulcare.

Schanilec