Inspired by history, the beauty of nature, and the play of light, Higgins Bond has created a distinguished career for herself as an illustrator and fine artist. After earning her BFA in Advertising Design from The Memphis College of Art, Bond began her career as an illustrator. She illustrated over 40 books for both children and adults and created three paintings for the Great Kings and Queens of Africa poster series for Anheuser-Busch.Bond is also the first African-American woman ever to illustrate a stamp for the United States Postal Service. "Stamp collecting was a childhood hobby of mine," says Bond. "My fascination with stamps led to the best job of my career: illustrating three Black Heritage stamps for the US Postal Service." She also illustrated four stamps for the United Nations Postal Administration on endangered species. Bond has exhibited her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the DuSable Museum of African-American Art in Chicago, Illinois. Many of her original images have been published by some of this country's largest collectible plate companies. Her clients include such notable names as The Bradford Exchange, McGraw-Hill Publishers, Peachtree Publishers, The Franklin Mint, NBC Television, Hennessy Cognac, Essence and Black Enterprise magazines, Frito-Lay, and Columbia House. She has received a number of prestigious honors, including a medal of honor from Governor Bill Clinton and the 2009 Ashley Bryan Award for outstanding contributions to children's literature. Her book, A Place For Turtles by Melissa Stewart, was the winner of the 2014 Green Earth Award and the Sigurd F. Olson Nature writing award for children's literature. While she continues to paint, Bond has moved on from illustrating and begun a new chapter in her career. "As an illustrator, I have spent most of my career painting and drawing what other people wanted me to," says Bond. "Now, it is most important to me to create the art that I want to do."