
Photo by Ido Peretz
Maya Shleifer is a multidisciplinary illustrator and designer, drawn most to visual storytelling through children’s books.
Born in the former USSR, she immigrated to Israel at the age of 16. After completing her studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, she worked as a designer and art director for various publications. She soon began showcasing her own editorial illustrations, and at about the same time, she started work on her first children’s books. Today her titles have wide recognition in Israel, and are exhibited in the country’s major museums.
Maya launched a solo interactive exhibition in 2016 called Familiar Stranger, which combined her two passions – illustration and interactive storytelling. The exhibition gained the support of the Mifal Hapais fund for Art and Culture and was held at the Mamuta Art and Media Centre in Jerusalem.
Exhibitions
Familiar Stranger, solo exhibition
Mamuta Art and Media Center, Jerusalem 2016
Mamuta Art and Media Center, Jerusalem 2016
Dahlia Ravikovitch Poetry, group exhibition
Part of Israel Illustration Week, Tel-Aviv 2015
The Dwarf, the Giant and the Princess, group exhibition
Nahum Gutman Museum, Tel-Aviv 2014
Design Plus Ten, group exhibition showcasing the most influential Israeli young designers
Museum of Design, Holon 2011
Prizes & Honorable Mentions
Society of American Illustrators, Illustration annual, USA 2020
Ramat Gan Prize for best Picture Book of the year, Israel 2017
3*3 illustration magazine Honorable mention, USA 2016
Hapinkas illustration merit, Israel 2013
Hapinkas illustration merit, Israel 2013
Children's Books
TheGolden Thread, 2019
Hand in Hand, 2019
At The Heart Of Orchard, 2017
Where’s That Monster?, 2017
Princess Zohara, 2013
My Secret, 2008
Laura, 2007