Pasadena Convention Center
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Cátia Chien (She/Her)

Concept Artist Traditional Artist Other
Cátia Chien is the recipient of the 2026 Caldecott Medal, the highest honor in American picture-book art for her picture book Fireworks. She is the first AAPI woman to receive the Caldecott Medal in its 88 years. Her work has also received two Society of Illustrators Original Art Gold Medals, three Golden Kite Awards for picture book illustration, a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book honor, a Schneider Family Book Award, and an ALA Notable designation. She has worked with Chronicle Books, Harper Collins, Scholastic and Neal Porter Books. Her books have been published in more than fifteen languages, and her artwork has been exhibited internationally, including at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Beijing National Gallery. She has also worked with Sony, Netflix and Automated Pictures as a pre-production visual development artist on animated films including The Little Prince and Wish Dragon. And was a co-editor and contributor to the influential Flight comics anthology.

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A Hybrid Career: From Films to Picture Books

Room 211 | Cátia Chien

How can a career in visual development become a pathway into picture books? In this presentation, 2026 Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator and visual development artist Cátia Chien explores how a background in VisDev can open unexpected doors into picture books. Through examples from animation, publishing, and her own career, she’ll break down the skills that transfer—worldbuilding, character, color, composition, mood, and visual storytelling—and the ones that require a new way of thinking. Students will learn how the picture book industry works, what art directors and editors look for, how to shape a portfolio, and practical ways to begin making the leap from VisDev into publishing while building a creative career that can move between both worlds.

Skill Level: General Audience

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