Stephen Alcorn

Professor Stephen Alcorn is a renowned illustrator, printmaker, and portraitist holding the rank of Professor in the Department of Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Born in the U.S., he spent his formative years in Florence, Italy, where he studied at the prestigious Istituto Statale d’Arte, profoundly influencing his bold technical experimentation across mediums and stylistic idioms.

His professional work includes over 50 illustrated books such as Odetta: The Queen of Folk (2010 Parents’ Choice Award) and Langston Hughes: An Illustrated Edition (1998 Carter G. Woodson Book Award). His Frederick Douglass relief-block cycle is permanently housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Drawings and Prints Collection. Internationally recognized, his work appears in journals like Print, Graphis, and European publications such as Linea Grafica.

Awardees include Parents’ Choice Award, Carter G. Woodson Book Award, and multiple honors from the American Library Association. His artistic practice bridges historical narratives with innovative techniques, emphasizing cultural storytelling through visual media.