Sean Qualls

BIO

SEAN QUALLS is a Brooklyn-based artist, illustrator and author. His work is a mixed-media combination of painting, drawing, and collage. He has illustrated many picture books, including The Idea In You by Questlove, Giant Steps to Change the World by Spike Lee, Before John Was a Jazz Giant, which received a Coretta Scott King Honor and Little Cloud and Lady Wind by Toni Morrison. His authorial debut, Fros Fades & Braids: A Brief History of Black Hair in America will be published in Jan. 2026 with Harper Collins. In addition, he has a thriving studio practice and exhibits his work in galleries and art fairs. He lives and works in Brooklyn where on occasion you can also find him DJing or sharing his work with the community.

FROS, FADES & BRAIDS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF BLACK HAIR IN AMERICA

Ever since Madam CJ Walker created some of the first hair care products for Black hair, styles like the Jheri curl, the buzzing beehive, and the fresh fades and braids we know and love today have secured their rightful place in American history. Black hair has a rich past that’s brought to life in this vibrant, captivating, and cool chronicle of the most well-known Black hairstyles. Coretta Scott King Honor illustrator Sean Qualls tells of the people who made those one-of-a-kind styles look and feel so good and the revolutionary hair care products and movements that would influence each generation, reminding us that Black hair can change, but it will never cease to leave its mark on the world.